Research Guides: Finding Demographics & Education Statistics: Home

Demographic Information

Explore Census Data This link opens in a new window
Demographic data from the Census of Population and Housing (2000), and, when available in April 2011 data from the 2010 Census, updated information from the American Community Survey (2006-2008) which provides information on languages spoken at home. Search by city, county, zip code, etc.

Atlas of North American English
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Compare local accents in the online version of the Atlas of North American English. The images are better in McCabe's the print atlas. To listen to audio clips, click on Analyses - Analysis of Audio Data. Audio files are organized by city name.

ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) Data Archive
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Provides access to an archive of online social science data, training facilities in basic and advanced techniques of quantitative social analysis. Provides a comprehensive list of ICPSR resources and services, information on membership and governance, links to national data archives affiliated with ICPSR, and contact information.

MLA Language Map
Search by county or zipcode to compare linguistic diversity in the United States.

Social Explorer
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Offers access to reports and interactive maps for the U.S. Census, 1790 through present.You can compare the county or local demographics to find out if your school demographics are similar to those of the community.Under Reports, select Social Explorer Estimates to narrow your data to census tract level.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
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The ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States.

Statistical Abstract of the U.S. Series (1878-2012)
Archived editions of the Statistical Abstract of the U.S. up to 2012 are available via the website of the U.S. Census Bureau.
County and City Data Book (latest 2007)
This is a supplement to the Statistical Abstract that has been discontinued by the US Census Bureau. It includes historical data for all U.S. states, counties, and cities with a population of 25,000 or more. Covers the following topical areas: age, agriculture, births, business establishments, climate, construction, crime, deaths, earnings, education, elections, employment, finance, government, health, households, housing, income, labor force, manufactures, population, poverty, race and Hispanic origin, social services, and water use.
County and City Data Books (historical)
Provides access to data from the County and City Data Books from 1944-2000.

Historical Statistics of the United States
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Contains more than 37,000 annual time series of quantitative historical information covering population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, governance, and international relations. Covers the colonial period to the present.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book
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Provides summary tables of population characteristics, social programs and crime, income data and projections. 1997-2010.

Pennsylvania School Standards
Pennsylvania Standards describe what students should know and be able to do, such as English Language Proficiency or Interpersonal Skills; they increase in complexity and sophistication as students progress through school. Using this tool, you can locate specific standards, anchors, and eligible content based on subject area and grade level or course. Select the subject area and grade level, or select the course to view the related standards.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) This link opens in a new window
From the Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, the NCES is "the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education." Under the Data Tools tab, you can search for information by Public School Districts, Public School, or Private School, and find data related to enrollment, the number of staff, and the district's financial profile and educational expenditures.

Pennsylvania School Profiles
Search for your school's "report card" from the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) and the PA Department of Education. Under "school details," you can get interesting information like attendance figures, the number of books in the library, and college entrance exam scores. One caveat: the most recent data appears to be from 2000-2001, so stick to NCES for current enrollment statistics. Also, when searching by the name of the school, leave off "high school," "elementary school," etc.--for example, just search for "Norristown Area" instead of "Norristown Area High School."
Philadelphia Area Schools and Their Neighborhoods - Research Guide (University of Pennsylvania)
This extensive guide is designed to help students find out information about specific schools in Philadelphia and surrounding counties, demographic data about the regions surrounding a specific school, and secondary literature about important related educational and social issues.
School Attendance Boundary Information System (SABINS)
SABINS provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for school attendance areas, or school catchment areas, for selected areas in the United States for the 2009-2010 school year.

Christina Bush
Swarthmore College

Dee Brown
Haverford College
Profile & Guides