Research and Course Guides: *Datasets & Statistics Guide: Getting Started

Questions to Ask in Your Search for Data & Statistics

Data Considerations worksheet

There are many things to consider as you seek data or statistical information: frequency, geography, topical area, etc. Download the linked worksheet for some guidance.

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Primary Statistics Portals

These resources are often useful places to consult in your search for statistics. Use the tabs above to help isolate the type of data you're seeking.

SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
Create custom thematic maps, datasets, and reports using extensive data on demographics, consumers, real estate, housing, employment, crime, health, and more. Data includes MRI-Simmons consumer survey data, Claritas PRIZM Premier consumer segments, Nielsen Scarborough local insights, consumer expenditures and buying power, as well as public data sources such as the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, FBI uniform crime reports, NOAA climate data, and CDC health data. Limited to 5 simultaneous users.
SimplyAnalytics user guide
Statista This link opens in a new window
Global statistics, reports, and insights on over 80,000 topics in areas such as business, education, finance, media, politics, society, and technology.
General Social Survey (GSS) This link opens in a new window
The GSS is a nationally representative survey of adults in the United States conducted since 1972. It contains a standard 'core' of demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. Explore, analyze, extract, and share custom sets of data using the GSS Data Explorer.
Help/guidance:
Users must create a free GSS account for full functionality (dataset download, etc.)
IPUMS This link opens in a new window
Provides census and survey data from around the world integrated across time and space (including from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey, see IPUMS-USA). Users can create and download a custom dataset once they have created a free IPUMS account.
Users must create a free IPUMS account for full functionality (dataset download, etc.)
ICPSR This link opens in a new window
Datasets from the social and behavioral sciences and specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields. Register for a (free, required) Researcher Passport account using your St. Thomas email address (and independent password) to download data sets. Click on "More Info" below for guidance.
To create a Researcher Passport account:
Click the Log In button at upper right, then select the "Sign in with email" option (NOT the blue "Access through your institution" button), then "Set up a new account."

Email Account Validation:
Typically, ICPSR will automatically recognize your institution and validate your account. If you're trying to download data and receive an unexpected alert that you're not from a member institution, even though you are, your account may need to be validated. To request a validation, send an email to icpsr-help@umich.edu.
Sage Data This link opens in a new window
U.S. and international datasets sourced from governmental, commercial, and private organizations (including the China Data Center).
Sage Data user guide
Subject categories include: Banking, Finance, and Insurance; Criminal Justice and Law; Education; Energy Resources and Demand; Food and Agriculture; Government and Politics; Health and Vital Statistics; Housing and Construction; Industry and Commerce; International; Labor and Employment; Natural Resources and Environment; Population and Income; Prices and Cost of Living; Stocks and Commodities; Transportation and Travel.
Cross National Time Series (CNTS) Data Archive This link opens in a new window
Annual time series data on demographic, political, legislative, economic, and social science variables from 1815 to the present for over 200 countries.
CNTSDATA.xlsx is the main dataset file. The Events Data LINKS files are separate by year. Be sure to consult the User Manual and the Codebook for data definitions and usage tips.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Quantitative data on American history. Topics covered include: population, work and welfare, economics, international relations and governance.
International Historical Statistics This link opens in a new window
The IHS series contains statistical data for the countries of the world from 1750-2010. Data series include population, economic, infrastructure, media, education, etc. Frequency and coverage of data vary by series and country.
Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
The national data book online. Frequently the best place to start if you don't know what data exist on a topic. The authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Find statistical indicators and use as a guide to sources of more information both in print and online.

Data is Plural
Weekly newsletter and a Google Sheets archive of datasets.
Kaggle
Explore Kaggle to find publicly available datasets.
Data.gov
Portal for U.S. Government's open data. Find federal, state, and local data, tools, and resources to conduct research, build apps, design data visualizations, and more.
Data.Census.Gov
Data.Census.Gov is the primary way to access U.S. Census Bureau data, including data from the American Community Survey, Population Estimates, Economic Census, and Annual Economic Surveys. Users can generate simple visualizations, extract reports, and explore census data by theme or topic.
Census Survey Explorer
Discover U.S. Census Bureau surveys or censuses by filtering and searching by geography, frequency, topics, and subtopics. | Watch video on Census Survey Explorer.
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
FRED is a database of more than 55,000 economic time series maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Covers banking, business/fiscal, consumer prices, employment, population, exchange rates, gross domestic product (GDP), interest rates, money supply, producer price indexes (PPI), U.S. trade and international transactions, and U.S. financial data. Compiled by the Federal Reserve and collected from federal economic agencies.
CIA World Factbook
The U.S. government's complete geographical handbook, featuring 268 full-color maps and flags of all nations and geographical entities. Each country profile tracks such demographics as population, ethnicity and literacy rates, as well as political, geographical and economic data. Free web site.
Google Dataset Search
Find datasets stored across thousands of repositories on the Web.
Our World in Data
A site designed to collect and present data on societal issues from authoritative sources in understandable terms.
USAFacts
USAFacts provides a data-driven portrait of the American population, US governments’ finances, and governments’ impact on society, using repackaged government data.
Statistical Abstracts of the United States (Archives)
This Census Bureau site contains the archived back issues of the Statistical Abstracts of the United States.

SBRNet (Sports Market Analytics) This link opens in a new window
Data, reports, and articles about sports fan demographics, sports participation, sports venue revenues, sporting goods sales, and much more.
Consumer Brand Analytics This link opens in a new window
Data on consumer brands by product category.

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Jim Kelly

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Subjects: Accounting, Business, Business Analytics, Computer & Information Sciences, Data & Statistics, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Operations & Supply Chain Mgmt

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Jim Kelly
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Andrea Koeppe
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*Datasets & Statistics Guide: Getting Started

Questions to Ask in Your Search for Data & Statistics

See Also:

Related Guides

Primary Statistics Portals

Your Librarian

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