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Statistical information plays a critical role in college-level research in many disciplines, particularly the social sciences. Most importantly, citing relevant figures or trends can add weight to your arguments. Furthermore, statistical data serves as the raw material for performing quantitative analyses to test your hypotheses.
When searching for statistical information, it is important to know the dimensions of the data you’re looking for, since this may determine which resources you should consult or which data you should extract from a given resource. For example:
- Do you simply need the most recent statistics available, or a time series of statistics over consecutive years?
- For what geographic level do you need data (countries, the US as a whole, US states, counties, cities, or even Census tracts)?
- What kind of units do you need? For example, you can find import data expressed in either dollars or amount of product, or perhaps as a percentage of some other variable. For cross-country comparisons, you may want your numbers expressed in per-capita terms, which might require obtaining counts of the relevant populations.
- If your data is expressed in monetary terms, will you need to find exchange rates to convert other currencies to dollars for purposes of comparison? Or will you need to use price indexes to convert dollars from multiple years into their "real" inflation-adjusted equivalents?
Due to the abundance of quantitative sources, finding the statistics you want can be a challenging process at times. This guide will direct you to the most authoritative resources for locating statistics by topic, both in the Geisel Library collection and on the Internet.
Demographic Statistics
American FactFinder
This government site allows the 2000 census data of socioeconomic and demographic variables to be searched by geographic location, zip code, national and state totals, and metropolitan statistical areas.
Census Data by Topic
This Census page provides access to summary tables of population data for commonly researched subjects, such as age, race, income, and education.
Census Scope
This site offers numerous well-formatted charts, tables and maps summarizing major Census demographic variables, at the national, state, and metro levels. It also provides rankings by state and metro areas.
County and City Data Books
Ref HA202 .A36 (print version)
This resource is a valuable compendium of Census data (on topics such as population, income, education, health, and business) broken down to the county and city level for all 50 states.
Historical Census Browser
This online database provides easy access to state and county-level U.S. Census data for the period 1790-1960. Users can either explore individual variables within a given census year, or generate time-trend tables for variables organized by topics such as population, education, economy, and ethnicity.
Social Explorer
This web tool allows you to interactively generate maps for a variety of Census variables such as race, income, and education level, with detail down to the Census tract level. Maps are currently available for Censuses dating back to 1940, although earlier Censuses will be added over time. You can also produce tables of tract-level data based on the maps you've created.
State and County Quick Facts
Easy to use website from the US Census Bureau. Provides comparative data for each state and county for 33 categories divided into three groups: Population, Business & Geography.
Other Statistics
Fedstats
The federal government's official portal to government-produced statistics. Use the Topic Links to find the best reports and statistics by subject, the Agency tools to find the relevant government agencies for your subject, or try the Search engine.
Historical Statistics of the United States
Ref HA202 .H57 (print version)
This comprehensive compendium of statistics provides a quantitative history of the United States, with over 37,000 data series on topics such as health, crime, migration, and the economy. The searchable online version allows you to create customized tables and download data series for processing in a spreadsheet.
State Profiles: The Population and Economy of Each U.S. State
Ref HA203 .S74
These volumes pull together tables, graphs, and charts of major Census data for every state, offering a quick reference for basic statistical information.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Ref HA202 .U5 (print version)
The online edition of the annual Census publication that contains statistics on nearly every topic imaginable, as produced by various government agencies.
STAT-USA
A source of business, economic and trade information from the Federal government. It includes the National Trade Data Bank. Access requires a password. Please ask at the Reference Desk to be signed in to STAT-USA by a reference librarian.
This resource is available in the library only.
Demographic Statistics
International Data Base
Another Census-produced site, with an easy-to-use database of demographic information by country, including historic data, projected population pyramids, and some valuable cross-tabulations.
Population Reference Bureau
Click on the DataFinder to access the PRB's user-friendly database for obtaining basic demographic and health data on the countries of the world. Also check their data sheets for nice summaries of key demographic issues.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
This well-known print reference source is now available online, including the most recent published versions as well as special issues and a historical supplement that contains data for 1948-1997. Includes a range of variables related to population, fertility, mortality, and marriage.
Other Statistics
Countries and Regions (World Bank)
Choose countries or regions of interest, then click on Data and Statistics to gain access to statistics on health, education, poverty, and other factors.
