How we research — and how we handle a number.

Planet's Problems publishes operator-grade industry intelligence — the kind of read that usually sits behind a five-figure advisory invoice, written for the people actually running the businesses. Because we publish it free and open, the only thing standing behind it is our sourcing. So here's exactly how we work.

The data we draw on

• IBISWorld — industry size, margins, firm counts, and demand drivers, pulled by NAICS code. The recognized standard for U.S. industry research; we name the specific report, NAICS code, and update date in each brief. (ibisworld.com)
• U.S. Census Bureau — establishment and firm counts via County Business Patterns and the Economic Census, for cross-checking industry structure. (census.gov)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — workforce, occupational, and wage data, especially where a labor shortage or an aging workforce shapes an industry. (bls.gov)
• NAICS classification — the official U.S. industry classification (current 2022 standard, maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau) we use to define each industry's boundaries, so we compare like with like. Look up any industry code yourself. (census.gov/naics)
• Public information — company announcements, reputable trade press, and publicly reported transactions, each attributed where we use it.

Our rules on a number

• Every figure is sourced — we name the publisher and the report it came from.
• Estimates are labeled as estimates. Where we extend the data with our own analysis, we say so plainly, in the text, at the point we do it.
• We don't invent precise statistics. If there's no clean published number for something — and often there isn't — we tell you that instead of dressing up a guess as a fact.
• Structural inference is flagged as inference. When the shape of an industry implies something the data doesn't state outright, we present it as a read, not a measurement.

That's the whole standard. It's not complicated — it's just rare. Most "industry reports" you'll find online are a single statistic of unknown origin wrapped in a sales pitch. We'd rather show our work.

Third-party data is the property of its respective publishers (IBISWorld, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and others) and is cited, not reproduced. Planet's Problems' analysis, estimates, and conclusions are our own and are labeled as such.