What are search filters?

In this article, we will show you how to search Business Characteristics by: 

Genie uses filters or criteria selections to narrow its vast database of consumers and businesses to a list that is best for your business needs.


What Business Characteristics can I use in my search?

Criteria Available for the Business Database: Once you click on “Find a Business” from the U.S. Business or U.S. New Business databases in the Search box at the top of the Home page, you will have a wide range of filters on the left hand side of your screen to precisely drill down to the best of list of prospects.

To access the data and begin your search, choose from any of the filters on the left hand side.

Each filter or criteria selection will narrow your list and will be marked with a green check mark as it’s used. There are over 60 filters divided into 4 broad categories, in order:

  • Industry Selections: Choose from Line of Business to Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC Code) and North American Industrial Classifications (NAICS) codes and Major Industry Groups.
    • PRO TIP: You can focus your search by using “Primary SIC” which searches only using a business’s “Primary Line of Business”, and does not include any Secondary SIC Codes in the search.
  • Business Size: Choose from employee size to annual revenues by company or location to office square footage and 15 types of business expenditures, from accounting to telecommunications.
  • Geography: Choose any combination of state, metro area and city to ZIP Code, radius, carrier route, neighborhood and street, including area code and phone number (or parts of phone numbers).
    • PRO TIP: If you use more than one geographic search criteria (state and a city or MSA and Zip Code(s) etc), and the geography overlaps, Genie includes both geographic selects, but will only count each record once.  For example, if you select the state of Texas and you also select the city of Dallas, Genie will use the Texas footprint because it is larger and includes Dallas.  It will not count overlapping / duplicate geography.  Each record will be counted once so you will not have duplicate records in your list, even if the geography overlaps.
  • Business Characteristics: Covers company type (public/private, Fortune 1000, headquarters to branches, foreign parents to the New York, American, NASDAQ, and other stock listings), executives by name, title, gender, and ethnicity to other factors ranging from years in business, credit rating, and a range of contact options, from high deliverable mail to emails and web addresses.
  • Exclusions: The options can also be used to exclude data from the list. For example, if you want a list of all the businesses within a certain county, but not within a specific town within that county, use the exclusion option to exclude all businesses from that town from inclusion on your database listing.

PRO TIP: Each filter or criteria selection is also a piece of information that could be added or verified to your existing customer database or list to help you understand your customers better with data. Find out more about our Append and Scrub services here.


What Consumer Demographics can I use in my search?

Criteria available for the Consumer database: After clicking “Build a List” from the U.S. Consumers (+Auto Data) or New Movers databases in the Search box at the top of the Home page, you have the option of narrowing your consumer search using filters on the left hand side of your screen to pinpoint consumers based on various characteristics.

To access the data and begin your search, choose from any of the filters on the left hand side.


There are numerous filters divided into several categories:

  • Geography: Where consumers reside, from state, metro areas and city to ZIP Codes, radius, carrier routes, neighborhoods, and streets, including area code and phone numbers (or parts of phone numbers).
    • PRO TIP: If you use more than one geographic search criteria (state and a city or MSA and Zip Code(s) etc), and the geography overlaps, Genie includes both geographic selects, but will only count each record once.  For example, if you select the state of Texas and you also select the city of Dallas, Genie will use the Texas footprint because it is larger and includes Dallas.  It will not count overlapping / duplicate geography.  Each record will be counted once so you will not have duplicate records in your list, even if the geography overlaps.
  • Consumer Characteristics: Everything from basic demographic information such as age range or exact age, gender, marital status, number of children, household income along with behavioral information such as lifestyle interests, mail order purchase history, investment activity, technology use, ethnicity, language, and more.
  • Automobile Data: Vehicle specifics such as the number of vehicles owned or the make, model or year and purchase dates of vehicles owned.  VIN Number (Vehicle Identification Number) is available and included on records for download, however you may NOT use VIN as a selection criteria.
  • Housing Selections: Details including but not limited to type of residence, length of residence, size of home, home value, and boat ownership.
  • Sensitive Data Selections: Sensitive data includes actual age, 65+ grandparents, mortgage, and number of credit accounts.
  • Marketing Selections: Includes contacts per household, high deliverable (using mailability score) and phone numbers. Consumer phone number availability is governed by federal law and can only be released with an approved Subscription Account Number (SAN) from the Federal Trade Commission, or by waiver. Find more about acquiring a SAN here.
  • Exclusions: It’s also possible to exclude certain selection criteria from your search. For example, if you want to search for consumers who make a specific income, yet who do not own a particular make and model of car, simply select the “Omit Make/Model” option before running your search.

Using these filters will narrow your search to help you find the most accurate and helpful information for your business needs.

PRO TIP: Each filter or criteria selection is also a piece of information that could be added or verified to your existing customer database or list to help you understand customers better with data. Find out more about our Append and Scrub services here.


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