Research Guides: Census & Statistics: Starting Points

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Census information

Social Explorer
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Offers access to reports and interactive maps for the U.S. Census (1790-present), World Development Indicators (1960-2013), and Eurostat (European Union data), among others. A project of Queens College, sponsored by the New York Times and the National Science Foundation.
PolicyMap
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PolicyMap is an online data and mapping application that gives access to over 15,000 indicators related to demographics, housing, crime, mortgages, health, jobs and more. Data is available at all common geographies (address, block group, census tract, zip code, county, city, state, MSA) as well as unique geographies like school districts and political boundaries.

Census Bureau Data
Provides statistics and data from the US Census Bureau. Includes the Decennial Census, Economic Censuses and Surveys, and the American Community Survey.

Census vs. American Community Survey

Beginning in 2010, the American Community Survey replaced the Decennial Census for collecting detailed demographic information. The US Census no longer includes information on education, income and poverty, transportation, and other topics. Those data are now available from the ACS instead.

The 2010 Census only includes information about age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, relationship, housing tenure (owner- and renter-occupied housing units).

For both kinds of data, the easiest place to start is Social Explorer (B H S). However, the American Factfinder has more detailed information if you don't find what you need from within Social Explorer. When in doubt, you can always ask a librarian for help.

From the Constitution to the American Community Survey by Margo J. Anderson
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ISBN: 9781608717835
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Useful resource for understanding the history, politics, content, procedures, and uses of the Census and ACS.

U.S. Sources

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. (2013-Present)

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.

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.
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.
Statista: The Leading Statistics Portal
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Provides access to selected statistics and studies of over 600 industries gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources from 2007 to the present.
Fedstats This link opens in a new window
Provides links to key statistics available from more than 100 U.S. government agencies. Also contains contact and other information for these agencies and links to map statistics.

On the Map
This Census mapping application shows where workers are employed and where they live. It also provides companion reports on age, earnings, industry distributions, race, ethnicity, educational attainment, and sex. Great way to get started learning about an area.
StateMaster
Compare states using maps and graphs and search their huge database of U.S. statistics

International

UNdata This link opens in a new window
A single entry portal for UN databases. Find data series by searching or browsing by theme. Includes Country Profiles, Advanced Search and Glossaries to aid research. All countries and a wide range of themes are covered.
World Development Indicators (WDI) Online This link opens in a new window
World Development Indicators (WDI) is the primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized international sources. It includes more than 1100 indicators on population, income, social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environment, covering 210 countries and 18 regional and income groups. Also includes the International Debt Statistics (IDS) database. Data ranges from 1960-present.

OECD Statistics
OECD iLibrary contains limited statistics and datasets released by OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development), International Energy Agency (IEA), Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), OECD Development Centre, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), and International Transport Forum (ITF)
UN Monthly Bulletin of Statistics
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The Monthly Bulletin of Statistics Online presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world. It contains 55 tables, comprising over 100 indicators, of monthly, quarterly and annual data on a variety of subjects illustrating important economic trends and developments, including population, industrial production indices, price indices, employment and earnings, energy, manufacturing, transport, construction, international merchandise trade, finance and national accounts. (1999-present)
Macro Data Guide
The MacroDataGuide is a user’s guide to researchers and students worldwide in search of high quality data for social science research. It informs not only on which data are out there and where they can be found, it also provides a qualitative assessment of these resources.

CIA World Fact Book This link opens in a new window
Provides detailed profiles of all of the countries of the world. Offers information on each country's geography, people, government, economy, communications, military, and transnational issues, as well as maps and flag images. Covers 2000 - present in PDF; current interactive edition is continually updated.

NationMaster
Compare countries using maps and graphs and search their huge database of world statistics.

General Sources

Statista: The Leading Statistics Portal
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Provides access to selected statistics and studies of over 600 industries gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources from 2007 to the present.

Wolfram Alpha
A “computational knowledge” search engine that enables searching for basic statistics & data on various topics.