Data Stories
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America's Essential Data"...a collaborative effort dedicated to documenting the value that data produced by the federal government provides for American lives and livelihoods. This effort supports federal agency implementation of the bipartisan Evidence Act of 2018, which requires that agencies prioritize data that deeply impact the public."
Federal Data Search Tools
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Data.govSearch the catalog of data sets produced by federal agencies and made freely available to the public in accord with the 2013 Federal Open Data Policy.
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data.census.govData.census.gov is the new platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau and has been designed to simplify access to the Bureau’s many data products. This chart shows data available. The 2020 Census data will be released on this site.
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Census Survey ExplorerFor help determining which of the 120 surveys conducted by the Census Bureau each year has data relevant to your research, search by keyword, then use filters for geography, frequency, topic, and subtopic to aid discovery of relevant surveys. An Instructional Video is provided.
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Latino Data HubThe Latino Policy & Politics Institute at UCLA uses the most recent data from the Census Bureau to provide information about ten critical issue areas faced by Latinos. The Latino Data Hub is available in both English and Spanish.
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Microdata Access (MDAT) - Census BureauBETA version of tool to replace DataFerret (decommissioned June 2020), is a data analysis and extraction tool that allows you to create custom tables that are not available in the pre-made tables on data.census.gov What is Microdata Access?
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UChicago Data MirrorCurrently [as of May 28, 2025], the full Census Bureau's TIGER/ Line Files and Shapefiles as well as the entirety of the historic and contemporary geographic data from the National Park Service are available, totaling 7 terabytes of data. Check back often, as datasets are continually updated.
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ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new windowProQuest Statistical Insight provides fast and easy access to statistical information produced by U.S. Federal agencies, States, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations. PQSI brings together a massive collection of statistical data in a single easy-to-use search interface, with additional features such as descriptive abstracts, detailed indexing, full-text PDFs of source documents, tables, and downloadable spreadsheets containing table data.
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ICPSR Data Archive This link opens in a new windowAll users can search; only NU-affiliated users can download data hosted by this social science data archive which includes data from selected federal agencies including:
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ Multiple Chronic Conditions Research Network Data Archive)
- Census Bureau (public use micro-data samples from the censuses of 2000, 1990, 1980, 1970, 1960, 1950, 1940, and some earlier censuses)
- Census Bureau's TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) database.
- National Institute on Aging (National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging)
- Bureau of Justice Statistics (National Archive of Criminal Justice Statistics)
- Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families (OPRE), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Child Care & Early Education Research Connections)
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ Multiple Chronic Conditions Research Network Data Archive)
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U.S. Congress - Bulk Data DownloadPublic domain data collectors for the work of Congress, including legislation, amendments, and votes.
Restricted Federal Agency Data
Several federal agencies provide access by application to restricted data, typically restricted due to the inclusion of personally identifiable information (PII). Learn more about what, where, and how to access restricted data using the resources linked below.
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ResearchDataGovApplication Portal for Restricted Data for Federal Statistics. Use to discover and request restricted microdata from federal statistical agencies.
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Linkage Librarya community and repository for researchers involved in combining datasets, facilitating comparison of different algorithms, and promoting transparency and replicability of research. We invite computer scientists, statisticians, and social, behavioral, economic, and health scientists to deposit code and/or data, and to join the conversation.
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Federal Restricted Data Center (FRDC) - ChicagoThe Chicago area FRDC provides data access after your application is approved. Northwestern is one of the institutions which partners on these services/resources.
Statistical Agencies & Portals
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Bureau of Economic AnalysisFind information on such issues as economic growth, regional economic development, inter-industry relationships, and the nation's position in the world economy.
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Bureau of Justice StatisticsPresents data on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.
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Bureau of Transportation StatisticsPresents data on all modes of transportation.
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Census BureauExtensive collection of statistical reports and data about U.S. people and economics.
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Centers for Disease Control and PreventionUse the search box to locate data and statistics categorized by broad topic.
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Childstats.govPresents statistics on children and families, including: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.
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Congressional Budget OfficeThe CBO provides the Congress with analyses to aid in economic and budgetary process. Reports may be searched or browsed by subject.
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Data.govAllows users to locate, download and utilize datasets generated by Executive Branch agencies.
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DataFerrettDataFerrett was a data analysis and extraction tool that was decommissioned in June 2020. See it's replacement now available in Beta release https://data.census.gov/mdat/.
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Defense Management Data Centerstatistical information and published reports on subjects such as U.S. military casualties (DCAS), aggregated roster immunization reports (ICRS), and military training and readiness reports (START).
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Economic Research ServiceThe Economic Research Service (in the US Dept of Agriculture) produces economic accounts statistics and analysis about agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America.
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Election StatisticsOfficial vote counts for federal elections since 1920.
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Energy Information AdministrationData products covering energy production, stocks, demand, imports, exports and prices.
