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Statistics Sites / Non-Federal Sites for Federal Data
Search Techniques: Easy Ways to Search for Statistical
Data
Agencies that collect and publish statistics
Only a core group of organizations (most frequently government agencies,
particularly federal agencies) collect, analyze, and publish extensive statistical
data on a regular basis. Once you know the organization that collects the
type of data in which you are interested, search their web site or catalogs
of their print publications. Tip: Think about who would have
cared about statistics on the subject and how, as well as from whom, the data
could have been collected; this often gives clues of where to look for statistics,
whether from a government agency, a trade association, or some other source.
United States Agencies
State and local government
International/Foreign Countries
Internet search engines especially for government information
- FedStats gateway to statistics
from over 100 United States federal agencies.
- Google's U.S. Government Search.
Tip: If you are unsuccessful at this point in your search
and you suspect that the statistics you need may be from a trade association
or other non-government source, try Google,
to search all internet domains rather than just .gov sites.
- USA.gov
- SearchGov.com
- Site indexes and/or site search engines are available at many government
agency websites.
Online guides. Examples include:
Compilations of statistics
Specialized print indexes
Library Catalogs
Library Catalogs often allow searching by subject, author, title and keyword
to identify what is available at a specific library. Library catalogs include
print materials such as books and other formats, including online sources.
Try using the Oviatt Library's Library
Catalog or
Other Library Catalogs.
Federal Statistics Sites
Basic Federal Sites
- Latest Federal Government
Statistics
- There are two Briefing Rooms and a link to the subject indexing tool FedStats.
- Economic Statistics
Briefing Room
Easy access to current Federal economic indicators with links to information
produced by a number of Federal agencies. All of the information at
this site is maintained and updated by the statistical units of those
agencies. Includes: Output, Income, Employment, Unemployment, and Earnings,
Production and Business Activity, Prices, Money, Credit, and Securities
Markets, Transportation, and International Statistics.
- Social Statistics
Briefing Room
Easy access to current Federal social statistics with links to information
produced by a number of Federal agencies. All of the information at
this site is maintained and updated by the statistical units of those
agencies. Includes: Crime Statistics, Demographic Statistics, Education
Statistics, and Health Statistics.
- Stat-USA
- Economic statistics from several agencies plus the National Trade Data
Bank. See also the related site USA
Trade Online for current import and export statistics (Both are Oviatt
Library subscriptions; other users should access Stat-USA's
homepage or USA Trade Online's
homepage to learn about access options).
- Census Bureau
-
- Subjects A-Z
This is usually the best starting point if you think the social, demographic,
or economic information you want should be at this site, but you don't
know where.
- State & County QuickFacts
is also a good starting point for state and county-level information.
- Search
the Census website.
- Access Tools
include:
- Publications
is a massive online full-text collection of printed Census Bureau publications
including:
Other Federal Agency Statistical Sites
Many other federal agencies compile statistics or make them available to
the public. Some of these are listed below.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Economic data including the Survey
of Current Business, Regional
Economic Accounts and more.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Site offers many interesting statistics on crime including the important
compilations Sourcebook of Criminal
Justice Statistics and The
World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems, a factbook which provides
narrative descriptions of the criminal justice systems of countries around
the world.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Consumer Price Index plus other price indexes, employment/unemployment,
average earnings, etc. This site also includes the Occupational
Outlook Handbook.
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics
- Includes TranStats, North
American Transportation in Figures, and more.
- Economic Research Service (Department
of Agriculture)
- Economic and other social science analysis and information on agriculture,
food, natural resources, and rural America. State
Fact Sheets and more.
- Energy Information Administration
- Energy statistics/topics.
- Internal Revenue
Service, Tax Statistics
- There's a wealth of information about the financial composition of individuals,
business taxpayers, tax exempt organizations and more. The same types of
information you would find in the Statistics of Income Bulletin (SOI Bulletin).
- National Agricultural Statistics
Service
- This agency (NASS) studies virtually every facet of U.S. agriculture--production
and supplies of food and fiber, prices paid and received by farmers, farm
labor and wages, farm aspects of the industry.
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Includes Tables & Figures
Search along with much, much more.
- National Center for Health Statistics
- Choosing the Data Warehouse
gets you to many statistics as well as to CDC
Wonder. Try Fast
Stats A-Z for frequently requested statistics..
- National Science Foundation,
Division of Science Resources Studies
- Data on scientists and engineers in the United States.
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- Statistics on banks and the banking industry.
- Federal Reserve Board
- Includes their statistical
releases and Summary
of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District
(commonly known as The Beige Book) which reviews current economic conditions
in the United States (see link at the bottom of the Beige Book page to access
other years of this resource).
- GPO
Access
- Site makes available many government resources including Economic
Indicators and the Economic
Report of the President.
- Treasury Dept. Bureau of the
Public Debt
- Information on Treasury
Bills, Notes, Bonds & Special Securities sold by the Bureau. Includes
current as well as some historic rate information.
- Statistical
Programs of the United States Government
- This publication from the Office of Management and Budget discusses budgets
and plans for the federal programs that collect statistics; the appendices
include a list of federal statistics websites.
Using Non-Federal Sites for Federal Statistical Data
An increasing number of non-federal sites are offering federal statistics,
usually offering interactive searching and/or access to products not available
at an agency's site. As examples:
One easy way to find such sites is to use the pages put together by government
documents librarians who have had time to be webmasters, both creating web
pages and surfing the net to find and update the information regularly. An
example is Documents
Center from the University of Michigan.
Created and maintained by Mary
M. Finley
Questions or comments: mary.finley@csun.edu
Links checked: 25 April 2008
