Statistics vs Datasets
Statistics are useful for social work practice because they provide information about social issues. Look for statistics on this guide if you need information/numbers about a topic. If you need raw numbers to download and analyze yourself, use the datasets boxes below.
Best Bets for Finding Statistics
- Statistical Insight
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Indexes, abstracts, and presents tabular statistical data published by U.S. federal and state governments, international intergovernmental organizations, and American private organizations. See the Quick Start: Statistical Insight.
- U.S. Census BureauMain source of statistics for any U.S. geographic area, including people and population, race and ethnicity, families and living arrangements, health, education, business and economy, employment, housing, and income and poverty.
- Social Explorer
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U.S. census demographics resource covering 1790-2010. Tools include interactive maps and data reports.
Best Bets for Finding Datasets
If you need datasets on a topic, search the following three resources:
- Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Access to social science data files, including coverage of such topics as population, economics, education, health, social and political behavior/attitudes, terrorism, history, crime, aging, and substance abuse. Direct downloading is available. SIGN IN WITH EMAIL (NOT institution).
- Data.govMachine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Filtering by location is available.
- Google Dataset SearchUse the Google Dataset Search. Optional limit by download format.
How to Search for Open/free Datasets
Include your topic keywords, along with the word dataset.
Example: juvenile recidivism dataset
Tip: You can also use the Google Dataset Search.
Datasets for Social Welfare
Datasets from these sources are in a downloadable format such as a spreadsheet (.xls, xlsx, or .csv).
- HealthData.govDatasets from U.S. Health and Human Services agencies such as Administration for Children and Families, CDC, National Institute on Drug Abuse, etc. Also includes some state health data.
- Awesome Public DatasetsLists of open/free datasets in several disciplines, including social sciences, education, and health care.
- Journal of Open Psychology DataFeatures peer-reviewed papers that describe open/free psychology datasets.
- HUD UserDatasets, research reports, and case studies on housing and community development, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Data Citation Index
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Fully indexes a significant number of the world's leading data repositories across the sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities, including over two million data studies and datasets. The records for the datasets, which include authors, institutions, keywords, citations and other metadata, are connected to related peer-reviewed literature indexed in Web of Science. - Social Explorer
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U.S. census demographics resource covering 1790-2010. Tools include interactive maps and data reports.
Datasets about Children & Youth
- Kids Count Data CenterNational, state and some city data measuring demographics, economic well-being, education, family, health and safe/risky behavior in children and families.
- National Data Archive on Child Abuse and NeglectAn archive of various data sets on child abuse and neglect.
- HealthData.govDatasets from U.S. Health and Human Services agencies such as Administration for Children and Families, CDC, National Institute on Drug Abuse, etc. Also includes some state health data.
State and Local Data Portals
- KYSTATS Kentucky Center for StatisticsEducation (all levels), employment, and labor force statistics. Option to request other data and statistics.
- Louisville Metro Open DataData and statistics about health, expenditures, safety, transportation, housing, air pollution, and more.
- Lexington's Data HubCommunity, development, transportation, environmental, census, land use, city planning, and more.
eBooks
Social Science Dataset Examples
- U.S. Transgender SurveyExamines education, employment, family life, health, housing, and interactions with police and prisons.
- Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)Data can be used to assess how many children are in foster care, reasons they enter, and how they exit.
- National Archive of Criminal Justice DataIncludes the National Crime Victimization Survey, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, and FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System.
- National Addiction & HIV Data Archive ProgramExamples include drug abuse monitoring, treatment, alcohol study series, crime victimization survey series.
- Social, Behavioral, & Economic COVID Coordinating CenterNew data collection efforts on the pandemic's social and economic impacts.
- General Social SurveyMain areas cover socioeconomic status, social mobility, social control, the family, race relations, sex relations, civil liberties, and morality.
Data Visualization Info
- Social Explorer
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U.S. census demographics resource covering 1790-2010. Tools include interactive maps and data reports.
- Data VisualizationData and text visualization software and tools.
- GIS & Digital MappingIntroductory guide for projects involving Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), software and tools, from UK Libraries.