ReferenceUSA seen as strong replacement for Hoover’s database for business info
A highly anticipated new company database has been added to the library collection. 
ReferenceUSA is a strong replacement for the Hoover’s database.
ReferenceUSA is a good tool to use when conducting company research, creating a business plan or locating competitors or new customers. It is a valuable resource when you need to fill in the pieces of a corporate family tree.
ReferenceUSA contains information on 54 million U.S. businesses,158 million U.S. residents, Canadian businesses, U.S. new businesses, U.S. White Page, Canadian White Pages, 228 Million U.S. historical businesses; U.S. jobs/internships; U.S. healthcare (physicians & dentist); U.S. consumers/ lifestyles and U.S. movers/new homeowners. This database is exceptionally useful when you need to locate information on a small, local or new company.
You can search by name, subject, location, NAICS/SIC codes, number of employees, sales volume and more. There are special segments for new businesses, healthcare and new homeowners. There is also a database of historical directory information for those looking for a company no longer in business.
The U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles segment of the database identifies consumers based on geography, home value or income, and personal interests such as apparel, cooking, pets, etc. This information can be useful for identifying potential customers when developing a business plan, for example.
ReferenceUSA also includes data visualization capabilities that allow the user to create a heat map from their search results, or various types of charts.
By Janet Reid, business research librarian
Image: Creative Commons
Categories Business, Marketing