LibGuides: Company Research: Competitors

Locating Competitors

Find the "industrial classification" for the company and then use the code to create a list of companies within the same or similar industries. ReferenceUSA is a good place to start and you will be able to target a state, city or zip code.

Industrial Classification Systems

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
Adopted in 1997,the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
Adopted during the 1930's, the Standard Industrial Classification System updates ended in 1987. Although many older industries still use the SIC codes, newer industries are better defined using the NAICS.

International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC)
ISIC is maintained by the U.N. Statistics Division, and is used in a number of international databases, such as ILO's LABORSTA.

Finding Competitors

Data Axle (formerly ReferenceUSA)

Data Axle
Data Axle can also be used to create maps and charts of business locations.
Formerly ReferenceUSA.

Updated monthly. Contains basic directory information for more than 210 million U.S. residents and 14 million businesses in all zip code areas of the United States. Information includes name of business, address, telephone number, headquarters, branch and subsidiaries identification, SIC codes, yellow pages headings, ticker symbol, credit rating, number of employees, and estimated sales volume. Also includes some federal, state, and municipal offices.
Formerly known as ReferenceUSA.
Video Tutorial

Finding Competitors Using a NAICS Code
This document will demonstrate how to find competitors using a NAICS industrial classification code.
Using SIC Keyword Search to Find Competitors
This document will demonstrate how to search using a keyword to find competitors.