Library Guides: Journalism and Communication: Statistical Sources

Find Statistics

Need to find statistics? Use the following sources to find statistical data. When working with statistical data be sure to consider:

Where the numbers came from
How the numbers were collected
What date range the statistics cover
Who collected the data

Administration for Community Living
Contains statistical information on the older population (persons over 65 years of age) in the United States.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Contains statistical information on inflation, wages, productivity, occupations, business costs, industrial safety, demographics, statistical and geographic information about labor economics.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Contains statistical information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Contains statistical information on transportation data across every mode of transportation.
Centers for Disease Control - FastStats
Provides quick access to statistics on topics of public health importance and is organized alphabetically. Links are provided to publications that include the statistics presented, to sources of more data, and to related web pages.
ChildStats.gov
Contains statistical information detailing the wellbeing of children in the United States.
FBI Reports and Publications
Contains links to Uniform Crime Report statistics and reports on hate crimes, financial crime, gangs, terrorism, and law enforcement technology.

Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Contains statistical information on every quantifiable dimension of American history, including population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, governance, and international relations from colonial times to the present.
U.S. statistics on topics as diverse as economics and trade, history, climate, demographics, education, government, finance, law natural resources, business, religion, migration and sociology will find data organized and contextualized by experts in the field.

National Center for Education Statistics
Contains statistical information on all levels of U.S. education - early childhood, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary.
National Center for Health Statistics
Contains Statistical information on related health information, including aging, births, deaths, disease, and health care.
Statistical Abstract
Authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. For 2011+, consult the ProQuest Statistical Abstract (FM-2-DOC- R 317.3 U58sa).

U.S. Census Data This link opens in a new window
Provides access to US Census data about the United States, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas.
Note: American FactFinder decommissioned in 2020.

Vital Statistics of the United States
Contains statistical information on births, mortality, marriage, and divorce from 1937 to the present.
World Bank Data Catalog
The World Bank's Open Data initiative is intended to provide all users with access to World Bank data. The data catalog is a listing of available World Bank datasets, including databases, pre-formatted tables and reports.

Statistical Databases

Sage Data This link opens in a new window
(Formally known as Data Planet)
Search and browse through 35 billion data points in over 4.9 billion datasets sourced from over 75 public and private sources covering sixteen subject areas, focused on social sciences.
ICPSR This link opens in a new window
ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research) is the world's largest archive of computer-readable social science data. As a member institution, Lehigh faculty and students have direct and free access to download data. The data resources include but are not limited to surveys of values, attitudes, health, race and religion, political exit polls and voting behavior, data on crime, and consumer income.
As a member institution, Lehigh faculty and students have direct and free access to download data. The data resources include but are not limited to surveys of values, attitudes, health, race and religion, political exit polls and voting behavior, data on crime, and consumer income.
Roper iPoll This link opens in a new window
The largest collection of public opinion poll data with results from 1935 to the present, containing poll questions and answers, datasets, and survey questionnaires from academic, commercial, and media survey organizations from both U.S. and international polling firms.
To access without logging in to iPoll, use http://login.ezproxy.lib.lehigh.edu/login?qurl=https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/ipoll/
OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
Produced by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,OECD iLibary is a database which provides full-text online for all OECD monographs and reports, twenty-four periodicals, a reference title and the OECD statistical databases. Some of the many statistical databases available include Main Economic Indicators and National Accounts Statistics.
Statista This link opens in a new window
With Statista, you can access the most recent and relevant statistics and studies on a specific topic by simply entering a keyword. Statista aggregates statistical data on over 600 international industries from more than 18,000 sources, including market researchers, trade organizations, scientific journals, and government databases.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Easy access to demographic information about the U.S. Create custom maps and reports. Covers 1790 to present.
UNData This link opens in a new window
Find international statistics collected by the United Nations and related organizations.

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