Statistical Resources: Selected Resources for Social Science Statistics

Statistical Universe
This is a huge index. It can be helpful: however, it may be difficult to focus the search. Use category checkboxes cautiously. They can be very helpful but, in some cases, they may be too limiting.

Statistical Agencies (International): U.S. Census Bureau.

Statistics Sources Olin Ref Z 7551.S79
A country-by-country guide to statistics sources for a wide variety of topics. Lists statistics-gathering bodies and, in many cases, specific publications.

Excerpt from a section on sources for Colombian statistics:

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Compendia United States

Statistical Abstracts of the United States
Also in print on the Olin & Uris Ready Reference Shelves, HA 202. A25

Statistical Abstracts is generally the best place to start for US data. In the print version, use the index to find specific tables. To extend your search, check the source information included with each table.The Appendices can also be useful for identifying sources of international or foreign data. Please note: Statistical Abstracts does not include county level data.

The online version includes Earlier Editions with pdf versions of Statistical Abstracts from 1878, on.

The Appendix to the volume includes an index to other statistical sources. Appendix I: Guide to Sources of Statistics, State Statistical Abstracts and Foreign Statistical Abstracts, provides a list of US government sources, non-government sources (including a number of international sources), state statistical abstracts and foreign statistical abstracts.

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Historical statistics of the United States: earliest times to the present. New York : Cambridge University Press, 2006. Millennial ed.
Also available in print: 5 vols. Olin Reference HA202 .A385 2006+

Table of Contents.
Put out by the Bureau of the Census, data is drawn from Statistical Abstracts of the United States and other sources. The actual time series covered varies by topic. Each section is preceded by an introduction, providing background information on the sources used and important caveats concerning the accuracy and comparability of data.

The online version offers a web interface to PDF files. See also: Earlier editions of Statistiscal Abstracts, above.

See also: Historical Census Browser, hosted by the GeoStat Center at the University of Virginia Fisher Library.

International Historical Statistics 1750 - 2000. Edited by B.R. Mitchell.
Provides statistical data for the last 250 years (where applicable) for every country in the world. Separate volumes cover Europe, the Americas, and Africa, Asia and Oceania. Includes a guide to some of the major statistical sources for each country under "Official Sources".

International historical statistics : Europe, 1750-2000 - Olin Reference HA1107 .M5x 2003 +
International historical statistics : the Americas, 1750-2000 Olin Reference HA175 .M55x 2003 +
International historical statistics : Africa, Asia & Oceania, 1750-2000 HA4675 .M552x 2003 +

Population and Vital Statistics Labour Force Agriculture

Industry External Trade Transport and Communication

Prices Education National Accounts (these are provided in a detailed series of subsets: e.g. unemployment figures, coal production figures etc.)

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International Cultural Statistics

UNESCO Institute for Statistics
UNESCO provides various international cultural statistics. Click on Statistics/ Database Access and choose Culture and Communication to find international comparative statistics on book production, films and cinemas, libraries (by type), and newspapers. Click the Actions tab to Select Items To View -- country, year, and data -- and for display and download options. Choose the table icon to re-display table after making selections.

Beginning May 2004, data is being collected on Research & Development in Science and Technology.

Population, Housing, Economic and other Demographics from the US Census

Population Estimates
Annual resident population estimates and demographic components of change (births, deaths, and migration) Includes estimates by demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin) for the nation, states, and counties and resident plus armed forces overseas, civilian, and civilian noninstitutionalized at the national level; and civilian at the state level. The reference date for estimates is July 1. (Population Estimates: Overview)

For additional census publications on population, see: Publications: Population. Especially useful is the Subject Index to Current Population Reports. Check the library catalog by report title/ series number.

American Factfinder
Provides access to 1990 and 2000 decennial census data, the American Community Survey, and the Economic Census. The main page offers a number of entry points for pre-packaged data tables. For more detailed tables, choose Data Sets. Beginning with the 2000 census, maps can be created to reflect selected variables. For additional functionality, and census coverage back to 1970, see Geolytics, below.

