Skip to Main Content

SI 547: Engaging with Communities

Research guide for School of Information 547 Engaging with Communities taught by Prof. David Wallace Fall 2023

Using Data Axle to Find Local Businesses and Social Services

Data Axle (formerly ReferenceUSA) can provide counts of businesses (like daycare centers) in a particular city, zip code, census tract or a radius of your choice. It has counts for other establishments related to health care, legal services, educational institutions and religious organizations.  More information on the business dataset can be found here.

First, go to Data Axle and click on Search under the U.S. Businesses dataset

screen shot of Data Axle homepage

 

Then select Advanced Search

Screen shot of Data Axle search

First, select the Business Type. To browse different types click on Major Industry Group. Be sure to expand Retail Trade for businesses like grocery stores and Services for social, legal, educational and religious establishments

Then choose the Geography, you can search for establishments by neighborhood (e.g. Delray, Detroit).

Screen shot of Data Axle Advanced Search  

 After you've selected the establishments you want for your preferred geography, click on Update Count and then View Results