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Sociology 304 - Statistical Data Hunt: Home

Spring 2011, Erin Murphy

Methods of Finding Statistics

  • Start with a compendium such as the Statistical Abstract of the United States.
    1. Look in compendia for general statistics of interest.
    2. Look in the source notes for the source(s) of information. 
    3. Find those sources. Often they will contain more detailed statistics than the compendium.
  • Start with an agency.
    1. Look for agencies and statistical programs that may produce statistics of interest.
    2. Look at the statistical publications from those statistical programs. Look at other statistical publications produced by the agency.
    3. Look at statistical compendia, especially one produced by the agency of interest, that might include relevant data from that program.
  • Start with an index, guide, or gateway that provides subject access to statistics.

For more information, consult Government Statistics.

Subject Librarian

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Simone Williams