How to turn Census data into business knowledge

Any astute reader of this blog will know all too well how much we appreciate the U.S. Census Bureau. As a counter of just about every American resident and keeper of data on just about every U.S. industry, the Census Bureau is an indispensible source for business research. Take, for example, the American FactFinder. You can use this tool to find detailed statistics about the people in any U.S. place. It’s authoritative, it’s comprehensive, and it’s free.

While it’s great to know that x% of the people in your community share x characteristic, the implications of that for your business can be less than clear. It’s a gap we try to help people span here at the library all the time: I’ve got all these great statistics, now how can I use them to further my business?

It’s a problem of turning data into knowledge.

We try to help folks with this on an individual level, but a great recent article in AdAge magazine can help in general, as well. The article, titled The Changing Face of the U.S. Consumer, looks at trends in the U.S. population (with data mined from the Census Bureau) and provides strategies to turn them to your business’s advantage. It’s a great example of how to turn data into knowledge, and a highly recommended read.

(via ResourceShelf)