LibGuides: Political Science: Statistics

Many government agencies have statistical information on a wide range of topics. You may need to do further research to find out which agency has the information you are looking for or can help you find it.

Remember, keywords are important when doing a search. Make sure your keywords can help narrow down the search results. For example, instead of trying a search for "education statistics," try something more specific like "campus security statistics" or "graduation rates."

Federal Government

Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology
The Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) is an interagency committee dedicated to improving the quality of Federal statistics. The FCSM was created by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to inform and advise OMB and the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) on methodological and statistical issues that affect the quality of Federal data.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Collects information on economic indicators, national and international trade, accounts, and industry.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Reports on justice systems, crime, criminal offenders, and victims of crime.
U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics
Measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the U.S. economy.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Provides data on airline on-time performance, pirates at sea, transportation safety and availability, motorcycle trends, and more.
U.S. Government Open Data
The home of the U.S. Government's open data. Find federal, state, and local data, tools, and resources to conduct research, build apps, design data visualizations, and more.
Energy Information Administration
Provides data on U.S. use of coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and more.
Internal Revenue Service Tax Statistics
Examine tax returns to report on such things as sources of income, exemptions, use of medical savings accounts, migration, and geographic data, tax information on foreign corporations controlled by U.S. parent corporations, exports, international boycotts, and investments and activities in the U.S. by foreign persons.
National Agricultural Statistical Service
Researches data on food production and supply, organic sales, chemical use, demographics of U.S. producers, and more. Every five years it conducts the Census of Agriculture that provides agricultural data for every county in the United States.
National Center for Education Statistics
Researches education in the United States. It publishes the Digest of Education Statistics, which includes international comparisons of students, and the annual report to Congress, The Condition of Education, which reports the progress of American education.
National Center for Health Statistics
The principal health statistics agency for improving the health of the American people.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Publishes data on the American science and engineering workforce and the progress of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States.
US Spending
The official source for spending data for the U.S. government. Learn about the size of the federal budget, and how the government spends that money on a national level and around the country.

US Census Bureau
Provides data about the nation’s people and economy. Every 10 years, it conducts the Population and Housing Census, in which every resident in the United States is counted. The agency also gathers data through more than 100 other surveys of households and businesses every one to five years. You can explore the results of the surveys or find popular quick facts.
Census Quick Facks
QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.

How is data from the census used?

Your responses can help determine how much funding your local community will receive for public services. Census population data is used to divide the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. It can also be used to draw boundaries for state legislative and school districts.

Besides using census data for the benefit of public services, you can also use it for genealogical research. To protect the privacy of people who respond to the U.S. Census, all records are kept confidential for 72 years. Find out what genealogical information is available and where you can access it.

What statistics can I get from the census?

Get population and demographic information about the country, individual states, and more:

View the latest QuickFacts statistics and estimates for the most popular topics.

Zoom in and sort census data with interactive maps.
See U.S. and world population estimates changing live with the Population Clock.
View age and sex data to understand population change over time.

How can I see the results of the census?

Explore a variety of data:

Examine data by community (such as city or ZIP code) across many different surveys.
Focus on the data and research from the 2010 Census.
Review all of the surveys and their data conducted by the Bureau:
- Surveys of households
- Surveys of businesses

***The 2020 Census ended in October, 2020. Take a look back at the process.

Maps

The National Map offers mapping products from federal, state, and local partners on a variety of topics, such as recreation, environmental resources, scientific analysis, and emergency response.

Other maps cover: