NOTE: Government Documents CD-ROMs are in metal cabinets on the main floor of Clapp, in call number order, and are not loaded on any computer. Ask at the Clapp reference or circulation desks if you need to use or borrow one.

United States

Statistical Abstract of the United States. latest edition only in Excel; online from 1878. Basic statistics for the United States. A great place to start!

County and City Data Book - (latest ed. only), or create datasets from various editions. Basic statistics on states, counties, cities, and places in the United States. For updated statistics, use the American Community Survey.

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970. National statistics in various categories.

Social Statistics Briefing Room (dates vary) - links to government agencies providing current statistics on crime, demography, education and health. Charts link to the actual data.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (latest ed.) - also Clapp Docs HA 202 A22 (1979+ published irregularly). Summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the states and metropolitan areas of the U.S.

State of the Cities Data Systems (dates vary) - population, employment, crime, business data for individual metropolitan areas, central cities, and suburbs.

LexisNexis Statistical

• Research edition tables are comprised of statistics from selected U.S. government sources. Approximately 20% of the tables can be downloaded into Excel; others are gif images (which may not be manipulated). Coverage = 1997+.
• Abstracts links to sources of statistics from private, U.S. government, and international sources.
  • ASI module = documents produced by the federal government, 1973+.
  • SRI module = state, local, private and university sources; 1980+.
  • IIS module = documents from about 100 international intergovernmental organizations, 1983+.
  • Titles may contain a link to the full text available on the issuing agency's Web site.
• Note the title if you want to locate a paper copy in the Wellesley College Library. Search the catalog by title.
• The "Help" feature contains a "Spotlight on Statistics" section providing basic concepts in statistics and a glossary of terms.

International

World Development Indicators (1960+) - Includes more than 500 time series indicators for 207 countries plus regional and income groups. Guide to searching the WDI [Emory University].

World Development Report [World Bank] - Also Clapp Docs HC 59.7 W659 (1978+). Each year has a different theme. Good source of statistics, especially economic.

UN Common Database (1945+) - 450+ statistical series from international data sources. Economic, social, financial and development topics. Click on "definitions" for a description of the series (variable). You have several options for searching:

• Basic view = 1 series (variable), up to 10 countries, up to 20 years (in 4 5-year intervals)
• Country profiles = pre-selected variables, pre-selected years, country by country, no downloading available
• Advanced data selection = download several series (variables), several countries, and years (year by year)
• Quick data selection = choose variables by their codes
• Topics list = view all available series; then countries and years available are listed

Global Urban Observatory Database - includes human settlements and city profiles. Statistics may be viewed or printed.   

Human Development Report [UNDP] - latest edition only in Excel. Previous versions in pdf. Clapp Docs HD 72 H85 (1991+ ). Each issue has unique text. Statistics include a Human Development Index, Gender-Related Development Index, and other demographic and economic data.

Social Indicators [Statistics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat]

World Almanac. Clapp Ref AY67.N5 W7 (1923+). A good place to start for basic population, government officials, land area, major cities, etc. For online access to an almanac, try infoplease.com.

World Factbook (latest only). Clapp Ref G 122 .U56a [latest] and Clapp SuDocs PREX 3.15:[year] (1982+). Basic economic, population, labor data, major industries. Includes a nice map and country flags.

World Economic and Social Survey 1947+.

United States

• Gateway to Census 2000
• State and County Quick Facts - basic people, business, and geographic information for states and counties within that state.
• Demographic Profiles - fewer data points, but more detail and data for counties and places within states. Use this to compare counties or places within a state; based on questions asked on the short form.

American Factfinder - the primary source for data from the 2000 census as well as thematic and geographic maps.

• Choose People or Housing to get basic statistics
• Data Sets allows you to select more specific tables for chosen geographies by leading you through a series of menus.

  1990 Census and earlier - Some 1990 census data is available through American Factfinder. All 1990 census data is available electronically on various CDs; contact me for access. All census data (1790-2000) in print is shelved in Docs HA 201 [year] and Docs HD 7293 A488 [year].

American Community Survey - updates and replaces the Census long form. Based on a population sample.

Remember: 100% data comes from the short form that is given to everyone. Sample data files come from the long form that is given to 1 in 6 households. Sample data include more detailed information on education, employment, housing, and income.

United States Historical Census Data Browser - covers 1790-1960. No information is available below the county level; variables differ from Census to Census.

Census of Population and Housing - historical statistics covering 1790-2000. What's covered is different for different years. No place statistics before 1990.

International

Population and housing census dates - gives dates only (no data from the census) for national censuses in various countries. Use the link to World Statistical Agencies to access a country's Census data.

Find time series

Bureau of Labor Statistics Labstat - various statistical series on employment, compensation, and prices.

Economic Time Series page - The core data sets involve U.S. macroeconomic data, but the bulk of the data is employment data by local area -- state, county, MSA, and many cities and towns. You can view the data in ascii delimited text or charts in pdf , but to download data in Excel requires a subscription.

FRED II [St. Louis Federal Reserve] - Data include CPI, employment/unemployment, exchange rate, GDP, interest rates, and PPI. ALFRED = vintage economic data before revisions.

 

United States

• Administration on Aging - Stats for U.S., states and counties
• Social Security Administration statistics - reports on social security recipients and the elderly; links to state statistics.

International

• International Aging Statistics [U.S. Administration on Aging] - links to various sources of international statistics on aging.

United States

• National Agricultural Statistics Service - U.S., state, and county level agricultural statistics for many commodities and data series
• USDA Economic Research Service - farm and rural households, commodity markets, food marketing, agricultural trade, diet and health, food safety, food and nutrition assistance programs, natural resources and the environment, and the rural economy
• Foreign Agriculture Service - world agricultural production and trade, crop condition assessments.

International

• FAOSTAT - 3 million time-series and cross sectional  data relating to food and agriculture from 200 countries and more than 200 primary products and inputs

Business/Industry

United States

• Current Industrial Reports [U.S. Census Bureau] - monthly, quarterly, and annual measures of industrial activity. View reports by subject or by NAICS subsector. Also has manufacturing profiles from 1994-1998.
• U.S. Economic Census - conducted every 5 years in the areas of mining, utilities, construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transportation, agriculture, etc. Available online (1992, 1997, 2002, ), in paper in Clapp Docs HC (various years and call numbers) and on CD at Clapp Docs HA 37.U6 E38 1995 (1992+)*.
• See LexisNexis Business or Mergent Online for financial statistics for individual companies.

United States

• Administration for Children and Families data and statistics
• ChildStats - Federal and state statistics and reports on children and their families. Includes the publication America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being (also in paper at Clapp SuDocs PR 42.8:C 43/C 43/)
• Children's Defense Fund has national data and state data
• Kids Count - Statistics on the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children. The Kids Count Data Book is also available in print, (1994+) at Clapp Docs HQ 792 U5 K53. View profiles in .html or download the raw data.
• Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth (2003) [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]. 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. Also in paper at Clapp SuDocs HE 1.63: [yr] (1996+)
• U.S. Census Bureau: Children

International

• Statistical data [UNICEF] - Social indicators for women and children. Access by indicator or country.
• State of the World's Children [UNICEF] - Also in paper (1985+) at Clapp Docs HQ 792.2 S73.

United States

• Capital Punishment Statistics - U.S. statistics on executions and prisoners on death row. Divisions by state, age and sex, also references to federal laws on the death penalty. Paper (1982+) at Clapp SuDocs J 29.11/3:[yr].
• Crime and Justice Electronic Data Abstracts [U.S. Dept. of Justice] - Statistics arranged by topic and downloadable as .wk1 files. Dates vary; some back to 1970.
• Crime and Victim Statistics - Summary in chart form. Some are zip files.
• FBI's Uniform Crime Reports 1995+. (Crime in the United States) - Circumstances of crime, victims and offenders by age, sex, and race. Paper 1940+ at Clapp Docs HV 6787 A3. CD-ROM (1995+) at Clapp Docs HV 6787 A3*.
• Federal Sentencing Statistics - Statistics include length of sentence, average length of imprisonment, type of sentence, mode of conviction (plea or trial), type of crime by mode of conviction, and listed by state, district, and circuit; FY1995+. NO info by race.
• Hate Crimes - From the Uniform Crime Reports.1995+.
• Juvenile Crime - basic information on juvenile crime and victimzation and on youth involved in the juvenile justice system from the National Center for Juvenile Justice.
• Juvenile Crime - includes info on youth gangs, crime in schools, missing children, and crimes committed by and against children.
• Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics - latest compiled statistics and .wk1 format. Paper copies available
  (1989+) at Clapp SuDocs J 29.9/6:[yr], CD-ROM also available, Docs HV 7245 S6 (1994+)*.
• TRAC [Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, at Syracuse University] - comprehensive, independent, and non-partisan information about federal enforcement, staffing, and spending. Some data are free, the TRACFED database is only available by subscription.

For additional data (e.g. cybercrime) visit the National Criminal Justice Reference Service's (NJJRS), the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, or the Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center.

International

• Asian and Pacific Crime [Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Adminiatrators] - Stats on prisoners in Asia, including prisoners by gender. Covers 1993+.
• Crime and Criminal Justice in Europe and North America, 1995-1997 and 1990-1994
• Global Report on Crime and Justice. Clapp Ref HV 7431 G445 1999. Excerpts are online.
• International Crime Victimization Survey
• International Justice Statistics [ U.S. Dept. of Justice] - Links to U.N. and official country web sites.

Demography/Population

United States

• County and City Data Book (latest ed. only) - also Clapp Docs HA 202 A36 (1949+ published irregularly). Basic statistics on states, counties, cities, and places in the United States. or go here to download datasets from various editions.
• U.S. Census Bureau - search or use the Subjects A-Z.
• Current Population Survey (CPS) Table Creator - create customized tables from the Current Population Survey's Annual Social and Economic Supplement. Recent years only. Not downloadable, but it appears you can cut and paste.
• USA Counties - Demographic, economic, and governmental statistics from the Census Bureau. Can compare across counties.
• Vital Statistics of the United States (1890+ ) - Statistics by age, race, and place for births (natality), deaths (mortality), and marriage and divorce. There is about a 7 year lag time between the events and when the data are published.

International

• [United Nations] Demographic Yearbook - Clapp Docs UN Sales XIII (1948+). Also on CD-ROM, 1948-1996, mounted on the CD-ROM computer in the Clapp Library reference room.
• Disability Statistics - compiled from surveys. Survey methods differ from country to country, so statistics may not be comparable; can be very dated. View tables on-screen.
• IDB Population Pyramids - Offers the capability for creating graphs showing the distribution of population by age and sex for each country. View graphs and the data behind the graphs in text format.
• Population Reference Bureau - database contains data on 95 demographic variables for more than 220 countries, 28 world regions and sub-regions, the world as a whole, the United States as a whole, and the U.S. states. Data may be viewed and printed.
• Recent Demographic Developments in Europe. Clapp Docs C.E. (1991+). - Usual statistics on population, births, fertility, but also includes numbers by country for international migration and population of foreign citizenship.
• United Nations World Population Network (POPIN) - A guide to population information on UN system web sites. Also links to national statistical agencies.
• World Population Database [U.S. Census Bureau] - Population numbers for most countries (age, sex, religion, language, labor, ethnicity, etc). You can save tables as .txt files for importation into spreadsheets.

Economic/Finance/Trade

 

For detailed statistics on trade, see the class page for International Trade Theory.

United States

• Bureau of Economic Analysis - BEA's national, regional, and international economic accounts present basic information on such key issues as U.S. economic growth, regional economic development, and the Nation's position in the world economy.
• Economic Indicators [ Economics and Statistics Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce] - Timely access to the daily releases of key economic indicators. Statistics are essentially the same as the site above, but a nice table lists the source, frequency, and timing of the indicator.
• Economic Indicators Handbook - Clapp Ref HC 103 E26 1992. Time Series for GNP, GDP, CPI for large cities for major subcomponents. Other business indicators as well.
• Economic Statistics Briefing Room - links to government agencies providing current economic statistics.
• Foreign Trade Statistics [U.S. Census Bureau] - trade statistics by commodity classification, country, and U.S. state. Historical trade balances going back as far as 1960. Guide available.
• Mass Stats - economic statistics for the state of MA and cities and towns in MA. View online or print.

