Subject Librarian: Suzanne Bell
Location: Rush Rhees Library
Email: sbell@library.rochester.edu
Phone: 585.275.9317
Subject Librarian: Vicki Burns
Location: Rush Rhees Library
Email: vburns@library.rochester.edu
Phone: 585.275.9345

A Guide to Major Sources on the Web and in Rush Rhees Library
Comprehensive Statistical Sources tab
  • NationMaster.com

    • A comprehensive, quick-first-place-to-check for current statistics in a wide range of topics, for all the countries of the world. Provides the source of the statistics, mapping and graphing tools. Easy drop-down menus interface.

  • Statistical Resources on the Web
    Produced by the University of Michigan Documents Center, covers many subjects.

  • Statistical Resources on the Web - Comprehensive Economics
    This site, the economics section of the site above, gathers economic statistics and data from many sources, both government and non-governmental. Comprehensive.

  • Statistical Universe
    Produced by LexisNexis, this database provides access to statistics from the U.S. federal government, major international organizations, professional and trade organizations, state government agencies, and universities.
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Sources for U.S. Statistics tab
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics
    Provides access to the reports developed at the Bureau, includes satistcs on the economy, wages and benefits, emplyment, occupations, and productivity. Two widely used measures from the BLS:

  • Historical Statistics Online Millennial Edition
    Delivers statistics from over a 1000 sources covering many topics in the history of the United States. Includes over 37,000 data series, many of which you can use to create custom tables. Also available in hard copy at the Rush Rhees Reference desk.

  • Census Bureau
    Visit this site for the most complete reports from the Census Bureau. You will find the latest population figures, economic data, e-economy statistics, foreign trade, etc.

  • FedStats
    A gateway for statistics from over 100 federal agencies. Access by topic and geography. The "Reference Shelf" includes the full-text for Statistical Abstract of the United States and other major statistical compendia.

  • Statistical Abstract of the United States (1995-current)
    An excellent "first place to look." A compendium of government and non-government statistics, primarily on state and national levels.

  • Stat-USA
    From the U.S. Department of Commerce this site is billed as "one-stop internet browsing for business, trade, and economic information."
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State and City Statistics tab
  • City-Data.com
    Compiled from a number of sources, this site provides statistics about "residents (race, income, ancestries, education, employment...), geographical data, crime data, weather, hospitals, schools, libraries, airports, radio and TV stations, zip codes, area codes, user-submitted facts, similar cities list, comparisons to averages... " Interesting and useful for general research.

  • County and City Databooks (1944-2000)
    Access electronic editions for County and City Data Books; allows you to create custom printouts and/or customized data subsets.


  • State & County QuickFacts
    From the Census Bureau, provides easy access by choosing a state or clicking on map for statistics about people, business, and geography.


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New York State and Monroe County Statistics tab
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Crime, Education, and Health Statistics tab
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics
    Statistics about crime, criminals, and the justice system. Also offers datasets (see under U.S. Data, below).


  • College and University Campus Crime Statistics
    Direct link to reports from the U.S. Department of Education and the FBI.

  • Almanac of Higher Education, 2007-8 (from the Chronicle of Higher Education)

    • Current state by state figures including basic demographics, numbers of colleges and universities, faculty, students, salaries, as well as institutions censured by the AAUP or under sanction by the NCAA.

  • College and University Rankings
    • College Rankings: U.S. News and World Report
      The online version of the magazine's latest rankings. Ask at Rush Rhees and Carlson reference desk for access to full report.
    • Guide to Rankings from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
      An excellent compilation of many ranking agencies and articles. Includes an essay "Rankings: Caution and Controversy."

  • Kids Count
    From the Annie E. Casey Foundation; site presents reports from the foundation as well as links to other reports on the current health and welfare of children in the United States. Provides system for creating state-to-state comparisons on many factors affecting the well-being of children.


  • National Center for Education Statistics
    Check here first if you are looking for educational statistics - this is the "mother lode."


  • National Center for Health Statistics
    Serves as a gateway to health statistics collected by the federal government. Includes recent reports, vital statistics, and reports for each state.
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Non-U.S. Statistics tab
  • International Labor Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.


  • International Statistical Agencies
    Compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a quick list of links to official statistical agencies for countries and international agencies, arranged alphabetically. Goes directly to the English version of the statistical sites.


  • OECD Statistics
    A primary statistical source from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; provides economic indicator figures and other statistics on OECD countries.


  • United Nations Statistics Division
    Connects to a wide array of economic, demographic, social, and environmental international statistics. Some reports are available by subscription only.


  • World Bank Data and Research
    An excellent site for development, environmental, and social data for third-world countries.
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Statistical Reference Books tab
Many reference books present extensive statistics on various subjects and populations. The representative examples listed below are available in the Rhees Reference Collection. Please ask at the Rhees Reference desk for assistance in finding the latest and best statistical source for you.
  • CQ's State Fact Finder: Rankings Across America
    Provides available statistical information on population, economics, government, taxes, education, health, welfare, and more. Compiled by Congressional Quarterly. Rhees Reference Compendia HA214.V36


  • County and City Extra: Annual Metro, City, and County Data Book
    Provides statistical information available for every state, county, metro-area, congressional district, and cities with a population of 25,000 or more. Rhees Reference Compendia HA 203.C68. 2000.