Europa World Year Book
Ref JN1 .E85
This annual two-volume reference source provides detailed up-to-date profiles of every country in the world, including data tables on agriculture, health, industry, tourism, trade, and other subjects.
European Historical Statistics, 1750-1970
Ref HA1107 .M52
An excellent source for older historical data on European countries, including variables in the areas of population, trade, industry, and agriculture.
Eurostat (European Union)
Freely available statistics on the countries of the EU, organized in directories by subject.
InfoNation (United Nations)
A simple tool for obtaining basic statistical information on countries, and performing side-by-side graphical comparisons.
International Historical Statistics: The Americas 1750-2000
Ref HA175 .M55
A huge compendium of data tables for the countries of North and South America. Time series data is available on population, agriculture, industry, trade, and education among other topics, often stretching back 50 years or more.
NationMaster
This site gathers statistics from the World Factbook (CIA), the U.N., the OECD and other statistical sources. It then presents them in an easy-to-use graphical format. Broad categories pertaining to sociology include 'People' and 'Lifestyle' among others.
OFFSTATS (Official Statistics on the Web)
An easy-to-use database of up-to-date statistics, organized by country, region, and topic.
Statistical Agency Listing (Census Bureau)
A directory of links to the official statistical bureaus of foreign countries.
World Development Indicators Online
This database contains country-by-country time series data on over 600 development indicators, including variables related to health, education, trade, the economy, and the environment in each country. The step-by-step data selection procedure enables easy creation and download of data tables for analysis.
Access restricted to Saint Anselm College community.
The following guide lists some of the best print and online statistical sources for many of the disciplines studied at Saint Anselm College. Also be sure to explore the general statistical resources listed above, since many of them contain specialized data for various subjects. If you don’t find the statistics you need, Ask a Librarian. You may also wish to check Statistics Resources on the Web, an extensive listing of online statistical resources by subject area, which is maintained by the University of Michigan.
Business
Bloomberg [terminal is available in Economics and Business Dept.]
The preeminent source of up-to-the-minute and historical market data on stocks, bonds, currencies, and mutual funds in the US and major world exchanges.
Access restricted to Saint Anselm College community: contact the Business and Economics department to obtain a username and password.
Business Source Premier with Business Searching Interface
This source for journal articles also includes country reports and industry/company profiles from reputable sources such as the OECD, Data Monitor, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, many of which include statistics on major companies and markets.
Access restricted to Saint Anselm College community.
Business Statistics of the United States
Ref HC 101 .A13122
Tables of data on employment, sales, earnings, trade, and other aspects of US business.
CRB Commodity Yearbook
Ref HF1041 .C5622
This annual volume provides data on production, trade, prices, and futures markets for individual commodities.
EDGAR Database
The government-maintained repository of corporate financial reports (such as 10-Ks and 10-Qs) filed with the SEC. These reports include cash flows, balance sheets, and other information for many companies.
Hoover's Online
While full site content is available only to subscribers, visitors can obtain "capsules" on many companies, including basic financial data such as balance sheets and income statements.
RMA Annual Statement Studies: Financial Ratio Benchmarks
Ref HF 5681 .B2 R6
Annual overviews of corporate financial data and ratios by NAICS business sector.
Standard and Poor’s Industry Surveys
Ref HG 4910 .S75
Excellent overviews of individual sectors in the US economy, including tables of overall industry revenues and corporate financials for each of the major players.
Chemistry and Physics
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
Ref QD 65 .C73
An authoritative reference handbook of chemical and physical properties.
Handbook of Physical Properties of Organic Chemicals
Ref QD 257.7 .H374
This volume contains physical and chemical property data for around 13,000 organic chemicals, including diagrams of each.
Lange's Handbook of Chemistry
Ref QD 65 .L36
A reference source on chemical, physical, and thermodynamic properties, along with sections on spectroscopy, compounds, and other topics.
Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals
Ref RS 51 .M4
Detailed data on over 10,000 chemicals, drugs, and biological substances.
NIST Chemistry WebBook
A standard reference source for chemical and physical property data, now online.
NIST Data Gateway
This data portal allows you to search many of the online databases of the National Institute of Standards and Technology by keyword, property, or substance. For access to individual NIST online databases, see this online directory.
NIST Physical Reference Data
A handy online resource of reference data in the areas of molecular and atomic spectroscopy, X-rays and gamma rays, half-lifes, atomic properties, among others.
