Government Documents: Statistical searches

How (and where) to find stastistics and data collected and issued by the government.

Various government agencies collect data and statistics in a variety of areas and issue regular reports about their findings.  Users who are unsure about where to find statistical information about a given topic can start with a general keyword or subject search in a data index or statistical search engine like the following:

• Data.gov: "The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. ... Data.gov includes searchable data catalogsproviding access to data in three ways: through the "raw" data catalog, the tool catalog and the geodata catalog."
• FedStats: A gateway to statistics from over 100 federal agencies.
• Government Statistics: A comprehehsive guide to general and topical statistical sites and search engines.

Statistical compendiums

• Historical Statistics of the United States: The standard source for the quantitative facts of American history. A my.whittier user name and password may be required.
• Statistical Abstract of the United States: First published in 1878, this summary of statistics includes data related to the social-political and economic aspects of the U.S.
• State Abstracts: State abstracts comprises the most recent statistical abstracts for states, including California, published since 1999.

Crime and criminal justice

• Uniform Crime Report: Produced by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Uniform Crime Report comprises annual crime statistics for the U.S. from 1995 to the present.
• Bureau of Justice Statistics: Presents data on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.

Education

• Digest of Education Statistics: The Digest comprises statistical information about American education, from pre-kindergarten through graduate school.
• National Center for Education Statistics: Not unlike the Digest, the National Center for Education Statistics includes statistics and data about all educational levels.

Energy and Agriculture

• Energy Information Administration: The Energy Information Administration is an authoritative and comprehensive source for national and international energy statistics.
• Economic Research Service: Statistics related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural development.
• National Agricultural Statistics Service: Presents statistics covering virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture.

Health and vital events

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Data and statistics categorized by broad topic.  Page also provides links to additional sources of health data.  
• Childstats.gov: Presents statistics on children and families, including: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education, and health.  
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS): Under the aegis of the Center for Disease Control, the NCHS is "the Nation's principal health statistics agency." Via NCHS you can also access VitalStats and the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), both of which compile statistical data from various agencies related to "vital events [such as] births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and fetal deaths."

Labor and economics

• Bureau of Economic Analysis: The Bureau of Economic Analysis includes current and historic data about business and industry, organized by national, international, and regional sources.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): The BLS comprises data about employment, and includes both current and historic statistics.
• Economic Report of the President: The President's Economic Report is a textual summary of the nation's economic progress, but includes extensive appended data.

Population and census data

• Census Bureau: The Census Bureau produces population and business data on the internationa, national, state, local, and international levels.
• Office of Immigration Statistics: Presents data on immigrants by legal status.
• Election Statistics: Official vote counts for federal elections since 1920.