Geolytics Census CDs Census data, in electronic format, back to 1970.
See http://geolytics.com/USCensus for more detailed information about this product. Instructions for use are available in the black, Geolytics notebook, shelved in the ETC, and from the Geolytics website (above). To view the online tutorials, go to the Geolytics website choose a census year, and then select the Guided Tour tab.

To see a list of the Geolytics Census CDs we own, perform a title search in the library catalog using the phrase Census CD. The disks are shelved by call number on the ETC CD shelves, or on the Return Shelf (black metal cabinet). There is a also a large, black binder sitting on the filing cabinet, or on the ETC Guides shelf, with step-by-step instructions, including screen shots, for each Geolytics Census product.

Place the CD in the CD drive. Click on ETC databases and find the CD on the list. Double-click the icon to launch the CD.

The interface varies slightly among the different CDs. In general, the process is as follows: (See the Guide mentioned above more information).

File/New Request Give your file a name.
Area Choose the geographic level.
Subarea Choose a subarea, or choose the same area level again to confirm choice.
Counts Select STF1A, STF3A, or both.
Run Choose a format (dbase or ASCII is generally what you want).
Before you begin, it's a good idea to choose File/New Request and give your file a name.

US Censuses prior to 1970 (print volumes and pdfs online):

The Census Bureau Census of Population and Housing page includes pdfs for many of the census years along with information about what is included.

Over the years, the census becomes increasingly complex and is published in various parts (i.e. Census of Manufactures, Census of Agriculture, etc.)

The attached table provides links to the online pdfs, when available, and a local call number for the Census of Population. Beginning around 1930, if you are looking for housing, manufactures, agriculture, etc., use a subject heading search: United States Census, (census number), (census year). Example: United States Census, 15th, 1930. [subject heading]. to browse through the census products available for that year.

You might also combine the subject phrase with a keyword in the Guided Keyword search, however, you will need to know what terms were used (for example, manufactures rather than manufacturing, etc.). The U.S. Bureau of the Census, Catalog of Publications (Olin Reference, Z 7554.U5 U58) can sometimes be helpful for finding the titles of relevant census products. The online Census of Population and Housing also provides some useful information about what was collected, etc.

See Finding US census statistical tabulations in Olin library, for more information.

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Historical State Censuses

State Censuses. Millwood, N.Y. : KTO Microform, [197-?]

Microfiche 197, Media Center, Olin Library Lower Level. See: Microfiche Guide 197 (shelved in the Microforms Guides section of Olin Reference). Based on State Censuses, An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States, by Henry Dubester (Olin Reference, Z 7554.U5 U63 1969).

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International/Comparative Demographics (population breakdowns)

U.S. Census Bureau. IDB - International Database.
Demographic and socioeconomic statistics for 228 countries and areas of the world. National population, selected data by urban/rural residence, selected data by age and sex. Availability of data will vary by country. Selected years, 1950-present, projected demographic data to 2050.

The major types of data available in the IDB include:

Population by age and sex
Vital rates, infant mortality, and life expectancy
Fertility
Marital status
Family planning

Crime Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics
Tip: Choose the Data for Analysis/Data Online (in the right-hand menu) to construct custom tables on criminal offenses, homicide trends and characteristics, law enforcement management and administrative statistics.

Uniform Crime Reports
Online compendia, including Crime in the United States (1995 - ), an annual publication in which the FBI compiles volume and rate of crime offenses for the nation, the states, and individual agencies. This report also includes arrest, clearance, and law enforcement employee data. Note: Most documents on this site are prepared in PDF (Portable Document Format). Selected tables are also available in Microsoft Excel format. Print version goes back to 1930 (Olin Library Call Number: HV6787 .A3)

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Economic and Financial Statistics -- United States

Economic Census US
The Economic Census has it's own site, offering pdf reports, tables, and the ability to drill down through the site (from broad industry groupings to narrower industry types). The drill down tables can also be limited by state, country or metro area. http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/

As mentioned above, assembling time series data can be tricky. The switch from SICs to NAICS in 1997 can make it difficult, in some cases, to compare data from earlier censuses, especially at the higher-level groupings. See Assembling Time Series Data for more information on the various options for retrieving historical data, correspondence tables, and the 1997 Economic Census: Bridge Between NAICS and SIC.

