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 This link opens in a new windowAccess 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. Registration with a MyData account is required for most data file downloads.
Additional Datasets
Datasets from these sources are in a downloadable format such as a spreadsheet (.xls, xlsx, or .csv).
- Journal of Open Psychology DataFeatures peer-reviewed papers that describe open/free psychology datasets.
- 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.
- Social ExplorerU.S. census demographics resource covering 1790-2010. Create maps and reports at any geographic level.
- Data Citation IndexFully 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.
- Awesome Public DatasetsLists of open/free datasets in several disciplines, including social sciences, education, and health care.
- HUD UserDatasets, research reports, and case studies on housing and community development, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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.
How to Search for Open Datasets
Include your topic keywords, along with the word dataset.
Example: juvenile recidivism dataset
Tip: If the word dataset does not help, try the phrase raw data.
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.
Statistics
Statistics listed here are available in HTML, PDF, or spreadsheet (.xls, .csv, .xlsx) format.
- 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau TutorialsLearn how to use data.census.gov, the new site to access Census Bureau data.
- Social ExplorerU.S. census demographics resource covering 1790-2010. Create maps and reports at any geographic level.
View this 7-minute video (above) from the U.S. Census Bureau to learn how to find information about your hometown or community.