Defining our Terms
Statistics: "The practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample."
Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed.)
- Data: "For social science, data is generally numeric files originating from social research methodologies or administrative records, from which statistics are produced."
- ICPSR Glossary of Social Science Terms
Selected Multidisciplinary Resources
- Statista: The Leading Statistics PortalWith information for market, demographics, surveys and rankings.
- Boston Indicators Project (Boston Foundation)Topic areas include: health, energy, housing, the environment, public safety, the economy, transportation, technology, civil vitality, education, and culture and the arts.
- Statistical Abstract of the United StatesThis classic reference has been published since 1878; volumes from 1878 to 2012 are available at this link. In late 2012, publication of Statistical Abstract was transferred to the private sector.
- Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970Part 1. This is a replica of the classic volume published for the U.S. Bicentennial. The introductory text for each section provides valuable information about the history and subsequent development of statistical series and publications.
- Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970Part 2. This is a replica of the classic volume published for the U.S. Bicentennial. The introductory text for each section provides valuable information about the history and subsequent development of statistical series and publications.
- Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiesFounded in 1981 to analyze federal budget priorities, with an emphasis on the impact of various budget choices on low-income Americans.Multimedia and research reports on climate change, social security, health, state budget and tax.
- Social Progress IndexMeasures of national progress--how does the US "measure up" to other countries in the world in terms of meeting basic human needs, wellbeing and opportunity?
- Data USAData visualization for a wide range of public data with emphasis on employment end education across industries and geographies. Rich in demographic info, breaking down by state, county and city.