Alcove 9: An Annotated List of Reference Websites

Statistical Databases and Data Sets

Bureau of Justice Statistics
Links to synopses, downloadable files, and full text of U.S. and international crime statistics.

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Lists of publications and some data tables, many best viewed with a graphical browser. Includes a listing of the most frequently requested data series, the economy at a glance (in table format), information about the Consumer Price Indexes, and the full text of the current Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Census Bureau
Links to information about U.S. Census Bureau publications, some available online with full text. Full-text resources include U.S. and world population clocks and an economic clock with current U.S. economic indicators. The Bureau also maintains the International Data Base, containing statistical tables of world demographic and socio-economic data organized by country; historical census data from 1790 forward; and a list of State Data Center websites, many of which provide free online access to statistics.

Fedstats
An attempt to create "one-stop shopping" for statistics from U.S. government agencies. Researchers can select from an alphabetical list of topics, search by keyword, or browse by agency name. The website is maintained by the Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy.

HIV/AIDS Surveillance Reports
Online version of a statistical publication from the Centers for Disease Control, with statistics broken down by age, race, geographic area, and other categories. Tables can be viewed in ASCII or PDF format.

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
Access to a wide range of datasets in the social sciences. Includes both historical statistics and current research. While access to the data is free, researchers are required to submit an email address to receive codebooks and indicate agreement with ICPSR guidelines regarding responsible use of their data.

National Agricultural Statistics Service
Includes searchable agricultural data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture and a list of reports and publications.

National Center for Education Statistics
Includes access to the full text of educational statistics, and an alphabetical subject index. The Global Education Locator is a collection of online directories of U.S. public and private schools, school districts, universities, and public libraries; each directory allows users to limit their searches by a number of variables (e.g. number of students, location), and entries include basic statistical data.

National Center for Health Statistics
From the Centers for Disease Control, a broad range of U.S. health statistics with a subject index.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book
Full text of the print reference tool, starting with the 1997-1998 edition. The text is in Adobe PDF format, so there is no keyword searching of the full text; users must rely on the index, as they do with the print version.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Full text of the print reference tool, starting with the 1995 edition. The text is in Adobe PDF format, so there is no keyword searching of the full text; users must rely on the index, as they do with the print version.

United States Historical Census Data Browser
Selected demographic and socioeconomic variables from the decennial censuses, searchable by state and county. The search facility limits the number of variables one can use in a single search. Selected data from 1790 to 1960 are available to users.