The Economic Census is also available from AmericanFactfinder. "The advantage with FactFinder is that you can search directly for the data you want, can display data for all available sectors at once, and can download the results for further manipulation." (Guide to the 1997 Economic Census). The "geo within geo" feature in AmericanFactfinder allows researchers to query by levels of geography for example, all the counties in a state. This feature is not available from the Economic Census website.

Bureau of Economic Analysis, Interactive Tables
US national, regional, international, and industry accounts. Use the tabs across the top to select National, International, Regional, or Industry. To create custom tables, scroll through the page to find the interactive tables logo:

Various levels of interactivity provided, depending on the data selected. Click on the links to display or download tables to .xls (Excel) or .cvs. Click the Data Table Options and Tools tabs for Help, download options, methodology, date range choices (when available), and the"locking stubs" option (ability to scroll down through data while perserving column headings).

To create custom tables of local economic data, look under Regional, on the BEA home page, and choose State and Local Personal Income. This was formerly called the Regional Economic Information System (REIS). This section includes income, employment and non-earnings types of receipts "Personal Current Transfer Receipts" (e.g., food stamps, SSI, etc.).

Econdata.net
A guide to regional economic data available on the web, including the "ten best sites" for finding regional economic data.

Economic and Financial Statistics -- International

OECD stats are available in a variety of interfaces. SourceOECD is one route to use (access through the library catalog). They are currently migrating to a new system OECD iLibrary. Things seem to be in flux. Some of the links below may change. Try the database names if the links don't work.

OECD International Development Statistics.

The DAC databases cover bilateral and multilateral donors’ aid and other resource flows to developing countries in two separate databases:

The DAC annual aggregates database, which provides comprehensive data on the volume, origin and types of aid and other resource flows;

The Creditor Reporting System (CRS), which provides detailed information on individual aid activities, such as sectors, countries, project descriptions etc. Note: To see more detailed data (microdata), click the small magnifying glass next to the dollar amounts.

For easily downloaded data, see the CDROM, International development statistics = Statistiques sur le de´veloppement international. Paris : OECD Publications, 2000- . Olin Library, Electronic Text Center, HC 60. I548.

OECD - Stat Extracts
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [about]
Organized under "themes", this beta site includes a wide variety of economic and social statistics for member countries including development aid statistics by donor country-to-recipient. Check out QWIDS, the new Query Wizard for International Development Statistics

Source OECD: Development Centre StudiesThe World Economy.
"The World Economy brings together two reference works by Angus Maddison: The World Economy: a millenial perspective, first published in 2001 and The World Economy: historical statistics, published in 2003. This new edition contains Statlinks, a service providing access to the underlying data in Excel® format. The World Economy is a “must” for scholars and students of economics and economic history as well as for statisticians, while the casual reader will find much of fascinating interest." [SourceOECD website]

On The World Economy: a millenial perspective:
"A tour de force. What a wonderful gift for the new century." Robert Mundell, Nobel Prize winner and Professor of Economics, Columbia University.
"An essential reference for anyone interested in global development for many years to come." Paul Krugman, Professor of Economics, Princeton University.
"Quite simply a dazzling essay." Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute.
"Highly recommended . . . refreshing and full of historical information. An important book." Kisanhani F. Emizet, Kanzas University, writing in International Politics.

EIU dataservices (Economist Intelligence Unit)

EIU Country Data: A comprehensive database of economic indicators and forecasts, covering 317 series for 150 countries, as well as 45 regional aggregates, running from 1980 and forecasting out five years. For the 60 most important markets, key variables are additionally projected to 2030 in order to facilitate business planning.

EIU Market Indicators & Forecasts: A powerful database of economic, demographic, consumption and industry data on 60 major countries worldwide and 11 regional aggregates, stretching back to 1990. The product includes detailed economic and industry forecasts for the next five years and longer-term economic projections.

EIU City Data: A global database of product prices and business costs providing over 330 prices levels on more than 160 products and services in 123 cities worldwide from 1990 to the present.

GDF Online/ Global Development Finance. Data from 1970, on.
Contains statistical data in 217 series for 147 developing countries or groups of countries, 1970-present (as of Sept. 28, 2004);

The interface walks you through the process of selecting country, series, and time variables. Contains data on debt stocks, debt flows, resource flows, debt indicators, currency composition, long-term debt, public and publicly guaranteed debt, private nonguaranteed debt, official creditors, private creditors, restructurings, etc. Also provides access to summary and country tables in PDF format.

International Financial Statistics
"International Financial Statistics is a standard source of international statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance. It reports, for most countries of the world, current data needed in the analysis of problems of international payments and of inflation and deflation, i.e., data on exchange rates, international liquidity, international banking, money and banking, interest rates, prices, production, international transactions, government accounts, and national accounts. The IFS database contains time series data from 1948." (Library Gateway, Find Databases)

Search tips:

The subject pull-down menu in the search feature can be baffling. It may be helpful to refer to the print International Financial Statistics to identify relevant categories. The introduction to the Yearbook (Olin Ref HG 1.I612)and monthly supplement provides descriptions of each category found under the Economic Concepts view in the IFS database. This documentation is not provided in the online database.

World Development Indicators
Development data covering more than 575 indicators, 225 countries, and 18 regional and income groups. The extensive collection of development data includes population, income, social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators for more than forty years (starting in 1960 where data are available).

There are hundreds of series (categories) available in the drop-down menus. The new interface walks you through the process of selecting country, series, and time variables. Offers the ability to create tables and extract data to a spreadsheet.

World Investment Directory [UNCTAD]
The World Investment Directory provides detailed information about foreign direct investment in a country, including statistics on flows, stocks and TNC operations, disaggregated by components, industry and investor/recipient country.

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US Education Statistics

Statistical Abstracts of the United States Also in print on the Olin & Uris Ready Reference Shelves, HA 202. A25

NCES National Center for Education Statistics. Statistics gathered by the US Dept. of Education, 1989 - . Choose the Tables & Figures tab for access to some of the major statistical compendia including: The Condition of Education, The Digest of Education Statistics, and State Education Data Profiles. Includes some international data.

International Comparative Education Statistics

UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Comparative, international education statistics from the statistics division of UNESCO. The search feature on the website can be useful if you know the category terms, table headings, or format you need. For example, a search for broad categories such as "literacy" or "secondary education" or "graphs" will return links to these resources under various topic areas on the site.

In most cases, it may be more useful to browse the statistical tables in the "Database Access" folder to find relevant statistics. Click on Statistics/ Database Access and choose Education to find international comparative statistics. Click the Actions tab to Select Items To View -- country, year, and data -- and for display and download options. Choose the table icon to re-display table after making selections.

OECD Statistics
Education statistics for member countries.
OECD Statistics [beta]. Under themes, select Education and Training.

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Energy

Energy Information Administration
Official energy statistics from the US government, including international energy statistics. Includes coal, natural gas, electricity, petroleum, nuclear, renewable and alternative fuels. Historical summaries available back to 1949.

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European Union

Eurostat. Statistical Office of the European Communities. Luxembourg : Eurostat, 1997?-
The Eurostat web site includes more than 1,400 Eurostat publications in PDF format featuring the latest indicators, news releases, nomenclatures and other publications.

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Politics and Government, US

Vital Statistics on American Politics: 2003- 2004. Olin Reference JK274 .S74x 2004
This useful compendium goes well beyond 2003-2004 statistics to include many tables of historical statistics concerning Congress, the Executive branch, the Courts, Federalism (e.g. Federal Grants-in-Aid to state and local governments), campaign finance, public opinion, voting, the media, and economic, military, foreign and social policy statistics. Also includes a Guide to Referencec for Political Statistics,organized by topic, at the end of the volume. A nice supplement to Statistical Abstract of the United States for government topics.

US Election Statistics

CQEL Voting and Elections Collection

Presidential elections: covers electoral votes from 1789, popular votes from 1824 with county level from 1920.
Congressional elections: covers the House from 1824, Senate from 1908 with county level from 1968.
Gubernatorial elections from 1824 with county level from 1968.

Dubin, Michael J. United States Presidential Elections: 1788-1860: The Official Results by County and State. Olin Reference JK524 .D778x 2002 +
The author pieced together disparate information sources to provide a compilation of election statistics, by county, extending back to 1788.

America at the Polls. Washington, D.C. : CQ Press, c2001 Olin Reference JK1967 .A513
Election statistics, by county, from 1920 - 2000. Includes primary election statistics, by state (including the date the primary was held). The first two volumes cover Harding to Eisenhower (1920-1956) and Kennedy to Clinton (1960-1992). The final volume covers Kennedy to George W. Bush (1960 - 2000), and offers additional statistics for some Third-Party and Independent candidates, essentially replacing the 2nd volume.

Presidential Elections: 1789 - 2000. Washington, DC : CQ Press, c2002. JK524 .P6783x 2002 +
This single-volume resource offers background essays on the evolution of the electoral process and includes basic election statistics for each presidential election through 2000. A separate section covers electoral votes, including electoral maps and votes charts for each election.

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Health Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics,Data Warehouse
Natality, Mortality, and Provisional Birth, Death, Marriage, and Divorce tables by State, under Detailed Statistical Tables. More health statistics are available under Health, United States, with PDF versions of the current year as well as previous editions back to 1975. In addition, spreadsheet files are available back to 1995. Use the PDF Table of Contents to determine the Table number. To download a spreadsheet, double-click on the XLS (Excel)icon. You will be prompted to sign in. Simply choose anonymous user and hit the return key. Be patient. It takes several minutes to download and it is not clear that the downloading is proceeding until the results finally appear.

Health, United States, (year) . (see above: Available online going back to 1975)
Olin Reference RA 407.3.H43+
Published by the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States is an annual report on trends in health statistics.

The report consists of two main sections: A chartbook containing text and figures that illustrates major trends in the health of Americans; and a trend tables section that contains 153 detailed data tables. The two main components are supplemented by an executive summary, a highlights section, an extensive appendix and reference section, and an index.

World Health Organization, Statistical Information System (WHOSIS)
Includes core health indicators from the World Health Report for each of the 192 member countries; statistics by country or region; and statistics by topic, disease or condition, including HIV/AIDS, drug information, immunization, health personnel, population, micronutrients, alcohol, maternal mortality, etc.(WHOSIS web site)

OECD Statistics
International Health Statistics back to 1960, across the 30 OECD countries --
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.

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Labor Statistics

Note: Refer to the ILR library for additional US and International labor statistics. ILR also has a web page for statistics at ILR Research Portal: Statistical Resources and Data

Statistical Abstracts of the United States
Also in print on the Olin & Uris Ready Reference Shelves, HA 202. A25 . See Section 12: Labor Force, Employment & Earnings

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Inflation & Consumer Spending Consumer Price Index • Inflation Calculator • Contract Escalation • Producer Price Indexes • Import/Export Price Indexes • Consumer Expenditures • Price Index Research	Wages, Earnings, & Benefits Wages by Area and Occupation • Earnings by Industry • Employee Benefits • Employment Costs • State and County Wages • National Compensation Data • Collective Bargaining
Productivity Productivity and Costs • Multifactor Productivity • International Comparisons	Safety & Health Injuries and Illnesses • Fatalities	International Import/Export Price Indexes • Foreign Labor Statistics • International Technical Cooperation
Occupations Occupational Outlook Handbook • Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Employment • Wages by Area and Occupation • Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities • Employment Projections • Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)	Demographics Demographic Characteristics of the Labor Force • Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment • Consumer Expenditures • Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities • Longitudinal Studies • Time Use

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Religion

American Religion Data Archive.
The ARDA collection includes data on churches and church membership, religious professionals, and religious groups (individuals, congregations and denominations). The collection consists of individual surveys covering various groups and topics.

