Skip to Main Content
Western Libraries

MGMT 491: Small Business Entrepreneurship: Small Business Resources

Industry Ratios

Industry ratios will give you a benchmark for spending for an industry. This will allow you to see what percentage companies in a specific industry are spending on different business expenditures. 

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) is used by the government to gather and organize industry statistics. it is also used by multiple resources to organize data--like the ratio books above. 

  • NAICS is more current and has tried to evolve with the changes to business and industry. Search by number or keyword.

SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) is no longer active but it still used by some resources, like Industry Norms, as a way to organize information. 

SIC is manufacturer heavy. You can search by number or keyword. There are tables available through NAICS where you can look up the corresponding NAICS number. 

Company & Industry Resources

Business Source Complete, Mergent Online, and IBISWorld will provide a general view of a company and it's competitive landscape.

For more in-depth information on researching a company and industry, see the Company and Industry pages for more help.

Local Competitors and Business/Industry Ratios

Small Business Web Sites

Federal Agencies