Ratios are indicators used to evaluate a firm's performance and financial strength. They are particularly useful when compared its competitors or industry norms.
For help understanding ratios and how to use them see the following sites:
For more information on ratios, see our Ratios & Industry Averages guide
Each source below provides different average industry ratios based on different numbers of companies.
It's helpful to know the NAICS & SIC Codes for your industry before going into some of the sources below.
The financial section of First Research has ratios for most industries.
Find solvency, efficiency and profitability ratios by SIC industry. See also Mergent Archives for print editions from 1979 to the present and FirstResearch for industry reports with some ratios.