Datasets for Sociology and Criminal Justice
Datasets from these sources are in a downloadable format such as a spreadsheet (.xls, xlsx, or .csv).
- Data.govMachine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Filtering by location is available.
- General Society SurveyDemographic, behavioral, and attitudinal datasets, collected over the last few decades. From the University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center.
- Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social ResearchAccess 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).
- Awesome Public DatasetsLists of open/free datasets in several disciplines, including social sciences, education, and health care.
- National Juvenile Justice DatasetsDatasets on characteristics of violent juvenile offenders, student victimization at school, sexual activity, and substance use. Data sources include official records and self-report data from surveys. From the U.S. Department of Justice.
- 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. 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.
- HUD User | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentDatasets, research reports, and case studies on housing and community development.
Statistics for Sociology and Criminal Justice
- Statistical InsightIndexes, 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.
- National Opinion Research CenterResearch about attitudes/opinions related to society, media, public affairs, workforce, economy, education, health, and well-being. From the University of Chicago.
- 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.
- Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social ResearchAccess 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).
- Bureau of Justice StatisticsStats produced by the FBI and Department of Justice: criminal victims and offenders, felony convictions, correctional populations.
- FBI Crime Data ExplorerAccess the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (uploaded from city, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement records) and National-Incident-Based Reporting System (context of crimes, 52 offenses).
- Crime Statistics | United NationsInternational statistics available for ten offense categories. Country crime profiles.
Appalachia Statistics
- Appalachia Regional CommissionStatistics and reports on Appalachia-specific topics: food insecurity, diseases of despair, coal industry, employment, food access, energy, health disparities, opioid use, smoking, and more.
Crime Statistics - State and City
- Crime Data | Kentucky State PoliceCrime in Kentucky Annual Reports, 2005-present. Incidence and arrests by offense, arrests by offender characteristics. State and county-level statistics.
- FBI Crime Data ExplorerFBI statistics can be broken down by state.
- Crime Reports | Louisville Metro Police DepartmentSeveral monthly crime reports available. Map of crimes also available.
- Crime Data | Lexington Police DepartmentStatistics and maps of crime, current and back to 2017.
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/Free Datasets
Include your topic keywords, along with the word dataset.
Example: juvenile recidivism dataset
Tip: You can also use the Google Dataset Search.
Data Visualization Info
- Social ExplorerU.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.
