LibGuides: SOC3540: Social Stratification: Online Statistics

Online Resources

Whenever you use a website or other online resource in your research, it's important that you think critically about the source of information, as well as its credibility.

Think about the following criteria when considering a website for your research:

Authority
Accuracy
Objectivity
Currency
Coverage

For more information on these terms, visit the FYS Website Evaluation page.

Google Searching

Looking for statistics and reports can be difficult, but Google offers some features that make the process of finding authoritative sources easier.

Use Google's Advanced Search to have better control over your searches.

The "Search within this domain" option lets you limit to just government pages, by typing .gov into the box.

Combine this with the keyword 'statistics' and your topic keyword(s) (healthcare, crime, gender inequality, etc.) to find related statistical data and government reports.

NJ Statistical Sources

Crime Reports & Statistics
Provides links to a variety of statistical reports on crime in NJ. Reports include: Uniform Crime Reports, Domestic Violence Reports, Carjack Offense Reports, Bias Incident Reports, and Crime Index Trends.
New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services: Center for Health Statistics
Links to a number of reports and state departments dealing with health.
New Jersey Department of Education: DOE Data
Provides information on a variety of educational statistics throughout NJ, often providing county, district and/or municipal data. Links include information about enrollment, graduates, dropouts, staffing, state Aid, as well as a number of major reports.
Disease Statistics
Provides access to NJ state and county communicable disease statistics.

New York Statistical Resources

New York State Department of Health: Statistics & Data
May contain regional information that is related to your topics, including enrollment in certain health plans.
NYPD: Crime Statistics
Precinct-based statistical reports for New York City and surrounding boroughs. Limited information.

U.S. Statistical Resources

U.S. Census Bureau
Provides reports and actual data from the U.S. census, as well as the results of various other statistical reports. Data is probably best suited for finding demographic information about a city/town, although related reports may provide additional information.
National Center for Education Statistics: Data Tools: State/District Profiles
Tools provide state and school district profiles as well as the ability to conduct comparisons. Also has a great mapping tool by school district.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Uniform Crime Reports
Similar to the NJ reports, you will find detailed information about crime in the United States, back to the mid-1990’s.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Contains a number of reports regarding the justice system in the United States, including information about prisons, gangs, etc. Data will likely not drill down to the city level, but some state-related information is likely.

United States Health Statistics

County Health Rankings
Provides access to 50 state reports, ranking each county on health outcomes and health factors.
FASTATS
This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site provides access to a variety of public health statistics, organized alphabetically by topic.
FedStats
Provides search capability that allows access to the official statistical information produced by the US Federal Government without needing to know which agency produced the statistic.
National Center for Health Statistics
Data is provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the principal source for statistical health information in the US.
Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities
Data collected by the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.