Demographics and Pyschodemographics

"Demographics are the average or typical characteristics of the people who buy your products or services. They include age, income, education, status or type of occupation, region of country and household size. Demographics can also include the age of children, home ownership, home value and urban or rural location.

Psychographics take this a step further: These include people's lifestyles and behaviors — where they like to vacation, the kinds of interests they have, the values they hold and how they behave.To find out this information you need to conduct market research — survey people who have bought your products or those who buy a similar one if you haven't yet launched yours.

You need to know both demographics and psychographics in order to advertise and sell effectively. You'll need to match the audience's characteristics of the media you use with the characteristics of your purchasers. That way you won't waste precious dollars when starting your business. "

-From AllBusiness Champions of Small Business (http://www.allbusiness.com/)

The following reference books contain a wide range of demographic data:

Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics
Ask at Referecne Desk
HB849.4 .S68
Provides detailed information about every Zip code and county in the U.S. Includes:

• 2000 updates and 2005 forecasts
• All residential and non-residential U.S. Zip Codes
• Business data including total firms and total employees
• Spending potential indices for 20 product and service categories
• Dominant ACORN lifestyle segmentation type for each ZIP Code

The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns
Ask at Reference Desk
REF HA 214 .A512
A massive collection of data organized into nine chapters -- Education, Health, Housing, Income, Labor Force, Living Arrangements, Population, Spending, and Wealth.

Lifestyle Market Analyst
REF HF 5415.33U6 .L54
Provides preliminary market analysis at the local, regional or national level. Includes extensive lifestyle information on the interests, hobbies, and activities popular in each geographic and demographic market.

Market Guide (Editor & Publisher)
REF HF 5905.E38
Includes MSAs, Market Rankings by County, MSA, and City, Population Demographics, Retail Sales, Housing Income, E&P Indices, etc.

Demographic Trends in the 20th Century
Census 2000 Special Reports - US Census Bureau
Ask at Reference Desk - Government Documents Reference Shelves
C 3.2:D 39/3 (Docs)