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Trade Statistics

For a much better online guide to trade statistics, see Steve Cramer's "Trade Data: what it is & how to Get it ." (University of North Carolina, Greensboro)

US Trade

Bureau of Labor Statistics - Import/Export Price Indexes
A product of the International Price Program. Contains data on changes in the prices of nonmilitary goods and services traded between the U.S. and the rest of the world.

TradeStats Express -- National Trade Data, State Export Data
TradeStats Express displays the latest annual U.S. merchandise trade statistics, from 1999 - current.

At national and state levels.
In maps, graphs, and tables.
As exports, imports, and trade balances.
Custom-tailored to your year and dollar ranges and display preferences.

United States International Trade Commission. USITC Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb.
Requires registration, but otherwise free.

USA Trade Online -- Access to USA Trade Online is available from two designated workstations in Olin Library. Ask at the Reference Desk.

Provides U.S. export and import information on more than 18,000 commodities presented in the Harmonized Tariff Classification System for current month and previous month; cumulative year to date, current year and prior year; and annual two year and historical data. Includes port data. All U.S. trade statistics are collected and compiled based on this system. Check out the online QuickGuide for help using the database.

International Trade

Comtrade (United Nations)
Comtrade provides commodity trade data for all available countries and areas since 1962. Currently, it contains almost 700 millions records. Helpful links: First Time User and the Glossary.

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics presents tables on the value of imports and exports to their most important trading partners for about 156 countries. The yearbook provides similar data for about 186 countries, the world, and major areas. See the IMF Data and Statistics page for more detailed information.

Formats:

Online -- Historical Data (up to 1998) -- Monthly, Quarterly, Annually
University of Virginia hosts the historical Direction of Trade Statistics up to 1998 at http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/dot/. This includes monthly, quarterly, and annual data.

CDROM -- Current & Historical Data -- Monthly, Quarterly, Annually
Available in the Olin Library ETC, Disk HF1016.D57

The CDROM version provides an interface for browsing the database, selecting series of interest, displaying the selected series in spreadsheet format, and saving the selected series for transfer to other software systems, such as Microsoft Excel. Data are available for approximately 180 countries from 1980 onwards and include estimated data from 1981. Includes the Direction of Trade Statistics Historical Database. This product complements the monthly DOTS database and browser on CD-ROM. The Historical Database contains more than 55,000 time series of annual, quarterly, and monthly trade data for approximately 200 countries from 1948 to 1980. The database can be accessed interactively, via an easy-to-use Window interface for browsing, or directly—via the “flat” file—stored in scientific notation format.

Print -- Current, w/backfile to 1964. -- Quarterly and Annually, only (no monthly)
Lastest vols in Olin Reference, Earlier vols in the stacks: HA 13.D59

Note: Prior to 1960, data was contained in International Financial Statistics.

World Trade Organization
F eatures a Statistics Database with interactive access to up-to-date trade statistics and the annual publication International Trade Statistics.

Virtual World Trade Reference Room
Contains links to current trade statistics from the U.S. government, select trade and economic data published by other countries, and similar trade resources.

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Additional Sources of Information

CISER-- Internet Data Sources for Social Scientists
An informal list of sites that CISER staff have found useful. It is not intended to be comprehensive.

Management Library Statistics Research FAQ

ILR Library Statistics & Data

Lynn Thitchener
updated: November 5, 2009