VNR Index of Chemical and Physical Data
Ref QC 61 .J36
A more concise reference work than others listed above, with tables on chemical properties, electrochemistry, optics, spectroscopy, and atomic physics among other topics.
Criminal Justice
Bureau of Justice Statistics
The BJS collects and publishes statistics on all aspects of crime, drugs, victims, and the justice system in the United States. The front page of this website is easy to use, with links to data on a variety of topics such as sentencing, jails, and victim characteristics.
Crime in the United States (Uniform Crime Reports)
Ref HV6787 .A3 (print version)
The FBI’s annual publication documenting the volumes and rates of all types of crimes in the United States.
European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics
Ref HV9960 .E85 E89 (print version)
An annual statistical snapshot of crime in Europe.
International Justice Statistics
This webpage provided by the US Department of Justice collects links to the various foreign and international agencies that produce criminal justice statistics.
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
Ref HV7425 .N37 (print version)
An annual compilation of data on both crime and the operations of the criminal justice and court systems in the U.S.
World Criminal Justice Library Network: Statistical Resources
An extremely handy metasite that provides links to crime statistics publications produced by foreign countries, with links typically broken down by topic such as type of crime or offender.
Other Websites
See our Criminal Justice subject guide for links to additional online statistical resources.
Economics
Agricultural Statistics
Ref HD1751 .A43 (print version)
These annual volumes provide data on the production, trade, and consumption of individual agricultural crops in the US.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
GDP, trade, and income data for the United States, with breakdowns by region and industry.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employment, wages, productivity, and inflation (CPI/PPI) data for the United States. Also worth checking for is the Consumer Expenditure Survey, which provides information on buying habits and patterns by demographic group.
Economic Indicators
View the latest governmental press releases on the major economic indicators (such as housing starts, retail sales, GDP, and construction spending), or download spreadsheets containing historic time-series data for these indicators.
Economic Statistics, 1900-1983
Ref HC106 .L68
A nice source for long time series of major economic variables for six countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.
Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
This online database maintained by the St. Louis branch of the Fed offers over 3,000 time series of U.S. economic data, generally going back several decades. Although many of the variables relate to banking and monetary economics, you can also find historical data for CPI, unemployment, earnings, and other economic indicators. The data can be viewed in charts or downloaded for analysis.
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook
Ref HJ101 .G68
This annual publication by the IMF provides a detailed look at the financial situations (revenues, expenditures, debts, and loans) of national governments around the world.
Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics
Ref HD 8064 .H38
A compilation of data tables on employment, wages, productivity, and work hours in the United States.
International Financial Statistics
The IFS database contains approximately 32,000 tables of financial data covering more than 200 countries and areas. The country, world, and commodity prices tables are available as selection options. The Economic Concept View provides a cross-country view of IFS concepts. IFS Online Help
Access restricted to Saint Anselm College community.
International Labor Statistics
Ref HD4826 .I63 (print version)
This online database produced by the International Labor Organization (a UN agency) enables you to view and extract data such as employment, wages, and price indexes for over 200 countries.
International Trade Statistics
Provided by the World Trade Organization, this website offers comprehensive annual data on trade among the nations of the world, with import and export data for many commodities and products.
US Census Bureau
The Census Bureau's page on its economic programs includes data by business sector, the Economic Census, County Business Patterns (economic profiles down to the local level), Statistics of U.S Businesses, and a wide range of other authoritative resources.
Education
Condition of Education
Ref L112 .N377 (print version)
An annual governmental report with statistics covering all aspects of education from preschool through college, including data on student performance and school environments.
Digest of Education Statistics
Ref L111 .D536 (print version)
An annual statistical publication with data on teachers, enrollments, graduates, educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international education, among other topics.
National Center for Education Statistics
In addition to publishing the Condition of Education and Digest of Education Statistics, this agency provides a number of useful online databases and survey results documenting the nation’s education system. Examples include the State Profiles (for quick statistics on individual states), the Nation’s Report Card (evaluating student performance nationwide), and the IPEDS database of college-level data on enrollment, graduation, tuition, and other matters.
OECD Education at a Glance
From this website, click on Statistics to access the OECD’s statistical publications in the area of education, including the Education at a Glance with data on educational attainment, education spending, and teachers by country (click on the Tables link to find the data).
