Find a Location

Selecting a location for your business involves a variety of factors. The building itself may include certain amenities or perks, and there's the decision to rent or buy. The location should be convenient to your target market and strategically placed in relation to your competition. If you are manufacturing a product for distribution, the location should be close to your distributors or close to transportation. Planning on an online-only businesses? Selecting a domain name and creating a user-friendly website are important for attracting customers, in addition to making sure your website is findable on major search engines.

Tips

Starting points:

Virtual location: Do a search to see if a domain name is available.
Physical location: Identify a region based on your market research that would meet a need in the area.
Physical location: Search LoopNet.com for commercial property.

Suggested strategies:

Use searchable directories like ReferenceUSA's map feature to find a geographic gap in the competition, or complementary businesses you want to be located near.
Use SimplyAnalytics (a subscription database) or Census BusinessBuilder (a free website) to find geographic regions based on certain criteria. For example, if you are starting a daycare center, locate areas with families or near business with a high number of employees that do not have their own daycare centers.

Select Resources

The subscription resources below marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

Data Axle Reference Solutions External This link opens in a new window
Directory information for publicly and privately owned companies in the United States and Canada, as well as information about individual consumers in both countries. Use the search boxes on the database homepage, or use the menu tabs to build custom lists by industry keywords, sales volume, number of employees, and geographic locations.
SimplyAnalytics External This link opens in a new window
SimplyAnalytics has data which answers key business research questions, provides small businesses with a tool for making sound business decisions, and helps users understand the socio-demographic and economic conditions of any geographic area in the United States. There are thousands of data variables related to demographics, employment, housing, market segments, businesses, consumer spending and brand preference. This geographic information resource allows for extraction and comparison of data for specific geographic areas as small as a zip code or Census block. It also provides colored maps and spreadsheets for business plans.
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The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are provided when available.

Starting an Online Business by Shannon Belew; Joel Elad
Call Number: HF5548.32 .B44 2017
ISBN: 9781119315520
Published/Created: 2017
Inside, you'll get plain-English explanations and easy-to-follow instruction on online business basics, legal and accounting issues, website design, Internet security, boosting sales, e-commerce, and so much more. - Excerpt from publisher's description

These are freely available online sources provided by government agencies, trade publications, and organizations.

Census Business Builder
Use the Census Business Builder (CBB) to obtain selected demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau for the potential location of your new business.
HUBZone Program
This is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) program for small business that operate and employ individuals in Historically Under-utilized Business Zones (HUBZones). This link provides information on how to get certified as a HUBZone business.
LoopNet External
An online marketplace for commercial real estate, search for properties available for rent or lease by location, property size, type, and price.
Pick your business location, Small Business Administration (SBA)
This SBA guide provides information on how to select your business location
Small Business Profiles by State, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy
The state profiles provide information on the number of small business by state, how many jobs they create, how many establishments opened and closed, the industries with the most and least small businesses, and which counties have the most small business employment.

The following guides were created by the Library of Congress to give an in-depth list of resources on a specific topic.

Real Estate Industry: A Resource Guide
This guide provides a starting point for researching both the residential and commercial real estate industries in the United States. Selected by business specialists at the Library of Congress, resources include both print and online materials.

Small Business Hub: A Research Guide for Entrepreneurs

Business Reference: Ask a Librarian

Find a Location

Tips

Starting points:

Suggested strategies:

Select Resources