Considerations for selecting and using data
- Can you trust the source? Be sure you can explain why and how you know
- How current is the information? Time period the data were collected and/or published
- What is being measured? How is it being defined?
- Be careful with comparisons across different data sources
Subscription Statistical Resources
- StatistaStatista is a statistics portal that provides access to data from more than 18,000 sources. Results from customized search queries include lists of statistics, as well as studies and reports (including, in some cases, completed PowerPoint presentations) that place these statistics within a broader context.
Census Data
The Census Bureau collects data and generates statistics on a range of topic, using lots of different instruments. These include:
- Decennial Census of Population and Housing: Probably what you are accustomed to calling "The Census." The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years.
- American Community Survey: A mandatory, ongoing statistical survey that provides data every year. It gives communities the current information they need to plan investments and services.
- The Economic Census is the U.S. Government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy.
- The Census Bureau releases fourteen different reports on key economic indicators. Each indicator is released on a specific schedule.
[This box is drawn from the Census Bureau website's feature "What Data We Collect & When."]
- Census Topics A-ZConsider browsing the Census Bureau's Topics list to see what data they use to talk about particular issues.
National Data from Government Agencies
- CDC Data & StatisticsFrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. federal government agency whose mission is to protect public health by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability
- CDC Fast StatsFastStats provides quick access to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Topics include diseases and conditions, injuries, life stages and populations, health care and insurance, births, and deaths.
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)Data related to education in the U.S.
- USDA Food & Nutrition ServiceSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP aka food stamps); Food Distribution Programs; School Meals; Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
- Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
- Bureau of Transportation StatisticsStatistics on many different modes and aspects of transportation at the national, state, and county level. Great overview page available at https://www.bts.gov/learn-about-bts-and-our-work/what-does-bts-have-where-can-i-find-what-im-looking
- Bureau of Justice StatisticsContains a number of reports regarding the justice system in the United States, including information about prisons, gangs, etc.
- Data.govMain data and statistics portal for the US government
ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States 2021 by Call Number: REF HA202 .A35ISBN: 9781641434454Publication Date: 2021-01-15
County and City Extra 2019 by Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781641433334Publication Date: 2018-11-30Contains data for every U.S. state, county, metropolitan area, Congressional district, and cities with a population of 25,000 or more. It offers detailed information on population by age and race; housing; education; income and poverty; crime; manufacturing, trade, and services; and government finances.
Think Tanks and Research Centers
- Pew Research CenterNon-partisan think tank with great resources on racial, cultural, and generational groups in American society. Go to "topics" to see index and links to topics such as "Millennials," "Older Adults," "Generations and Age," and "Baby Boomers."
- KIDS COUNTFrom the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Data on children in poverty. This resource includes by-state,and across-state statistics, as well as data down to the community level.
- Kaiser Family Foundation State Health DataState Health Facts is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States. In some cases, data are available for counties, territories, and other geographies.
- Urban Institute ResearchNonpartisan research center on American cities and city residents
- Eviction LabProfessor Matthew Desmond (author of Eviction) is the principal investigator for this lab at Princeton University that makes nationwide eviction data publicly available and accessible.
Citing Data & Statistics
When you use data and statistics in your research, you will need to provide citations to acknowledge the original author/producer and to help other researchers find the resource.
Your citation will probably be to either a website or to a dataset.
- ASA Quick QuideFor a citation to a website, use the ASA Quick Guide
Dataset citations should include the most important pieces of information about the dataset, including:
- author or creator (may be an individual or organization)
- title of dataset
- year of publication
- publisher (could be the archive or portal where it is housed)
- edition or version
- access information (a URL, DOI or other persistent identifier)
This is the dataset citation example ASA provides to authors in the manuscript guidelines for the American Sociological Review:
Deschenes, Elizabeth Piper, Susan Turner, and Joan Petersilia. Intensive Community Supervision in Minnesota, 1990–1992: A Dual Experiment in Prison Diversion and Enhanced Supervised Release [Computer file]. ICPSR06849-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2000. doi:10.3886/ICPSR06849.
Formatted with a HANGING INDENT, it looks like this:
