What's on this Page
This page includes links to sites and other resources that publish statistical information relating to Politics & Government. There is also information on how to locate data and statistics from published sources.
Political and Government Statistical Sources
- data.census.govSearch U.S. Census data covering population, housing, industry, and business. Create visual geographical maps based on data retrieved.
- Historical Statistics of the United StatesSearch for statistics from over 1000 sources covering topics such as health, crime, slavery, American Indians, economic sectors, and poverty. Also available in print: Floor 2 Reference Desk, C 3.134/2:H 62x/.
- iPoll (Roper)Statistics and data gathered from multiple surveys administered by organizations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Data includes opinions and behavior on social issues, politics, pop culture, and international affairs. To download datasets, create a personal account.
- OECD iLibraryCompilation of information and data about finance, investment, insurance, industry and services, taxation, and trade; includes articles, summaries, working papers, e-books, book chapters, tables, graphs, and datasets.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States (ProQuest)Online version of the print source and includes statistics and data gathered from multiple government agencies and represents social, political, and economic life in United States. Data is viewable in table format or as an Excel spreadsheet.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics - HomeThe missions of the BJS is to "collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government. These data are critical to federal, state, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is both efficient and evenhanded." Relevant data available throughout the site.
- Data.gov"The home of the U.S. Government’s open data. Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more."
- National Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.
- Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the U.S. economy to support public and private decision making.
- Bureau of Economic AnalysisNational, international, regional and industry economic databases.
- National Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." NSF is vital because we support basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
- Social Security: Statistics & Data FilesThe Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics is the agency's source for statistics on the OASDI and SSI programs and the earnings of the working and beneficiary populations. We provide all the statistics and data on this website except for National Beneficiary Survey: Disability Statistics and DI & SSI Program Participants: Characteristics & Employment, which are provided by the Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment Support.
- OSHA: DataOSHA is part of the United States Department of Labor. The administrator for OSHA is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. OSHA's administrator answers to the Secretary of Labor, who is a member of the cabinet of the President of the United States.
- CDC Health StatisticsCDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.
- IRS Tax StatisticsHere you will find a wide range of tables, articles, and data that describe and measure elements of the U.S. tax system.
- Homeland Security: Immigration Data and StatisticsSince the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Office of Immigration Statistics has responsibility to carry out two statutory requirements: 1) to collect and disseminate to Congress and the public data and information useful in evaluating the social, economic, environmental, and demographic impact of immigration laws; and 2) to establish standards of reliability and validity for immigration statistics collected by the Department’s operational Components.
- Federal Reserve Board: Economic ResearchThe Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. It performs five general functions to promote the effective operation of the U.S. economy and, more generally, the public interest.
- Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
- Economic Report of the PresidentThe Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Statistics in Published Research
Introduction:
Some research projects will ask that you find a published research article with data that you can access and analyze to come up with your own conclusions. This can be complicated for students who cannot find an article with publicly available data. Below are some tips for where to look for when identifying a useful article:
Methods Section:
The best place to look for the availability of data is in the methods section of an article. Authors should spell out precisely how they collected their information in this section. Reading through the Methods section should give you an idea of where they got their data, and if it is from an available source.
Chart/Table Figures:
Another potentially useful place to look when identifying data is directly in the charts or tables presented within the article. If the data presented in the figure is using data not collected by the authors, there will most likely be an attribution in the notes for that figure. This is not always the case, but no note implies the researchers collected their own data and are not making it publicly available.
Example 1: Publicly Available Data
As stated in the earlier tab, the first place to look is the Methods section of an article. There should be a paragraph that outlines how the data was collected for the research. if the authors used data collected by another party, the specific resource will be listed. As in the example below, some authors will use data collected by the government, or another publicly accessible source (see box above for more examples). If the source appears to be publicly accessible, copy the source's name and search for it. This should help lead you to the raw data.
In the example article below (Vogel & Porter), the data is coming from the census and a Bureau of Justice Statistics report called, Prisoners in 2010. Both provide openly accessible data on their websites. Just search for the information you need in the open web. I entered "BJS 'prisoners in 2010'" into Google. The first result to come up is a PDF of the cited report. Finding the census data may take a bit more digging, but it is also available.
Example 2: Inaccessible Sources:
In many articles, researchers will have collected data using sources that are not publicly available. There are two general reasons why the data is not accessible:
- The researchers identified a specific population and reached out to them to collect new data on that population just for the purposes of answering their unique research questions. This data is not accessible because the researchers are keeping it private. This is typically to protect the privacy of their research population.
- The researchers have identified data that already exists but is not publicly available. These researchers have received permission from the data owners to use it for their specific publication. The reason the information is not publicly accessible typically comes down to the privacy rights of the population or the proprietary nature of the information.
In the example below (Sharpe & Litzelfelner), it states that the authors collected juvenile offender data from "a county in the Midwest." In order to protect the privacy of these juveniles, the authors do not provide enough information about the population to identify where it comes from. Even if the author could identify the county being used, this information would not be available without permission.
Example 3: Chart/Table Notes:
Another place to look for citation information for data sources is within the figures presented in the article. This can be useful because these figures can present the specific tables or portions of a report being used.
In the example below (Sawyer & Wagner), the chart illustrates the reasons why inmates are re-incarcerated after being released from prison. There is a citation in the figure notes that identifies the source of the chart. The authors used a Bureau of Justice Statistics report, Probation and Parole in the U.S. 2016, to create this chart. Specifically, it lists that the data comes from tables 3 and 7 from this report. Searching for this report returns a PDF with all the attached tables.
