Working with Numbers
When working with statistics, aggregate data, and microdata, it is important to consider a number of factors:
- Geography: the country, region, city, neighborhood
- Time Period: current, historical, over time, etc.
- Population/Units of Analysis: age, sex, race, ancestry, educational attainment/households, individuals
- Variables: responses to questionnaire and how they are organized
- Context: what is the hypothesis being investigated
- Questionnaire: what questions were asked; shows what will and won't be available in the data
- Availability: Sometimes the data you require was not collected, or was not arranged in the way that works best for your project. You may need to use multiple types of data from different sources as a way around this.
- Source: When you find data online, make sure it is clear from where (and when) the information originated.
The UCLA Data Archive's Tutorials provides excellent information about working with social science data, citing data sources, how to read codebooks, etc.
Online Statistics Sources
- UCLA Social Statistics & Data GuideMajor statistical sites by topic and region.
- Statistics on Women and Gender (U. Wisconsin)From the University of Wisconsin, guide to both metasites and more specific sources for locating statistics on women.
- California Statistical AbstractCompilation of statistics including population, budget, finance, crime, natural resources, etc. Published by the California Department of Finance.
- CDC datasets uploaded before January 28th, 2025 (Internet Archive)An archive of all CDC datasets uploaded to https://data.cdc.gov/browse before January 28th, 2025. Excludes corrupt datasets and data not publicly accessible.
- CDC Guidelines Removed by the Trump Administration (2025)Data removed from U.S. government pages in January 2025 related to contraception, sexual health, youth, LGBTQIA people, and sexual and intimate partner violence.
- Data.gov Archive (Library Innovation Lab, Harvard Law School Library)This is a regularly updated mirror of all data files linked from data.gov. The repository is maintained by the Harvard Law School Library Innovation Lab as part of a project to preserve U.S. federal public data.
- Data Rescue ProjectThe Data Rescue Project is a coordinated effort among a group of data organizations, including IASSIST, RDAP, and members of the Data Curation Network. The goal is to serve as a clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts and data access points for public US governmental data that are currently at risk.
- Explore Census Data (formerly American FactFinder)Demographic and economic profiles for all regions of the United States.
- Historical Statistics of the United States-Millennial Edition Online This link opens in a new windowSearchable updated source of historical data on government statistics, including population, work and welfare, economics, and more.
- International Historical Statistics, 1750-2010 This link opens in a new window
Online edition of a three volume set, covering the Americas, Europe, and Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
- Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
Large archive of surveys useful in secondary analysis and quantitative research. Includes political and election studies, education studies, population research, economic attitudes and behavior, social indicators, and studies on health status from the United States and many countries worldwide. Searches of holdings are possible using author, title, keyword, or study number. For assistance, ask at the Data Science Center.
- NationMasterGeneral stats on different countries, including some comparative data on specific crimes.
- OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new windowOnline library of e-books, e-periodicals, and interactive statistical databases produced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new windowOnline data and mapping application with access to more than 10,000 indicators for U.S. demographics, housing and real estate, income, mortgages, health, and more. Create custom maps, tables, and reports and upload your own data without expensive software and training. Online access restricted to UCLA.
- Research and Statistics Related to Violence Against WomenFrom the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) in collaboration with the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), focused on the United States
- Restored CDCRestoredCDC.org is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or any government entity. Hosted in Europe, it recreates the CDC website up to January 6, 2025 and does not include new information past that date.
- Sage Data (powered by Data Planet) This link opens in a new windowA repository of publicly, privately, and commercially sourced statistical time-series data, with integrated analysis and mapping tools.
- SAGE Research Methods This link opens in a new windowBooks, reference works, and instructional videos about qualitative and quantitative methodologies in the sciences and social sciences. Includes Research Tools (online tools for planning research and choosing methods), Cases (examples of real research), Video (research process, data science, and methods) and Datasets (sample data chosen specifically to support practice with various statistical analysis methods). Includes Diversifying and Decolonizing Research, and Sage Research Methods Video: Quantitative and Mixed Methods.
- StatsCanCanadian statistics source
- Statistical Insight This link opens in a new windowIndexes statistical publications from the US federal government (American Statistics Index), state governments and non-governmental organizations (Statistical Reference Index), and international intergovernmental organizations like the UN and EU (Index to International Statistics).
- U.S. Trans SurveyFrom the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), "the largest-ever research survey that provides much-needed data to help the public understand the lives and experiences of trans people in the United States and the disparities that many of us face."
- UNICEF Data: Monitoring the Situation of Children and WomenUNICEF measures the situation of children and women and tracks progress through data collection and analysis.
- Women, Business, and the Law (World Bank)World Bank/IFC report that provides comparative data on gender equality by country and topic.