Research and Reference Resources

Quick Guide to DemographicsNow

DemographicsNow—A new way of collecting demographic data. Find out who and where your customers are!

Because your business is unique, the data you use to plan your business should be unique as well. The world has become very competitive. By guiding you toward customized data and reports, DemographicsNow will get you to the top of your business game. Watch the video above for an introduction to the database, or scroll down for more detailed information.

• What is DemographicsNow?
• How do I access DemographicsNow?
• How do I search DemographicsNow?
• Can I view examples?
• How do I e-mail, print, or save results?

What is DemographicsNow?

DemographicsNow is a multi-level database offering a variety of simple, easy-to-use demographic data reports. Users customize results by geography, choosing the area best suited to their needs. Established businesses, prospective entrepreneurs, business students, and anyone who needs to identify cultural patterns or sociological trends will benefit from this flexible marketing tool.

DemographicsNow will give you access to demographic information such as Population, Income, Housing, Race, Age, Education, Businesses, Retail sales, Consumer expenditures, and more.

See a full description of the database or a sample Executive Summary report (for the state of Wyoming).

How do I access DemographicsNow?

Connect here or visit the Madison Public Library Research and Reference page and choose Databases > DemographicsNow.

Due to licensing restrictions, this database is only available to customers who visit a Madison Public Library and remotely to Madison residents with valid library cards. We are also in the process of arranging access through the library's wireless networks for those who want to use the database in the library but on their own machines.

Access to DemographicsNow is made possible through a Madison Community Foundation collection grant to the Central Library for small business and entrepreneurship. The database was chosen with the input of several area business and entrepreneur groups.

The Madison Community Foundation has supported Dane County’s public library system with over $5 million in donations for collections, programs and capital campaigns since 2000, including a total of 27 collection grants awarded to Madison and Dane County Libraries.

Madison Community Foundation encourages, facilitates, and manages long-term philanthropy. Since 1942, the foundation staff has helped people realize their philanthropic goals, allowing them to support charitable interests anywhere in the world. The community foundation also awards grants throughout Dane County to build communities.

How do I search DemographicsNow?

Begin by selecting from a series of menus in order to create a report.

• Click Get Started on the main page.
• Select a Geographic area type from the “New Geography” menu and click Continue. Now you’ve determined the area to be analyzed or compared in your report. Select broad divisions such as State and County or focus on more narrow areas such as zip code.
• On the next page, select one or more locations from the menu. Click a location, then click the > button to add it. You may also click All> to add all locations listed. Note that you can also use the < and <All buttons to remove locations. You may have to repeat this step if you are comparing multiple locations.
• Click Complete.
• On the next page you will see a list of available report types.
• Select a report from the menu under the “Reports” tab, or click the “Report Packages” tab and select from the packages available.
• Click the radio button to the left of a report or package, then click the buttons below the menus to view or e-mail the report.

Can I view examples?

• Example 1: I need to know how much people earn (and their age) in Wisconsin.
• Example 2: Can I compare average consumer expenditures in Dane and Douglas counties?
• Example 3: Can I obtain a Population Summary for the same two counties?
• Example 4: I'd like to create a map showing median household income in the Direct Marketing Area of Madison, Wisconsin.
• Example 5: I'm thinking of opening a restaurant. I'd like to compare number of restaurants and how much people currently spend, eating out, within the zip codes of 53703, 53704, and 53705.

How do I e-mail, print, or save results?

• E-mailing Results: Once you have selected a report, enter an e-mail address in the box below the menu. Click E-mail selected report. The report will be sent as a PDF attachment.

• Printing Results: Once you have selected a report, click View Selected Report. The report will display on a new web page. You may then choose from the available printing and downloading options by clicking the buttons at the top of the screen. You can print a PDF by clicking PDF Version. A PDF will load in a new window. Click the Print icon on the toolbar.
• Saving Results
  • Downloading as a PDF: Click PDF Version. A PDF will load in a new window. Click the Disk icon on the toolbar to save to the appropriate drive
  • Downloading as a Spreadsheet: This feature allows you to save the report as an Excel spreadsheet and make changes or add content before saving or printing. Click Excel Version, make any necessary changes, and use the toolbar to Save or Print.
  • Downloading as a Document: This feature allows you to save the report as a word processing document (RTF) and make changes or add content before saving or printing. Click Document Version, make any necessary changes, and use the toolbar to Save or Print.