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Conducting Effective Research: Finding Raw Data, Government Data & Statistics

This guide will help you conduct research and write papers.

Resources for Federal Government Reports & Statistics

Search Across Government Agencies & Databases

  • USA.gov

The U.S. government's official web portal is a useful resource for Public Health and Criminal Justice data.

The Master Portal to all Open US Government data. 
Here, you will find data, tools, and resources for conducting research, developing web and mobile applications, designing data visualizations, and more.

Public Health Data Sources

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a CDC-run health-related telephone survey system that collects state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.

This site includes Occupational Outlook data on salary and benefits, wages by occupation, and employment projections.

This includes Infographics, Data, Statistics and Tools, Research Tools and Data, Specific Populations, and more. AHRQ is the health services research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  

Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research -- an easy-to-use, menu-driven system that makes the information resources of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) available to public health professionals and the public at large. It provides access to a wide array of public health information.

Federal Government Census information -  Topics area includes datasets organized by:
Age and Sex, Business and Economy, Education, Emergency Preparedness, Employment, Families & Living Arrangements, Geography, Health, Housing, Income & Poverty, International Trade, Migration/Geographic Mobility, Population, Population Estimates, Race, and Voting and Registration. 

Users can search across federal agencies and research agencies by subject.

The nation's principal health statistics agency provides quick and easy access to a wide range of information and data. The A-Z index is structured to provide users multiple access points to health topics, and also includes common and scientific terms.

PRB specializes in world population, health, and environmental information. Their site includes DataFinder, which is a database containing data on world variables for over 200 countries. Other research tools include data sheets, webcasts, graphic banks, and U.S. Census 2010.

Criminal Justice Data Sources

BJS is the Department of Justice's primary statistical agency. Its mission is to collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.

According to their website, the FBI's Crime Data Explorer (CDE) aims to provide transparency, create easier access, and expand awareness of criminal and noncriminal law enforcement data sharing; improve law enforcement accountability; and provide a foundation to help shape public policy, resulting in a safer nation.

Links to multiple websites which contain statistical and historical data that may be useful for research purposes.

The Committee on Law and Justice’s (CLAJ) mission is to improve government decision-making and public policy and promote the understanding and dissemination of research on law and justice.

This page provides users access to the Commission's special data files for researchers studying federal sentencing practices through quantitative methods.