LibGuides: SOC2240 Social Work Policy and Practice: Data Resources for Policy Research

Data Resources

Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
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. [2013 - Present]

U.S. Census Bureau
The Census Bureau's mission is to serve as the nation's leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.
American Community Survey (ACS)
The American Community Survey (ACS) helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities. It is the premier source for detailed population and housing information about our nation.
ICPSR
ICPSR maintains a data archive of more than 250,000 files of research in the social and behavioral sciences. It hosts 21 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
Data.gov
Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.
IMF eLibrary
The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) eLibrary simplifies analysis and research with direct access to the IMF’s periodicals, books, working papers and studies, and data and statistical tools. You will find information and perspective on macroeconomics, globalization, development, trade and aid, technical assistance, demographics, emerging markets, policy advice, poverty reduction, and so much more.
UN Data
Users can search and download a variety of statistical resources compiled by the United Nations (UN) statistical system and other international agencies.
World Bank Data Catalog
The Data Catalog is designed to make World Bank's development data easy to find, download, use, and share. It includes data from the World Bank's microdata, finances and energy data platforms, as well as datasets from the open data catalog.

Dataset Searching

Google Dataset Search
Did you know, Google has a specific search engine to locate publicly available datasets for research?