  • Historical Statistics of the United States Millennial Edition.
    The five-volume hardcopy version of the database described above. At times it is easier to scan through a book than search a database. Once you find the right table you can easily download from the database. Rhees Reference Locked Case HA 202.HS7 2006 5 V.


  • New York State Statistical Yearbook
    Provides statistical information available on demographic, economic, elections, government finances and employment, banking, housing, education, criminal justice, energy, and more. Rhees Reference Compendia HA 544.A15n 2005


  • Places, Towns, and Townships
    Provides statistical information available for cities, villages, census designated places (CDPs), and Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) in 12 states. Rhees Reference Compendia HA 203.P58.


  • Statistical Abstract of the United States 2006
    As described above, a useful place to begin when looking for a statistics. Rhees Reference Locked Case HA 202.Als V.125 2006


  • Statistical Record of Black America
    Consolidates in one volume a complete statistical picture of the African American population. Rhees Reference Compendia E 185.5 .S7 3rd ed.


  • Statistical Record of Hispanic Americans
    Presents a comprehensive statistical profile of Hispanic Americans. Rhees Reference Compendia E 185.5 .S7 2nd. Ed.
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Statistical Indexes (hardcopy) tab
  • American Statistics Index (1974- ) (ASI)
    A print index to all statistical material published by the U.S. government that provides an excellent way to locate specific statistics. Each index volume is paired with a book of abstracts; full-text is available in accompanying microfiche reports. Much of the recent material may be accessed online in LexisNexis Statistical Universe. Business Government Information Library (Rhees 2nd Floor) BGIL HA 195.A4


  • Index to International Statistics 1983- (IIS)
    Paper index, with accompanying microfiche reports, of statistics published by international intergovernmental organizations (United Nations, European Union, International Monetary Fund, etc.) Business Government Information Library (Rhees 2nd floor) BGIL HA 155.I5


  • Statistical Reference Index 1980- (SRI)
    Paper index, with accompanying microfiche reports, of statistics published by trade and professional associations, trade periodicals, and state agencies. Business Government Information Library (Rhees 2nd Floor) BGIL HA 1.S75
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Comprehensive Data Sources tab
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U.S. Data - Economic & Social tab
  • Bureau of Economic Analysis
    National (GDP and related data), International (BOP and related data), and Regional data.


  • Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Homepage
    Current and historical data on employment, consumer and producer price indexes, wages, benefits, productivity, etc.


  • County Business Patterns
    Provides county, state, and national level business data on number of establishments, payroll, number of employees, and number of establishments by size. Historical data back to 1993.


  • Current Population Survey (CPS)
    Data from a monthly servey of about 50,000 households; focus is on labor force characteristics with some demographic data. Some deeper backfiles and programs for formatting the data are available from the National Bureau for Economic Research. An excellent interface to CPS data is provided by IPUMS (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series) at: http://cps.ipums.org/cps/


  • Demographics USA: County Edition.
    An excellent source of demographic data, provided at a useful mid-level of detail, and only available in print. Located in Business and Gov't Information Library, BGIL HC110 .C6 S94


  • Economic Policy Institute's Datazone
    National, state, and regional data on employment and earnings, including time series data documenting historical labor market trends.


  • EconoMagic: The Economic Time Series Page
    Over 100,000 sets of time series data. The ultimate resource for the "I just need some data" situation.


  • Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
    A vast resource for monetary time series data (e.g., banking, CPI, GDP, exchange rates, interest rates, etc.). FRED is part of the Liber8 economic information portal (other data sets include GeoFRED, ALFRED, FRASER, CASSIDI).


  • Integrated Public Use Microdata Series - IPUMS
    from the Minnesota Population Research Institute. An advanced interface allows you to subset and format a dataset for downloading. IPUMS also offers online analysis for Current Population Survey (CPS) data.


  • NBER Economic Data Links
    Datasets available for download from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Topics include macro, industry, international trade, individual, and other topics such as patents, school districts, segregation, and child health.


  • Record of American Democracy, 1984-1990 (ROAD)
    Named "Best Political Science Research Website" by the American Political Science Association (CMS) in 1999, the ROAD project allows you to download the entire dataset, or a custom subset that you create online. Codebooks are also downloadable.
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U.S. Data - Religion, Health, Crime tab
  • Association of Religion Data Archives
    Data files from studies on American and international religion; some analysis can be done interactively or datasets can be downloaded; ~350 are freely available. Codebooks are downloadable.


  • Health and Retirement Study (HRS)
    A longitudinal study of aging and retirement, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Access is free, but you must register to download the public use data files.


  • Uniform Crime Reports County Data
    From the Geospatial and Statistical Data Center at the U. of Virginia; an interactive interface to county level data compiled originally by the United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation. Includes downloadable codebooks.
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U.S. Data at the City Level tab
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Sources for Non-U.S. Data tab
A good general starting point that provides links to many sources of data is the:
International Relations Data Site, from the Political Science Dept. at Florida State University.
Additional sources: Return to Top