American Hometowns.  Federal portal to towns, cities, and counties.

American FactFinder.  Access to complete Census Department data on any U.S. geographic unit: markets, cities, counties, etc.  Population… economic trends… employment… the whole nine yards.  It takes time to become familiarized with the site’s many resources… but it’s well worth the effort.  Geographic searches are a good place to start.

DataPlace.  Just the slickest little mapping program we’ve ever seen… along with a variety of other useful features.  A real gift to marketers.

Wages by Area and Occupation.  From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a detailed look at income in your area: who has the most, who has the least, and how it’s earned.

Consumer Expenditure Survey.  Another gift from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Detailed information is available for selected cities and regions… but there are many valuable components of the survey that can be used anywhere.

City and County Data Book.  The Census Department’s guide to local markets.

EconData.  More than 1,000 links to socioeconomic and regional economic data, arranged by subject and provider, with pointers to online data collections.  Outstanding source of information.

State and Local Statistics.  Federal portal for data on local population, health, economy, government, and more.

The Media Audit.  The company's primary product is a syndicated audience survey currently conducted in over local 80 markets, and sold in annual subscriptions.  Local market summary data is available in the News Releases section. 

Arbitron Inc.  Quite a bit of useful audience information is available here.

County Business Patterns.  Useful economic data from the Census Bureau