Statistics from the Government
The U.S. government is a major collector and publisher of statistics. Many federal agencies collect and publish statistics and there are also books and online sources that compile these. Look for statistics from the agency relevant to your research topic or start with one of the major sources listed on this page.
- Gould Library Data GuideGeneral strategies for data searching, management, data across many disciplines.
Statistical Agencies of the U.S. Government
This article outlines the 13 principle statistical agencies of the government.
- Finding government statistics on the Internet - A compendium of major sourcesby Jeffrey Hartsell-Gundy, College & Research Libraries News, March 2014
Major Sources
These are some of the most frequently requested statistics but there are many more agency statistics besides the ones below.
- FCSM: Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (Formerly Fedstats) This link opens in a new window
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Official statistical information available to the public from the Federal Government. - Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
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A comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Covers 1878 - present.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States (Print)Call Number: C 3.134: (shelved in the Government Documents section on 1st, with latest year in Ready Reference by the Research/IT Desk)Availability and more information from Catalyst...
The entire run (1878 - present) is available in print.
- Data.govThe home of U.S. government open data, with almost 200,000 datasets on deposit from across the government.
- data.census.gov This link opens in a new window
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Statistical population, housing, economic, and geographic data from the United States Census. Replaces American FactFinder. - ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new window
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A vast index of statistics produced by federal agencies, states, and intergovernmental organizations. A great place to start if you're not sure who has collected data relevant to your research. - Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
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Census data, 1790 - current. 18,000 maps. All American Community Surveys. Fun and easy to use! - Data Planet This link opens in a new window
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Creates interactive statistical tables, charts and maps from over 4.3 billion licensed and public domain datasets on many areas of research, from traffic to international trade. - Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
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Gathers census statistics that were gathered in the United states from colonial times to the present.
- BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Employment, inflation, and other business and manufacturing statistics. - USDA Data and StatisticsA portal to USDA data, includes the Economics Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the Foreign Agricultural Service
- EPA EnvirofactsData from across EPA including air, water, waste and other data.
- ResearchDataGovResearchDataGov is a web portal for discovering and requesting access to restricted microdata from federal statistical agencies
