Using Census Business Builder

The Census Business Builder (CBB) is a one-stop resource for information about your customers, competition, and market. This guide provides the simple steps on how to use CBB to find the data you need.

Step One: Select Your Business Type

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Choose your type of business from the most popular list of industry icons or by using the NAICS search tool. You can change this industry from a menu on the map as well.

Step Two: Choose Your Location

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Choose the location you want to research either by using the My Location tool (that zooms you to where you are located based on your IP address) or by typing in the name of your city/town, ZIP code, county, or state in the search box. You can change this location from a menu on the map as well.


TIP: Business data is not available at the census tract level (and very limited business data is available at the ZIP code level) to protect the privacy of our business survey respondents.

Step Three: Browse the Map

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  • After choosing your industry and location, click on the “Go to Map” button.
  • Once the map loads, click “Select Map Variable.”
  • Select a Primary Category and then the Secondary Category from the menu.
  • Click on the variable you want to view on the map.
  • Browse the map to discover your data and compare it with other locations.

Use the Filter tool to modify the map so that it displays only the areas that meet your specific criteria. This feature allows you to choose up to three variables to filter on, and you can set the minimum and/or maximum values for each variable. When the map repaints, only the areas that meet your criteria are shown.

Step Four: Create a Report

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  • After choosing your industry and location, click the “Create Report” button.
  • The report automatically displays all data in CBB for your industry and area. To view only the information you want, click “Settings” and select the relevant data.
  • Save your data by pressing "Download" and exporting the report in an Excel, CSV, or PDF format.


Ready to get started?

Launch the Census Business Builder to find your data now

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