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A Project of Blackburn College and University of
Illinois at Springfield
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Introduction
| General Compilations | Subject
Compilations
Note: Many links are using the Government
Printing Office's PURLs, or Persistent Uniform Resource Locators,
rather than direct links to the federal agencies. This improves
the links accuracy, in case the publication was moved to a
different URL. However, it does take an extra few seconds
to retrieve the Web site.
The Federal Government compiles statistics on virtually everything,
from agriculture to weather. Federal statistics on average
either cover the nation as a whole, or break it up into regions,
or the 50 states. The major exception to this rule is the
Census Bureau, which
does collect information down to the county and city level.
Each federal agency is responsible for collecting and disseminating
statistics. There is no Department of Statistics. Some agencies
disseminate more than others, the Census Bureau being the
most widely known. If you need statistical information, the
first question to ask yourself is what agency would collect
my data? Most of the time it is obvious. For example, if you
wanted statistics on reported income, you would go to an
Internal Revenue Service publication. Sometimes it is
not obvious. For example, if you were looking for divorce
statistics, you need to consult data from
National Center for Health Statistics.
The number of publications available on the Internet is growing,
with over 60% of the current publications available online.
All of the core compilations of federal statistics are available
online. (You will need Adobe
Acrobat Reader to view most of these publications.) However,
this is current information. If you need historical statistics,
earlier than 1995, you will probably need to consult the print
and microfiche collections of government publications.
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American FactFinder - Census Bureau's main interface for retrieving demographic and economic data from the American Community Survey, Decennial Census, Economic Census (every 5 years), and their Population Estimates.
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FedStats - Federal government's centralized source for finding statistics online. Browse an A to Z subject list, or perform a keyword search; also provides links to the agencies' websites. |
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Latest
Federal Government Statistics - Quick access to
the latest economic and social statistics in brief tabular
format, with links to the press releases.
- Crime
- violent crime rates, national correctional populations,
etc.
- Demography
- population, household income, homeownership, etc.
- Education
- trends in academic progress, dropout rates, etc.
- Employment
- employment/unemployment rates, average hourly earnings,
productivity, etc.
- Health
- vital statistics, health care expenditures, etc.
- Income
- per capita income, disposable income, poverty, etc.
- International
- balance of current accounts, trade deficit, etc.
- Money
- money stock and components, interest rates and bond
yields, etc.
- Output
- Gross Domestic Product, personal saving rate, corporate
profits, etc.
- Prices
- Consumer Price Index, Producer Price Index, etc.
- Production
- housing starts, advanced retail sales, etc.
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Statistical
Abstract of the United States (1878-present) - First place to look
for statistics; published annually by Census
Bureau with over 1500 tables of statistics gathered
from all agencies and other organizations. Source at the
bottom of each table, so if you cannot find exactly the
information sought, at least you should be able to find
out what agency will collect that particular data.
Note: Copyright restrictions prevent the inclusion of
some tables in the electronic versions. |
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USA Counties - Supplement to Statistical
Abstract. 5,000 data items for the United States,
states, counties and equivalent areas from a variety of
sources.
Note: Copyright restrictions prevent the inclusion of
some tables in the electronic versions. |
Agriculture
| Crime & Justice | Demographics | Economics
| Education
| Energy | Health
| Labor | TransportatiMarch 27, 2007" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#D8C2C2">
| Agriculture
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Agricultural Statistics - Annual compilation from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, with agricultural production and marketing data. |
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Census of Agriculture - Count of all farms and production for those farms that produced more than $1000 worth of agricultural products. Data compiled for the nation, states and counties every 5 years. Access 2002, 1997, and 1992 censuses. |
| Crime
and Justice |
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Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics Online - Data from more than 100 sources about all aspects of criminal justice in the United States, which are displayed in over 600 tables. Updated regularly. Compiled by the Utilization of Criminal Justice Statistics Project, located at the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center, University of Albany. |
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Uniform Crime Reports - Federal Bureau of Investigation's compilation of statistical data, including the annual Crime in the United States, a cooperative statistical effort of over 17,000 city, county, and state law enforcement agencies, Hate Crime Statistics, and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted. |
| Demographics |
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American FactFinder - Census Bureau's main interface for retrieving demographic data from the American Community Survey, Decennial Census, and their Population Estimates. |
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Population Reports - Census Bureau publications on a wide variety of social and economic
characteristics of the population, such as household composition, ethnicity, and
income and in-depth reports are prepared on important social, economic, and
demographic issues.
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| Economics
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Economic Census - Compiled every 5 years by the Census Bureau, the Economic Census provides a detailed portrait of the economy, from the national to the local level. Covers nearly all of the U.S. economy in its basic collection of establishment statistics. There also are several related programs, including statistics on minority- and women-owned businesses. Can use American FactFinder to access tables of data from 1997 and 2002 Economic Censuses. |
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STAT-USA
Ask Librarian for Access
- From the Commerce Department,
large database for business, trade and economics statistics. |
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Survey
of Current Business - From the Bureau
of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product (GDP);
national wealth; the input-output accounts; personal income
and related economics; and the U.S. balance of payments
accounts and associated foreign investment accounts. |
| Education
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Digest
of Education Statistics - From the National
Center for Education Statistics, statistics on education
from kindergarten through graduate schools, e.g. number
of schools, teachers, enrollments; educational attainment;
finances; libraries; and international education. |
| Energy
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Annual
Energy Review - From the Energy
Information Administration, energy reserves, production,
consumption, distribution, prices, technology, and related
international, economic, and financial matters. |
| Health
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Health,
United States - from the National
Center for Health Statistics, data on the nature and
extent of the health, illness, and disability of the U.S.
population, as well as family formation, growth, and dissolution
(marriages and divorces); and vital events (i.e., births
and deaths). |
| Labor
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Bureau
of Labor Statistics - Since there is no major compilation
for employment and labor statistics, the best thing to
do is search the BLS's website, or go to their Data
page. The site is well-organized and has lots of full text
information. |
| Transportation
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National
Transportation Statistics - From the Bureau
of Transportation Statistics, data on the national
transportation systems including the physical network,
economic performance, safety record, energy use, and related
air emissions. |
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