U.S. Census Bureau Education Data
Data from the annual Current Population Survey on educational attainment, field of study, school cost, and school enrollment.
Nursing/Health
CDC Wonder
This convenient website offers one-stop access to the Center for Disease Control’s vast statistical resources, including the WISQUARS Cause of Death database and data on such topics as cancer, asthma, STDs, and infant mortality.
Health, United States
Government Documents HE 20.7042/6: (print version)
Probably the preeminent government publication for statistics on US health issues, including fertility and mortality, incidence of risk factors, health spending, facilities, and patients. The website offers the latest edition plus archived editions back to 1975.
National Center for Health Statistics
This branch of the Center for Disease Control oversees many of the US federal government’s statistical publications on health issues. Check their FastStats page for basic data by topic or the Data Warehouse for tables and datasets at the national and state level.
World Bank Health, Nutrition, and Population Statistics Database
In this online database, use the Data Query system to select the countries, years, and health variables of interest in order to produce downloadable data tables. Also check the MDGs page to obtain data on how well countries are succeeding in meeting the UN’s Millennium Development Goals on improving health conditions worldwide.
World Health Organization
The WHO’s statistical information system provides a variety of access points for obtaining health statistics on countries, including downloadable tables from its annual World Health Statistics and quick links to data by topic (such as nutrition and AIDS).
Politics
America at the Polls: 1920-1956, Harding to Eisenhower
NHIOP JK524 .M329
America at the Polls: 1960-2000, Kennedy to Bush
Ref JK524 .M329
These volumes present complete county-by-county presidential election returns, including endnotes that break down third-party vote totals at the state level. A brief section at the back offers results of presidential primaries and caucuses from across the country.
IFES Election Guide
Produced by the non-profit IFES, this website posts results of elections from countries both large and small. It is a good source for obtaining basic statistics from the most recent elections, including referenda and first-round elections in multi-round electoral systems. Data are available for elections back through 1998, with the elections listed in reverse chronological order. For links to other sources of international election data, visit Election Resources on the Internet.
Polls and Surveys (Lexis-Nexis)
Search through a database of public opinion polls from Gallup, Harris, Roper, and the major television networks and newspapers.
Statistical History of the American Electorate
Ref JK1967 .R87
This volume’s unique contribution lies in the compilation of state-by-state voter turnout figures back through the earliest American elections. It also presents a series of tables characterizing the competitiveness of the major political parties by state and year, based on factors such as margins of victory.
U.S. Census: Voting and Registration
This website provides detailed breakdowns of voting and registration by sex, age, race, state, and other dimensions. Coverage runs from the mid-1960s through the present day, which allows examination of trends over time.
U.S. Congress Election Statistics
Official election results for every U.S. Senate and House of Representatives race from 1920 through the present.
Vital Statistics on American Politics
Ref JK274 .V582
A comprehensive statistical look at the American political scene, with data tables on issues such as political action committees, party preference, public opinion survey results, the media, legislators, and the national debt.
Sociology
For US statistics, also see the resources in the Demographic Data section.
AgingStats
ChildStats
These US governmental websites offer data on a number of key indicators that portray the well-being of older Americans and children, from a demographic, economic, education, and health perspective.
GenderStats (World Bank)
This online database provides easy access to country-level data on gender aspects of issues like poverty, education, nutrition, and labor force participation. Although the focus is on women, some of the indicators relate to both sexes.
ICPSR Social Science Data Sets
Based at the University of Michigan, the ICPSR is a consortium that offers free access to a vast collection of data sets in the social sciences. Areas of specialty include elections, demographics, health, education, and public opinion, but the archive covers most socioeconomic topics. Use and analysis of some data sets will require knowledge of a statistical program like SPSS, SAS, or Stata.
UNICEF Statistics Page
Use the Customized Statistical Tables feature on UNICEF’s website to generate downloadable tables of country-level data on a variety of social and economic indicators, with a particular focus on children’s issues such as education, malnourishment, and immunization.
UN Millennium Development Goals Indicators
In the year 2000, the United Nations laid out a roadmap for progress in developing countries, including measurable indicators to gauge each country’s performance in meeting these goals over time. This website provides access to data on these indicators for every country, in areas such as poverty, hunger, gender equality, child mortality, AIDS, and environmental protection.
Compiled by: Jeffrey Waller
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