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ForeignAssistance.govPresents data about the U.S. government's foreign assistance funding. Data is viewable by country, sector, or year and can also be queried for user-generated tables.
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National Agricultural Statistics ServicePresents statistics covering virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture.
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National Center for Education StatisticsPresents statistics and reports related to education, literacy and libraries.
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National Center for Health StatisticsPresents statistics and reports on diseases and conditions; injuries; births and deaths; insurance; medical facilities; and more.
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Office of Homeland Security Statistics: ImmigrationPresents data on immigrants by legal status.
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Prices & Wages by DecadeThis guide points to government publications listing retail prices for common items or "necessities of life" as well as typical wages, salaries, hours and earnings for workers dating back to the 1700s. Government Information resources are pointed to exclusively.
Major Publications
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Agricultural Statistics AnnualOffers statistics on agricultural production, supplies, consumption, facilities, costs, and returns.
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Annual Energy ReviewIncludes data on total energy production, consumption, and trade; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, as well as financial and environmental indicators.
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Budget of the United States GovernmentContains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year.
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Business Statistics of the United States(Print) A comprehensive collection of data that reflects the nation’s economic performance. It provides annual data in regional, demographic and industrial detail for key indicators such as: gross domestic product; personal income; spending; saving; employment and unemployment; the capital stock
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Condition of EducationPresents statistical indicators containing text, figures, and tables describing important developments in the status and trends of education from early childhood learning through graduate-level education.
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Digest of Education StatisticsContains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, libraries, and international education.
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Economic Report of the PresidentAnnual report that overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices.
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Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics(Print only.) A comprehensive reference providing data on a variety of topics including: employment and unemployment; earnings; prices; productivity; consumer expenditures; employment projections by industry and occupation; occupational safety and health; union membership; international labor comparisons.
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Health, United StatesAn annual report on trends in health statistics. Website archives issues back to 1975.
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Monthly Labor ReviewPresents research in a wide variety of fields—the labor force, the economy, employment, inflation, productivity, occupational injuries and illnesses, wages, prices, and many more.
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National Transportation StatisticsPresents statistics on the U.S. transportation system, including its physical components, safety record, economic performance, the human and natural environment, and national security.
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Sourcebook of Criminal Justice StatisticsDatabase of statistical information. Browse by broad interest (criminal justice characteristics, public opinion, crime victims, arrests & seizures, courts/prosecution/sentencing. and parole/jails/prisons/death penalty) or from an A-Z topic list.
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Survey of Current BusinessPresents the latest national, international, regional, and industry estimates. Each issue includes numerous tables and charts of various economic estimates.
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Treasury BulletinPresents data and narrative related to Treasury issues, federal financial operations, international statistics, liabilities, and financial commitments of the U.S. government.
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Crime Data Explorer (CDE)Effective 11/6/2020 the the FBI's Crime Data Explorer (CDE) will replace The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data tool.
The CDE is an interactive tool that presents charts and graphs that break down data in a variety of ways. -
Uniform Crime ReportsProvides access to FBI statistical publications, including Crime in the United States and Hate Crime Statistics, 1995-present. Replaced 11/6/2020 by the Crime Data Reporter.
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World FactbookProvides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
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Yearbook of Immigration StatisticsProvides annual data on foreign nationals who were granted lawful permanent residence, were admitted into the United States on a temporary basis, applied for asylum or refugee status, or were naturalized. The Yearbook also presents data on immigration enforcement actions, including alien apprehensions, removals, and returns.
Additional Sources
The commercial products below were not published by the federal government, but have compiled federal data and statistics in a way that provides "one stop shopping" - allowing you to simultaneously search across multiple sources of statistical information.
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Datapedia of the United States(Print only.) Presents the best available data on several hundred indicators of social, economic, political, and cultural developments within the nation. 3rd edition, 1790-2005.
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Federal Employee Salary SearchThe data contained in the federal employee salary database are compiled from public records released by the Office of Personnel Management and other agencies. FedsDataCenter.com therefore does not guarantee the accuracy or currency of the data. Any questions about specific information should be addressed directly to the agency that has provided the data.
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Global Financial DatabaseProvides some 6500 historical and current financial and economic data series from over 180 countries. Many series reach back with deep data runs to prior centuries. Easy graphing and downloading is available on the system.
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Historical Statistics of the United StatesComprehensive survey and tabulation of historical statistics from government agencies and other sources, covering all aspects of US population and economy. View tables or download as Excel files. Also available in print edition to all users.
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ICPSR Data ArchiveWorld's largest archive of social science data. Election data, opinion polls, more. Special collections on Health, Education, Aging, Crime, Substance Abuse. Raw data; no tables.
NU affiliated users can create an account and download data sets and codebooks.Social Explorer1790- . This site combines data from the U.S. Census of Population and Housing & the American Community Survey (ACS) with a user friendly interface allowing the creation of maps & statistical tables. Census Tract boundaries are available back to 1940.
Guide to Sources of Statistics
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Statistical Abstract of the United States, Appendix IThe Statistical Abstract, published annually by the Census Bureau since 1878, has fallen victim to budget cuts; the 2012 edition is the last freely-available edition. Appendix I provides a listing of sources consulted in compiling the Abstract; these resources may be used independently to find relevant statistics.
NUL will continue to receive print copies of the Statistical Abstract, which is now being published by a commercial publisher. We also subscribe to the electronic edition of the Statistical Abstract as part of ProQuest Statistical Insight database.
Related LibGuides
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Census Research GuideUseful for finding demographic statistics and data.
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Social Science Data ResourcesSources of large data sets, arranged by subject, most of which require use of statistical analysis software.
Sage Campus: Data & Statistics
Sage Campus supports the teaching and learning of skills and research methods through 280+ hours of structured online learning. The online courses are self-paced and instructor-led, comprising an engaging mix of Sage-quality content, video, interactives, and formative assessments.
NOTE: Initial access requires registration with Northwestern email address. Short video reviewing the Registration process. Registered user can access from anywhere at: https://classroom.sagepub.com
The following courses are all at the Beginner learner level unless noted otherwise. Estimated time to complete each course is listed below however, feel free to use just those modules within a course that you find useful.
Gather Your Data Online | 4 hours
- Module One: What Types of Data Collection Can I Conduct Online?
- Module Two: How do I Choose the Online Data Collection That Fits My Research?
- Module Three: How Can I Find and Get Permission to Use Data That Exists Online?
- Module Four: How Can I Find and Gain Consent From Participants Online?
- Module Five: How Can I Interact With Participants Online?
- Module Six: How Do I Prepare to Start My Online Research?
Cleaning Messy Data | 3 hours
- Module One: Help! My Data Are Messy
- Module Two: Why Clean Messy Data?
- Module Three: How Can I Clean My Messy Data?
Know Your Numbers | 5 hours
- Module One: Fluency With Numbers Makes Tasks Easier
- Module Two: Making Sense of Fractions
- Module Three: Seven Rules for Handling Fractions
- Module Four: Making Sense of Tables
- Module Five: Using Rows and Columns to Make Comparisons
- Module Six: Rounding Numbers
- Module Seven: Percentages and Ratios Help Make Clear Comparisons
See Numbers in Data | 5 hours
- Module One: Why Is Most Data Numerical?
- Module Two: What Is the Average, Level, or Central Tendency of Data?
- Module Three: What Is the Spread or Dispersion of Data?
- Module Four: How Do I Understand the Data in Pie Charts, Bar Charts, and Histograms?
- Module Five: How Do I Understand the Data in Box Plots, Line Graphs, and Scatterplots?
- Module Six: How Do I Understand the Data in a Graph?
- Module Seven: How Can I Use and Interpret Numbers in Data Well?
Statistical Significance | 4 hours
- Module One: What Is Statistical Significance?
- Module Two: Variables and Their Distributions
- Module Three: How Does a Random Sample Work?
- Module Four: What Is a Standard Error?
- Module Five: How Do I Calculate Confidence Intervals With Standard Errors?
- Module Six: Testing a Null Hypothesis
- Module Seven: What Does a Significant P-Value Actually Mean?
Unlocking Statistics: From Hypothesis to Outcome | 6 hours
- Module One: Variables
- Module Two: Values and Summaries of Variables
- Module Three: Relationships Between Variables
- Module Four: Sampling
- Module Five: Inference and the Null Hypothesis
- Module Six: Doing Tests and Reporting Results
Research Design in Social Science Data Science | 6 hours
- Module One: What Is Social Data Science?
- Module Two: How to Determine the Design Elements and Data Sources of a Research Project?
- Module Three: What Methods Can We Use in Social Data Science?
- Module Four: What Can be Learned From Your Research?
- Module Five: What Is Ethical Social Data Science?
Introduction to Data Visualization | 12 Hours
- Module One: Introduction and Formulating your Design Brief
- Module Two: Working with Data and Establishing your Editorial Thinking
- Module Three: Data Representation and Interactivity
- Module Four: Annotation, Colour and Composition
Interactive Visualization with R | 40 hours (Advanced!)
- Module One: Toolkit
- Module Two: Getting Ready
- Module Three: Interactive Charts and Maps
- Module Four: Shiny Basics and RMarkdown
Introduction to R | 20 hours
- Module One: What is R and Why Use It?
- Module Two: The R Language Simplified
- Module Three: Everyday Data Management
- Module Four: Descriptive Statistics and Graphs
- Module Five: Summated Scales in R
- Module Six: Ordinary Least Squares Regression
- Big Data and R in brief
Practical Data Management with R | 30 hours (Intermediate)