Research Subject Guides: Social Science Statistics: Home

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

Related Research Guide

Also check the Social Science Data Guide.

Selected Multidisciplinary Resources

Statista: The Leading Statistics Portal
With information for market, demographics, surveys and rankings.
USA.gov Data and Statistics
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.
MetroBoston DataCommon
Statistical Abstract of the United States
This 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 1970
Part 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 1970
Part 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.
Historical Statistics of the United States (Cambridge University Press)
Guide to Statistical Sources (from Statistical Abstract of the United States)
Eurostat (European Union)
World Bank Open Data
World Health Organization, Data and Statistics
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Founded 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 Index
Measures 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 USA
Data 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.
Calendar Year Patent Statistics
Patenting and TM activity profiles broken down by industry, geography, technology, inventor, organizations, etc. Many tables include deep historical data.

County health Rankings & Roadmaps.

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Citation Resources

The Census Bureau provides links for "citing information found on our website."