$4.5bn
$XXX.Xm
9,770
345
$X.Xbn
The era of the phone book is over. The catastrophic fall of the Database and Directory Publishing industry between 2019 and 2024 has only been accelerated by the sustained migration from print to digital advertising, as publishers historically made money by selling print ads. Forced to focus on digital presence, the industry has experienced immovable competition from online search engines and social media platforms, limiting the industry's digital advertisement sales. Industry revenue has been eroding at a CAGR of 7.9% over the past five years; it is ultimately expected to total $6.5 billion in 2024, including a projected drop of 2.5% over the year, as directory publishing continues to struggle after the pandemic.
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 4.3 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $4.5bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to decline over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue ($m)
2024 | Profit ($m)
2024 | Profit Margin (%)
2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thryv, Inc. | 185.2 | 35.8 | 19.3 |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Print directories, Online publications and Other. Print directories is the largest segment of the Database & Directory Publishing in the US.
Print directories continue to become more expensive and less useful
This industry includes companies that publish organized compilations of information or facts. These collections may be published in print or electronic form. Electronic versions can be provided directly to customers by the publisher or offered through online services or third-party vendors. However, businesses that publish solely on the internet are excluded from this industry.
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NAICS 51114 - Database & Directory Publishing in the US
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Physical phone books are rare, often disliked and expensive to produce. Digital directories and advertising space show some promise for existing companies, but the transition...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Online directories are the future of the database publishing industry. The immutability of printed content has become progressively less useful in an increasingly digital wor...
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Directory operators most often locate near telecommunications companies that hire them. These vital contracts are a significant portion of many small publishers’ revenue stre...
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Relative market share in directory publishing is going up as revenue falls. Still, many more companies fail to successfully transition and fade out of the market.
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Thryv Financial, the only major phone book publisher, owns the Yellow Pages intellectual property. The company is leading the transition to fully online operations and will p...
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Phone books collect citizen data without direct permission and are subject to moderate regulations relative to the industry’s size. In many states, phone books must be provid...
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Outlays are falling across the board as directory publishers cut all noncritical outlays. Relative wages are increasing for online directories focusing on automated record co...
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in the US include:
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The market size of the Database & Directory Publishing in the US industry in United States is $4.5bn in 2024.
There are 345 businesses in the Database & Directory Publishing in the US industry in United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 6.0 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Database & Directory Publishing in the US industry in United States has been declining at a CAGR of 4.3 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Database & Directory Publishing in the US industry in United States is expected to decline.
The biggest company operating in the Database & Directory Publishing market in United States is Thryv, Inc.
Selling advertising space and Publishing business and telephone directories are part of the Database & Directory Publishing in the US industry.
The company holding the most market share in United States is Thryv, Inc..
The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Database & Directory Publishing in the US industry in United States.