A wealth of United States statistical information is available on several topics. While much of the material is freely available on the internet, several library databases are also important data sources. The following guide will lead you to the most important general and specific sources for national statistics.
General Sources
- Statistical Abstracts of the United States- This is a great starting point for any research involving U.S. statistics. The Statistical Abstract provides tables of statistics for most areas of American business, society, education, family life, employment, and other aspects. Most importantly, tables will always list the sources for their data. Note: The U.S. Census Bureau stopped collecting data for Statistical Abstracts in 2011. To access the most current data, please refer to the organizations cited in the source notes for each table of the Statistical Abstract. The Census Bureau provides an online archive of the annual statistical abstract back to 1878, as well as a very useful compendium, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970.
- U.S. Census Bureau - This is the home page of the major statistical agency of the U.S. Government. It feature an array of tools and approaches to obtaining statistical information.
- Data.Census.Gov - This Census Bureau tool provides easy access to population, housing, economic, and geographic data.
Health
- National Center for Health Statistics- This site is the major gateway to U.S. health statistics.
- FastStats - This site features easy access pages which provide the most commonly requested heath stats on 100+ health topics. Each FastStats page provides links to source information for each statistic as well as providing links to the specific health agency websites responsible for providing more detailed information.
- Health, United States, 2018 - This is the major annual U.S. health statistics publication. It tracks trends in U.S. health and compiles a large array of statistical tables.
Education
Business and Industry
- Business and Economy (U.S. Census Bureau) - This major section of the Census Bureau website includes data from the economic census, monthly and quarterly economic indicators, and variety of other sources and business sectors.
Labor
- Bureau of Labor Statistics - This is the major site for all types of U.S. labor statistics, including: inflation and prices (including U.S. import and export prices), employment and unemployment, pay and benefits, spending and time use, productivity, and workplace injuries.
