Research Guides: Social Work Research: Data sets

Identifying Data Sets & Sources

ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
2013-present. The Statistical Abstract of the U.S. includes brief statistics on almost every topic. The focus is on the U.S. but some international statistics are included. This is a great source to start with to find which agency or organization has collected more in-depth statistics. Last print edition: Pius Level 1 Reference HA202 .A3 2012....more.
Sage Data This link opens in a new window
Formerly DataPlanet. Search across federal, state, local, and privately collected statistics from banking to Zillow real estate data...more.
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. Allows you to add your own point and/or address data.

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.
Data.gov
Includes data and geospatial data available for download and use from the U.S. Government.

Specific Data Sets

ICPSR (Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research)
Extensive data repository that contains over 500,000 files containing social science data. Also database of citations to works that use ICPSR data.
ICPSR Health and Medical Care Archive
"The Health and Medical Care Archive (HMCA) is the data archive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care in the United States. "
ICPSR National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)
"NACJD facilitates research in criminal justice and criminology through the preservation, enhancement, and sharing of computerized data resources. NACJD also promotes original research based on archived data and provides specialized training workshops in quantitative analysis of crime and justice data."
ICPSR- National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging
ICPSR- National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging
ICPSR Project on Human Development in Chicago (PHDCN)
"PHDCN is an interdisciplinary study of how families, schools, and neighborhoods affect child and adolescent development in urban Chicago neighborhoods. It examined the developmental pathways of both positive and negative human social behaviors, including the causes of juvenile delinquency, adult crime, substance abuse, and violence. "
Assn. of Religion Data Archives
Data sets pertaining to religion - U.S. and International
Food Intake data U.S. collected by USDA
National Data Archive of Child Abuse and Neglect
Most data is free but may take 3-6 weeks to receive. Includes Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and the Child Neglect; Cross Sector Service Path and Outcomes study.
National Center for Education Statistics - Data Tools
Data on colleges and universities, public school districts, public schools and private school. Includes databases of works written using NCES data.

National Center for Health Statistics This link opens in a new window
Principle health statistics source for the U.S. Includes data on health insurance, health care utilization, trends in health status and data on health indicators.

National Survey of American Families
"The National Survey of America's Families provides a comprehensive look at the well-being of children and non-elderly adults, and reveals sometimes striking differences among the 13 states studied in depth. The survey provides quantitative measures of child, adult and family well-being in America, with an emphasis on persons in low-income families." Concudted by the Urban Institute, data available through ICPSR.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES)
NHANES assesses helath and nutrition status of children and adults in the U.S.
Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis ( U of Missouri - Columbia)
Missouri data. Access county level data and special reports.
Panel Study of Income Dynamics
Longitudinal household survey running since 1968. From the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
Simple Online Data Archive for Population Studies
Created and maintained by Penn State. Users who are not affiliated with Penn State may not have access to all data sets.
Dataverse
The Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University - institutional and researcher deposited data.
Census Data Site (Official)
As of July 2019, 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. Search for your city & look for the blue box on the right to see a profile of your city.

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.