Research archive
Data research, rebuilt from reproducible evidence.
Each published note must query the current portal database, state its method and source vintage, and keep its limitations beside the finding. The underlying industry benchmarks remain available in the rankings, sector, and industry pages.
Where can you use verified benchmark data now?
The current portal dataset covers 2,002 NAICS-coded industries. Profit-margin figures come from IRS Statistics of Income Business Tax Statistics for tax year 2023; employment and payroll context comes from Census County Business Patterns 2023. Each live benchmark names its source and vintage so readers can distinguish a published data point from an interpretation.
- Compare average profit margins by industry using the current IRS SOI-backed rankings.
- Browse sector benchmarks for financial and employment context.
- Read the methodology for source coverage, calculations, and limitations.
Verified research note
Payroll per employee by industry
A live-database comparison of annual payroll per employee across reportable U.S. industries, with the inclusion rule, source vintage, and interpretation limits stated on the page.
Release-change report
Industries adding and losing jobs
A reproducible comparison of published Census employment totals across the retained 2022 and 2023 national releases, with suppressed rows left out rather than estimated.
Our publication standard
A research note returns here only after its calculations can be reproduced from the portal database, its claims match the cited primary source, and its limitations are stated next to the finding. Until then, the rankings and benchmark pages are the authoritative way to explore this dataset.