Library Guides: Political Science: U.S. Statistics and Data

Core Databases and Websites

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.

Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Extensive source of historical quantitative data about the U.S. in downloadable and customizable form.
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.
OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
Full text of OECD Books, Papers and Statistics and the gateway to OECD’s analysis and data. 1998 to present.
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.

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.

U.S. Data and Statistics
Provides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government with convenient searching and linking capabilities to more than 100 agencies that provide data and trend information.

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.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Data on over 600 international industries from more than 18,000 sources. Includes market researcher, trade organizations, scientific journals, and government databases.

Datasets for the Social Sciences
Lehigh Library Guide on datasets for various disciplines and topics.
List of Public Dataset Portals
This guide created by the Univ. of Missouri offers suggestions for where to locate datasets shared by research organizations.