Strategies

Is there a government agency, department, or private company collecting this data?

Was the data collected for the year(s) and geographic area you are researching?

  • Search a compendia of US statistical data, such as Proquest's Statistical Abstract of the United States. If you find a relevant table, check the source notes.
  • Search an index to statistical data, such as Proquest Statistical Insight.
  • Trace the source notes from the footnotes and bibliographies of relevant books and articles.
  • Start with an educated guess about the department or agency that may have collected the data, e.g. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, HUD, etc.

 

Selected data & report sources for urban areas or homelessness

RECOMMENDED DATABASES!

Census Information

A few notes about census data

Please note:
Many statistics are collected only through a sample count. This may mean that there are fewer statistics available for the smaller geographies -- block-group and especially block. See: Census Geography

2010 -- A brief questionnaire is sent to every household.  More detailed data is available from the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is a continuous, "rolling" survey of 1-in-8 households. Data is released in 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year estimates.

SF 1-- Data is from a short list of questions asked of every household

ACS (American Community Data) Sample Data: ACS 1-year estimates, ACS 3-year estimates, ACS 5-year estimates

2000 -- A brief questionnaire is sent to every household. A longer, more detailed questionnaire is sent to 1-in-6 households.

SF 1 -- Data is from the short list of questions asked of every household

SF 3 -- Data is from a much longer, more detailed, list of questions asked of  1-in-6  households, e.g., sample data