Sociology Resources: Statistical Resources

Statistics are an important feature of many research projects and can span a number of disciplines.  The U.S. government provides a wide range of statistical information through its many departments, as do many independent organizations.  The following links highlight just a few of these useful statistical sites.

The public computer labs at WPUNJ provide installed software you can use for statistical analysis. The available software includes programs like SAS, IBM SPSS Statistics, and the Data Analysis ToolPak in Microsoft Excel. In addition to these, there are a number of free statistical software packages available that you can use on your own personal computer. The links below provide directories of such software.

• American FactFinder
  American FactFinder is a user-friendly portal to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, including the Decennial Census, the American Community Survey, the American Housing Survey, Annual Economic Surveys, the Annual Surveys of Governments, the Census of Governments, the Economnic Census, the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Tabulation, the Population Estimates Program, and the Puerto Rico Community Survey. Most data is easily downloadable in comma delimited or Excel formats.

• Changing America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being by Race and Hispanic Origin
  Chart book prepared in 1998 by by the Council of Economic Advisers for the President's Initiative on Race documents current differences in well-being by race and Hispanic origin and describes how such differences have evolved over the past several decades. The book is designed to educate Americans about the facts surrounding the issue of race in America. The online version's text and full-color charts are presented in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) format.

• Data on the Net
  This site, based at the University of California, San Diego, lists over 850 Internet sites of numeric Social Science statistical data, data catalogs, data libraries, social science gateways, addresses and more.

• Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (AgingStats.gov) and Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (ChildStats.gov)
  Two important government sites that provide easy access to federal and state statistics and reports on older Americans and on children and their families. A wide variety of social indicators are reported here.

• General Social Survey (GSS) Data and Documentation Sources on the Internet
  The General Social Survey (GSS), conducted 20 times since 1972 by NORC, a national organization for research at the University of Chicago, contains a standard ‘core’ of demographic and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. The GSS is the largest project funded by the Sociology Program of the National Science Foundation and, except for U.S. the Census, the most frequently analyzed source of information in the social sciences. This page contains links to GSS data sets, code books, and related information helpful for making use of GSS data.

• Human Development Report (United Nations Development Programme)
  Produced since 1990, the Human Development Report uses specially designed composite indices to describe human development in the countries of the world. The complete text of the 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 reports (along with summary information for earlier reports) is available here.

• National Center for Health Statistics (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention)
  A great source for "behavioral risk factors" information and other statistics.

• Office of Population Research at Princeton University
  Provides links to Princeton's statistical and demographic data stores.
   
• Social and Demographic Trends, from Pew Research Center
  Provides reports and data on a number of current social issues and topics.

• State Data Center (SDC) Program Member Network Directory
  This page from the U.S. Census Bureau provides links to the home pages of each of the State Data Centers (SDCs) in the country. The SDC lead agencies organize a statewide network of coordinating and affiliate agencies. This network works in partnership with the Census Bureau through the Data Users Branch (DUB) and the Census Bureau's Regional Offices for data dissemination at the local level.

• Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2013-Present
  The Statistical Abstract of the United States is the most authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. It offers convenient access to a wide variety of data on such topics as population, education, elections, all major sectos of the economy, health and nutrition, government, science and technology, transportation, housing, and much more. Every table in the Statistical Abstract provides citations to more extensive and detailed sources of data for its subject, which also makes it an efficient guide to data sources. The data in the Statistical Abstract is drawn from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.

• Statistical Abstracts of the United States, 1878-2012
  This page provides an archive of the annual publication "Statistical Abstract of the United States," which was a publication of the United States Census Bureau. Published annually between 1878 and 2012, the statistics described social and economic conditions in the United States. Since 2013, the publication has been produced by ProQuest and is available through the Cheng Library.

• Statistical Sources on the Web: Sociology
  From the University of Michigan's Documents Center, includes data on: Aging, Child Abuse, Children, Comprehensive Sources, Crime, Domestic Violence, Entitlements/Grants, Ethnicity, Homeless, Immigration, Language, Non-Profit Organizations, Poverty, Race, Refugees, and Social Security.

• World Development Report (The World Bank)
  The World Bank's annual World Development Report provides a detailed survey and analysis of the economic, social and environmental state of the world. Each Reportfocuses on a specific aspect of development in the text, and all reports include extensive bibliographical and statistical appendices. An excellent source of comparative country data. The following reports are currently available in full text from the site:
  • 2007: Development and the Next Generation
  • 2006: Equity and Development
  • 2005: A Better Investment Climate For Everyone
  • 2004: Making Services Work For Poor People
  • 2002/2003: Sustainable Development in a Dynamic Economy
  • 2001/2002: Building Institutions for Markets
  • 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty
  • 1999/2000: Entering the 21st Century
  • 1998/1999: Knowledge for Development