Research Guides: Data From the Government: Home

Sources for Identifying Data & Data Creators

What data is out there? How do you figure out who creates it? The resources below will help you figure out where to start looking for data produced by the government.

ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
The privately published successor to the Statistical Abstract. Includes updated information and additional tables. Links out to public data sources with more depth and information.
Sage Data This link opens in a new window
Search across federal, state, local, international and privately collected statistics on nearly every topic. Can be downloaded for use in excel, statistical software packages or GIS (where there is a geographic component). Good source for time series data.

Data.gov
Includes data and geospatial data available for download and use from the U.S. Government.
USA.gov: Data & Statistics about the U.S.
Here you will find a fairly comprehensive list of departments and agencies that provide statistics and data to the public, along with information about the general nature of that data. Also use the USA.gov search engine to find more statistics and data, including from state and local governments. The USA.gov search engine searches only .gov, ,mil, and ,us domains.

U.S. Census & American Community Survey

Some important sources of Decennial Census and American Community Survey data. See slides to the right for a brief introduction to the differences between Decennial Census and American Community Survey Data. For more information, see the U.S. Census Information guide.

The Decennial Census & the American Community Survey
Not sure if you need Decennial Census Data or American Community Survey Data? These slides offer a brief comparison of the ACS and the Decennial Census, what is included in each, and where to find more information and data.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Includes Census and ACS data from 1790 to present in a user friendly mapping interface. Easiest way to identify census tracts and see change over time. Even if you will be doing your own mapping, this database is a good place to start to identify geographic boundaries and get a feel for the data before creating your own GIS map. It also allows you to easily become familiar with the types of data available through Census and ACS before doing a deep dive.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
PolicyMap is a multi-disciplinary interactive online mapping and visualization tool that provides access to data, including, demographic, spending, housing, quality of life, economy, health and more.

Census Data Site (Official)
Data.Census.gov is the official source for U.S. Census data. It offers a single search box interface for finding Census and ACS data. All new data will be released here. Documentation and how-to information from the Census
Missouri Census Data Center
The Census Data Center does some of its own tabulations, so there is data here not available elsewhere. They also have 1980 and 1990 still available for download, as well as select older data. See especially the ACS profiles & trends for easy downloading of all data for a particular year and geography.
NHGIS
The data behind Social Explorer. Data from this site is available to download as a shapefile and is the best option for historical data to be imported into GIS.
U.S. Census Bureau
Descriptions of programs and surveys, including methodology and data. See "Geography" to download shapefiles of Census geography for use in GIS.

Mapping Data

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Includes Census and ACS data from 1790 to present in a user friendly mapping interface. Easiest way to identify census tracts and see change over time. Even if you will be doing your own mapping, this database is a good place to start to identify geographic boundaries and get a feel for the data before creating your own GIS map. It also allows you to easily become familiar with the types of data available through Census and ACS before doing a deep dive.

Policy Map
Online data and mapping tool for obtaining geographic data from authoritative sources like the Census, BLS, CDC, and dozens of other federal agencies and private data providers. It has thousands of indicators on demographics, the economy, housing, lending, quality of life, education, health, and more. Data is available at the neighborhood census block group in many cases, up to a national level, depending on the data.

International Government Statistics

Intergovernmental Organization Search Engine
This custom Google search includes 100s of IGOs including World Bank, United Nations, Arab Monetary Fund, IMF, Organization of American States, World Trade Organization, European Union, World Tourism Organization and many more
UN Data
This UN data portal brings together data from many UN statistical sources. Search or browse databases. Click on "more" in the search box to find country profiles. In "Country data services" you'll find links to the statistical bodies of country governments.
World DataBank
Access to World Bank datasets from World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, Poverty Inequality Database, Global Economic Monitor, Africa Infrastructure and more. 1960-present (coverage varies by dataset).

Local Data & Statistics

Whatever area of the country (or world) you're interested in there are local entities (governmental, non-governmental and quasi-governmental) that collect and make data available. Search for local governments, community development organizations, regional planning commissions or government organizations, etc. Below are a few resources for data and statistics on the St. Louis Region.

Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS)
Includes a wide variety of Missouri-specific geospatial data for download & use. Includes data from county governments, East-West Gateway, State level agencies and more.
East-West Gateway Council of Governments
Association of St. Louis metro area governments. See especially their data center and list of regional maps.
City of St. Louis Open Data
Directory of data sources and data available for download through St. Louis City.
St. Louis County Open Data
Includes interactive maps, as well as data downloads for St. Louis County.
St. Charles County Geo-Data & Mapping Hub
Geospatial data, maps and applications published by the St. Charles County GIS Services Division.
Illinois Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
Includes data and imagery from Illinois government agencies. Includes historical data.
All Things St. Louis
Site with St. Louis Metro area data related to demographics, health, socio-economic factors, and more. Select which counties on the Missouri or Illinois side of the metro area you'd like to pull data for.
St. Louis Regional Data Exchange
The St. Louis Regional Data Exchange (RDX) is a unified open data portal for the St. Louis Region.

Locating Datasets

Will data analysis be part of your project? Using SPSS, R or another statistical software package? Great! But where will you find your data? Try the sources below, or contact your librarian!

ICPSR This link opens in a new window
Repository of social science data sets for research and instruction. Disciplines represented include political science, sociology, economics, history, education, gerontology, criminal justice, public health, foreign policy, and law. To access all datasets, SLU users will need to create an ICPSR username & password to show institutional affiliation. Select datasets are free to all users.

Dataverse
The Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University - institutional and researcher deposited data.

Cool Government Data Sites

A few examples of the interesting data & mapping sites available from the U.S. Government (and beyond!).

Hurricane Maps from the Bureau of Labor Statitsics
These maps, created BLS using data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, show the potential economic impact of recent hurricanes.
Food Access Research Atlas
Provides census tract level data for the whole country using original food desert measures, as well as updated measures. Data can be downloaded or used through the online mapping tool.
International Energy Portal
This interactive site from the Energy Information Administration includes energy related international time series data, as well as country and region briefs, with in-depth analysis from EIA energy experts.
Bee Informed Partnership's Research Portal
A not-for profit organization originally supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Bee Informed collects data from bee Keepers around the country.
The National Map
Create maps online or download data related to elevation, land cover, hydrography, historical topos and more.

Data From the Government

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