Find Statistics
Note - More sources for statistics can be found on the Government Documents Library webpage.Starting Points
- Statistical Universe (LexisNexis) – Provides access to a wide-range of statistics produced by governmental organizations. Great place to go for current statistics on almost any topic.
- Statistical Resources on the Web - by the University of Michigan. Tons of starting places, divided by topic area (agriculture, health, education, economics, etc.). Very easy to use.
- U.S. Census Bureau – They’re not just about the population! Also a good source for data about agriculture, education, employment, health, law, etc. Their website features valuable links to other official statistical resources, both domestic and international.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States – A national data book of statistics that reflect the social and economic condition of the United States. Updated annually, this book also includes a guide to other statistical resources and some international information: 317 Un3s2004-05 in the Undergraduate Library reference section.
Business and Economics
- EIU Country Intelligence– Provides in-depth statistical analysis of political and economic trends in 195 countries world-wide. Reports include country profiles, risk ratings, licensing and trade information as well as G-8 and regional forecasts.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Includes statistics on employment, prices and living conditions (e.g the Consumer Price Index), productivity, and more.
- Hoovers Online– Provides detailed company information – key numbers, people, stock information, performance ratings, etc. – and also allows you to compare with industry-wide trends. Information is updated daily.
- International Monetary Fund: International Financial Statistics – A database for both international and domestic financial statistics. Includes tables for over 200 countries world-wide as well as current data on international exchange rates, interest rates, inflation, deflation, international banking, government accounts, etc.
- U.S. Bureau of Transportation - Monitors trade, traffic data for automobiles, airlines, etc., travel, and more.
Crime
- U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics - Statistics about - Crime and victims, Drugs and crime, Criminal offenders, The justice system in the United States, Law enforcement, Prosecution, Courts and sentencing, Corrections, Justice expenditure and employment.
- Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) - Published by the FBI, includes statistics on crime in the United States, Hate Crimes, Law Enforcement officers killed and assaulted, etc.
Education
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) – A division of the Department of Education that publishes a number of statistical resources including the Digest of Education Statistics, Education Statistics Quarterly, the annual Condition of Education, and Projections of Education Statistics to 2013.
- Unesco Education – Specializes in compiling statistics in the areas of culture & communication, education, and science & technology. A good source for data on international education. Click on Statistics in the Services section in the right column.
Government
- FedStats – Provides easy access to both state and federal agencies that produce statistics. Allows you to search by agency or subject area.
- White House Federal Government Statistics – Official White House site organized into themed “briefing rooms” that will link you to other official resources.
Health
- National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) – A division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, their website is free, searchable, and contains a vast array of health statistics and surveys. They publish the National Vital Statistics Report.
- MedlinePlus Health Statistics – A website that’s maintained by the National Library of Medicine. Has a wealth of practical information about many health-related issues. You can do a general search for statistics and it will list them by category and provide the original source citations.
- National Library of Medicine – Their page on Health Services Research includes an extensive list of links to both federal and private sources of health-related data sets, statistics, assessments, sources of funding, etc.
Historical Statistics
- United States Historical Census Data Browser - The data presented here describe the people and the economy of the US for each state and county from 1790 to 1970. The data displayed here were initially created by ICPSR under study number 0003, "Historical Demographic, Economic and Social Data: The United States, 1790-1970."
- Penn World Tables - Historical data, from 1959-, for 30+ categories of economic statistics for 152 countries and 29 subjects. Topics include GDP, exchange rate information, capital stock per worker, construction, an import/export information.
- FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) - FRED contains historical U.S. economic and financial data, including daily U.S. interest rates, monetary and business indicators, exchange rates, and regional economic data for Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
- JSTOR – A multidisciplinary database of journal articles dating back to the 1800s, all available in online in PDF full-texts. For best results, do an advanced search for a keyword + statistics. This is a good option for primary source material in a number of fields.
International Statistics
- CIA World Factbook - Lists population, government, military, and economic information for nations recognized by the United States.
- International Monetary Fund: International Financial Statistics – Allows you to browse financial data such as exchange rates, IMF accounts, country exports, imports, production, etc. Searchable by country or subject. They also publish a yearbook: 332.15 In85ia in the Business and Economics Library (Room 100 Main Library).
- United Nations Statistics Division – An excellent source for global statistics regarding such areas as social conditions, population and demographics, economic factors, the environment, industry, trade, etc. Also features an extensive page of links to other official statistical resources, both domestic and international.
- World Development Indicators (WDI) – Produced by the World Bank Group, WDI is a comparative statistical database that allows you to match data from over 180 different countries with some 550 economic indicators to help create an in-depth country profile.
Psychology & the Social Sciences
- UIUC Statistics in the Social Sciences – an annotated page of statistics resources designed and maintained by the UIUC Education and Social Sciences Library. Covers anthropology, education, political science, psychology, sociology, and speech communications.