Research Guides: Biotech, Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry Research: Industry Statistics & Ratios

Industry Statistics

Government agencies collect and disseminate a variety of statistics about all aspects of industry in the US.

Bureau of Labor Statistics
The BLS publishes statistics about wages and employment by industry, as well as workplace injuries and fatalities.
Current Industrial Reports
The US Census Bureau publishes monthly, quarterly and annual reports on a variety of manufacturing industries.
IRS Tax Stats
The IRS compiles tables of financial balances and tax information for various industries and sectors. Based on corporate tax return filings.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
A good starting place for locating statistics compiled by the U.S. Government, including industry data. The original source of the data is listed under each table, and can often provide further information.
Survey of Current Business
From the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce. A comprehensive report on business activity and economic conditions. Contains articles on various aspects of commerce and the economy, as well as statistical tables highlighting national income and product accounts.
US Economic Census
The Census Bureau profiles the US economy every 5 years, from the national to the local level.

Industry Ratios

What is standard or expected for your industry of interest? Sources for industry financial ratios and norms can give you insight into aggregate industry performance, as well as allow you to measure a particular company against industry benchmarks.

IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Financial Ratios for 700 U.S. industries can be found in the "Key Statistics" section of the reports.

RMA eStatement Studies
The online version of the RMA Annual Statement Studies includes financial ratio benchmarks, as well as industry default probabilities and cash flow measures. Statistics are derived from data submitted by bank members of the Risk Management Association. The data comes from more than 260,000 statements of public and private companies, but the vast majority are from small to medium sized non-public companies. Covers over 700 industries arranged by NAICS and usually also by assets/sales size. Some data is presented in medians/quartiles. There are subsets of data by U.S. region and four years of data from past editions. Detailed explanations of the ratios can be found under the tab About eStatement Studies
NYU Stern School of Business table of industry ratios and statistics
Valuation Resources
Industry Resources Reports list resources available from trade associations, industry publications, and research firms which address subjects such as industry overview, issues, trends, industry outlook, financial benchmarking, compensation surveys, and valuation resources. Some sources require a fee for access. This source is organized by SIC code.

Standard & Poors Global Market Intelligence This link opens in a new window
Key industry ratios and statistics on approximately 52 industries are available in the Industry Surveys section of the database.