International

• Balance of Payments Statistics [IMF]. CD-ROM mounted on the CD-ROM computer in the Clapp reference room. Print issues are at Clapp Docs HF 1014 I6
• Direction of Trade Statistics [IMF]. CD-ROM (1948+) mounted on the CD-ROM computer in the Clapp reference room. Statistics on the value of imports from and exports to a country's most important trading partners. Print issues are at Clapp Docs HF 91 I652.
• Global Development Finance CD-ROM and Clapp Docs HJ 8899 .W672 1999-2003. Statistical tables on the external debt of the 138 countries that report public and publicly guaranteed debt. The CD-ROM is loaded on the CD-ROM computer in the Clapp Reference room. GDF is a database of 219 time series indicators covering the years 1970 to 2001.
• Government Finance Statistics [IMF]. CD-ROM (1972+ ) mounted on the CD-ROM computer in the Clapp reference room. Data include government financial operations for IMF member countries; including revenue, expenditure, and financing transactions. Print issues at Clapp Docs HJ101 .G68
• Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook - Clapp Docs U.N. Sales XVII (1992+). Annual quantity statistics on production of industrial commodities (530 commodities) by country, geographical region, economic grouping, and for the world. Each volume covers a 10 year time period.
• International Financial Statistics and Guide to searching the IFS Online.
• United Nations Comtrade Database - Imports and exports of very specific commodities. view on-screen only. Subscription required to downoad.
• National Accounts Statistics 1970+ - Tables on input-output, flow-of-funds, production, goods and services, outlay, and capital finance accounts.
• One Hundred Years of Economic Statistics - Clapp Ref HC 106 L68 1989. Includes statistics for the United Kingdom, U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sweden to 1987.
• Trade Statistics [WTO] - country profiles and time series.
• UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics some back to 1950. [U. N. Conference on Trade and Development] - Comprehensive collection of statistical data relevant to the analysis of world trade, investment and development." Includes data on imports, exports, financial flows, and debt.
• UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2005 in print 1981+ - Clapp Docs U.N. Sales IID.

Education

 

United States

• Encyclopedia of ED Stats - brings together data from several NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) sources. Search 1 publication or several. Searchable by clicking through tables of contents, subject area, and through full text and table title. The Encyclopedia includes the following publications:
  • The Condition of Education - Also in paper at Clapp Ref L 112 N377a (1975+).
  • The Digest of Education Statistics - Also in paper at Clapp Docs L 11 D48 (1962+).
  • Education Indicators: An International Perspective - Also in paper at Clapp SuDocs ED 1.109/2:1996
  • Youth Indicators - Also in paper at Clapp SuDocs ED 1.327:[yr] (1998+)
  • Projections of Education Statistics to... - Also in paper at Clapp Docs LA 210 A28 (1975/76+).
• National Education Data Resource Center - includes student aid, finances, and institution characteristics.
• National Center for Education Statistics - choose "Quick Tables & Figures" to build your own tables.

International

• Global Education Database [U.S. Agency for International Development] - select a single indicator for multiple years and multiple countries or access multiple indicators for one country.
• Statistical Yearbook [UNESCO] - Clapp Docs UNESCO (1963-). - contains large sections on country education and literacy statistics.
• OECD Education at a Glance - who participates in education, what is spent on it, how education systems operate, and the results achieved. Indicators range from comparisons of student performance in key subject areas to the impact of education on earnings and adults’ chances of employment. Other years also available.
• World Education Forum [UNESCO]- regional, sub-regional, and country reports. Statistics embedded in the report.
• World Education Indicators [UNESCO] - data back to 1970 for some countries.

Environment

United States

• Agricultural Statistics - 1994+. Latest edition in Clapp Ref HD 1751 A43; earlier editions in Clapp HD 1751 A43 (1936+ ).
• Energy Prices and Trends [U.S. Dept.of Energy] - energy data and prices including consumption, energy use, state and international information.
• Environmental Quality - [The Council on Environmental Quality]. Clapp Docs TD 169 U53a (1970-1996). Summarizes developments in and provides data on pollution, air quality, energy, biodiversity, etc.
• National Agricultural Statistics Service - statistics on crops, statistics by state.
• U.S. Energy Information Agency - try the subjects A-Z

International

• Earth Trends - an initiative of the World Resources Institute. Work through menus to select variables. Also view country profiles and maps.
• Energy Statistics Yearbook - Clapp Docs U.N. Sales XVII (1982+). Statistics by country for the production, import, export, and consumption of various types of fuel.
• Environment Canada - climate for cities and provinces in Canada; hourly, daily, or monthly.
• International Energy Agency selected statistics
• World Resources Institute - Facts and figures and environmental data tables. Also in paper as World Resources: A Guide to the Global Environment at Clapp Docs HC 10 W827 (1986+).
• Water Data [Pacific Institute]

Health

 

United States

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Data and Surveys
• CDC Wonder - Incredibly detailed data sets for deaths caused by injuries, mortality, natality from the Center for Disease Control. Data to the state level. Easy to use. Click on anonymous user.
• National Center for Health Statistics - A good place to start. Note Fastats, an alphabetical list by topic or state leading to brief reports and the links under Tabulated State Data. Survey files can be downloaded into SAS.
• State health facts [Kaiser Family Foundation] - includes medicare coverage; asthma, diabetes, and dental visits; minority health; and women's health. Can be downloaded as raw data files.

International

• Cancer Statistics [International Agency for Research on Cancer] - statistics by country, sex, and type of cancer.
• Demographic and Health Surveys - "information on family planning, maternal and child health, child survival, HIV/AIDS/STIs (sexually transmitted infections), and reproductive health". Choose by country or by dataset. Years covered vary. You must apply for a download account before you can download datasets; however, tables created using StatCompiler can be converted to Excel.
• Health in the Americas [Pan American Health Organization] - view or download detailed country profiles
• HNPStats (Health, Nutrition, and Population) [World Bank] - country data sheets showing summary indicators for health status, health determinants, and health finance.
• WHO Statistical Information System - health and health-related statistical information from the World Health Organization Global Programme on Evidence for Health Policy. Statistics on AIDS, disease, mortality, etc. Links to a variety of sub-databases.
• World Health Statistics Annual 2006, 2005 - print = Docs W.H.O.(1955+ )

Housing

United States

• Census Bureau Housing Topics including historical tables from the 1940 Census of Housing. Tables in text format.
• U.S. Housing Market Conditions - 1994+ . Also in paper at Clapp SuDocs HH 1.120/2: (1993-1999)

Immigration/Migration

 

See also the guide for POL2 383: The Politics of Migration

United States

• Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850-1990 - updates and expands info on the foreign-born population published in 1975 in Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. (Clapp Ref and Clapp Docs HA 202 B87).
• Statistical Yearbook of Immigration. Online - 1996 = 1 zipped file or 13 pdf files ; links to tables in Excel. 1997 and 1998 = 1 pdf file for entire document. 1999- available in sections. With 2002 issue, re-titled to Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. Also in paper at Clapp SuDocs J 21.2/10:[yr] (1978-).
• Immigration Statistics [part of Dept. of Homeland Security, formerly U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service] - Statistics on inspections, removals, and detainees, as well as state estimates of the U.S. illegal alien resident and foreign-born populations.

International

• International Labour Migration Database [ILO] - search by country or table; statistics from 1986+. Statistics may be viewed or printed.
• Refugees [UN High Commission for Refugees] - statistics on refugees and asylum applications

Income/Poverty

United States

• Poverty [U.S. Census Bureau] - definition, thresholds and guidelines, and poverty data. Some as text tables.
• State/County Poverty Levels [U.S. Census Bureau] - Choose a year, state, and statistic.

International

• PovertyNet [World Bank] - data on poverty worldwide.

Labor/Employment

United States

• Bureau of Labor Statistics - covers employment and unemployment, earnings, employment cost index, consumer prices, producer prices, productivity, collective bargaining, and union membership.
• Current labor statistics - from the Monthly Labor Review Online 1989+. Paper copies of Monthly Labor Review are at Clapp Docs HD 8051 A78 1915-.
• The Datazone [Economic Policy Institute] - national, state, and regional data.
• Federal Employment Statistics [U.S. Office of Personnel Management] - data from 1997+. Distributions by pay plan, grade, step, salary, and geographic area; payroll costs and occupations.
• Labor Force Statistics [Census Bureau] - the Census Bureau also reports on those working at home.
• Women's Bureau - within the Labor Department. Data on earnings and women's earnings as a percentage of men's.

International

• A Chartbook of International Labor Comparisons: United States, Europe, and Asia
• U.S. Dept. of Labor Foreign Labor Statistics - developed countries only.
• LABORSTA [International Labour Organisation Bureau of Statistics] - view and extract data.

Religion

United States

• Religious Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000 [Glenmary Research Center] - Clapp Ref BL2525 .R4689 2002. Covers 149 religious bodies, including Muslims. Date reported by region, state, and county. The study is conducted every 10 years at the time of the U.S. Census. A CD-ROM is included with the book. Key findings and well as rankings not available in the book are online.

International

• adherents.com - published membership/adherent statistics and congregation statistics for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc. Search for Religion by Location or Religion by Name. Statistics in table form with sources noted.

Technology

United States

• A Nation Online [U.S. Department of Commerce] - examines the use of computers, the Internet, and other information technology tools by the American people.

International

• Global Information Technology Report [Center for International Development at Harvard and the World Economic Forum]. 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
• International Telecommunication Union - 1997+

Transportation

United States

• TranStats [Bureau of Transportation Statistics] - One-stop source for transportation data.

International

• Annual Bulletin of Transport Statistics for Europe and North America 2005 and 2004. Clapp Docs UN Sales IIE 1995+. Includes roads, rails, inland waterways, maritime, oil pipeline transport, and intermodal transportation. some stats online - look under publications and data.
• North American TransBorder Statistics 1993+ [U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics] - statistics on incoming border crossing/entry data for vehicles, containers, passengers, and pedestrians. Also freight flow data by commodity type and by surface mode of transportation (rail, truck, pipeline, or mail) for U.S. exports to and imports from Canada and Mexico. Look at the corresponding documentation files for how to interpret the data.
  

Women

 

United States

• American Women: Who They Are & How they Live - Clapp Ref HQ 1421 A486 1997 and 2002. Mostly national data covering topics such as attitudes, education, health, income, labor force, living arrangements, population, spending, and wealth.
• Statistical Handbook on Women in America - 2nd ed. Clapp Ref HQ 1420 T34 1996. (1st ed. = 1991) Mostly national data, some retrospective.
• Women's Statistics [U.S. Census Bureau] - The news release links to the tables.

International

• GenderStats [World Bank] - Choose a country or a region, then choose a theme.
• Gender Statistics Database [UN Economic Commission for Europe] - common gender indicators for the ECE region. Data series are presented by country, year, and by social and demographic breakdowns. Choose indicator, country, and year through menu choices. Data goes back to 1980, but is not available yearly.
• Statistical Record of Women Worldwide - 2nd ed. Clapp Ref HQ 1150 S73 1995. Basic data as well as a chapter on attitudes and opinions. There is a multiplicity of data sources, so make sure you know what your data represents and what the source is. Some data by country and state.
• The World's Women, 2000: Trends and Statistics - Clapp Docs U.N. Sales XVII 2000 14. Statistics on population, the family, health, education and communication, work, and politics and human rights. Breakdown by country and by region. Selected tables online 1995, 2004 and 2004 (look at the statistics within chapters).

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