Statistical Resources for ILR Research
The resources listed below are great starting points for your research! For a full list of statistical resources, including sources for company, industry, labor union, international, and historical statistics, check out the Data and Statistics: Labor and Employment research guide!
Resources for Data and Statistics
Statistics are published on the web and in print publications. Publishers include the federal government, state governments, foreign governments, international agencies, private entities, and membership organizations. Recording of statistics is sometimes mandated by law, but in other instances, it is entirely voluntary. Even required government statistics often change over the years. Statistics are not always published and raw data and data sets are not always accessible. Finally, there may be hefty fees for some statistics!
The best strategy for finding statistics is to identify the stakeholders (governments, companies, organizations) and do a thorough search of their publications and Internet pages. The resources below are good places to start you statistical research.
- Proquest Statistical Abstract of the USThe ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. The online version includes monthly updates to tables, deep searching at the line-item level, powerful facets for narrowing search results, image and spreadsheet versions of all current and historical tables, along with links to provider sites.
- StatistaStatista provides access to statistics and studies gathered by market researchers, trade organizations, scientific publications, and government sources on over 600 industries.
- Data & Reproduction Archive (Cornell Center for Social Science)The Cornell Center for Social Science (CCSS) houses the Data & Reproduction Archive, started by the former Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research (CISER) in 1982. This extensive data collection emphasizes political and social behavior, demography, economics, and health. The collection includes federal and state census files, administrative records, public opinion surveys, and economic and social data from national and international organizations, along with studies compiled by individual researchers.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States (U.S. Census Bureau)Find a wide range of government-produced statistical tables from 1789-2012. Be sure to look at the tables' footnotes for find the recording agency. After 2013, data published as ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the U.S., listed separately.
- Data.govExcellent and growing source for raw data, including 5 pages on data sets on labor and employment.
- Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe primary data collecting agency for U.S. labor economics statistics. Data is compiled from dozens of surveys and frequently updated.
- ILOSTATThe ILO's database of statistics, contains over 100 indicators covering more than 230 countries and economies. The Yearly indicators dataset contains standardized indicators for purposes of greater comparability across countries and relies heavily on the official submission of data by national authorities. The Short term indicators dataset contains monthly, quarterly and semi-annual data drawn from official websites of national authorities and is updated on a monthly basis. Additional data and tools are available from the site. This database replaces LABORSTA.
- FRED - St. Louis Fed: Economic DataThis site offers a wealth of economic data and information to promote economic education and enhance economic research. The widely used database FRED is updated regularly and allows 24/7 access to regional and national financial and economic data.
- NYC Open DataOpen Data is free public data published by New York City agencies and other partners