Data and Statistics

Nice resource for finding international data on all kinds of policy-related topics. Note that you can download the data as a CSV file. Check out the Source tab for information about the data file and the original source of the data. Because they use data from third parties, you might want to check out how to cite OWiD sources correctly.

Time period: 2005-present
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): block group, tract, MSA, CDP, county, state and others (varies by year)
Unit of observation: individual or household; aggregated
The American Community Survey provides demographic information (e.g., age, sex, race and ethnicity) among other subjects include social, economic and housing. For more details of the subjects, see this Subjects Included in the Survey. The ACS produces single-year and multiple-year estimates . The ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files are accessible from the Census Bureau’s sites such as American FactFinder and the mdat tool. Data are also available via APIs and packages.

Time period: 1962-2013
*IPUMS CPS is recommended instead.*
CPS Utilities from Unicon Research Corporation provides search, documentation, and extraction software facilitating access the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey data. Unicon ceased production of CPS Utilities in 2014.

Time period: 1790-2020 (ongoing)
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): block, block group, tract, cities and towns, county, state, ZIP Code tabulation areas and more
Unit of observation: aggregated
The decennial Census has been conducted every ten years since 1790. The Decennial census provides statistics on population counts, age, sex, race, ethnicity and household information. Data are also available via an APIs and packages.
We highly recommend Social Explorer for finding current and historical Decennial Census data. (More info below.)

Time period: 2010 (Census), 2007-2012 (ACS), 2013-2019 (Updated Demographics), 2013-2014 (Tapestry Segmentation)
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): block group, tract, county, state, place, ZIP code, congressional district and more
Unit of observation: aggregated
The 2010 Census contains demographic data broken down by age, sex, and race and ethnicity and households by tenure. The ACS includes data on income, poverty status, education, the labor force, journey to work, languages spoken, migration, citizenship, ancestry, military service, and housing characteristics. Updated Demographics provides current-year estimates and 5-year projections for population, households, income, and housing. Tapestry segmentation provides a description of America’s neighborhoods—U.S. residential areas are divided into 67 distinctive segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic composition—then further classifies the segments into LifeMode and Urbanization Groups.

Time period: 1970-2010
- Normalized Census Data
- Neighborhood Change Database (NCDB)
See also Longitudinal Tract Data Base (LTDB) and NHGIS for comparable data products.

Time period: 1962-present
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): city, MSA, county, state
Unit of observation: individual, household
IPUMS-CPS is a project dedicated to integrating and disseminating data from the Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS is a monthly survey, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, which collects socio-demographic information and labor force characteristics. Topics include core demographic information (e.g., age, sex, race, marriage) and beyond, such as child support and alimony, computer and internet use, displaced worker, education, food security, job and occupation, tobacco use, veteran, volunteer and voter. For help of using IPUMS-CPS extract system, watch their short tutorial videos. CPS data are also accessible at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Time period: 1850-2010 (decennial Census); 2000-present (ACS)
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): PUMA, city, county, state and others
Unit of observation: individual or household
The IPUMS project at the University of Minnesota offers microdata samples from decennial Census and the American community Survey (ACS) – they offer a list of the samples. The samples provide demographic information (e.g., age, sex, birth, marriage and divorce) and beyond, such as education, work, income and health insurance variables. Begin with their user’s guide and short tutorials on how to extract and use the data.

Time period: 1970-2010
The Longitudinal Tract Data Base (LTDB) provides public-use tools to create estimates within 2010 tract boundaries for any tract-level data (from the census or other sources) that are available for prior years as early as 1970 and now also for 2015-2019 and 2020.

Time period: 1970-present
Geographic coverage: United States
Geographic unit(s): ZIP code areas, county, state
Unit of observation: industry
The NHGIS, managed by the Minnesota Population Center, provides summary statistics and GIS boundary files for US censuses and other nationwide surveys such as County Business Patterns data. Use the Data Finder to extract and download data files.

Time period: birth year cohorts 1906-21, 1922-37, 1941-52, 1943-53, 1957-64, 1980-84
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): ZIP code, tract, MSA, county, state (restricted use)
Unit of observation: individual
The National Longitudinal Surveys is a program of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The surveys contain a wide array of topics, e.g., labor market activity, schooling, fertility, health and more. Find demographic information such as household, children, parents, as well as dating, marriage and cohabitation.

Time period: 1968-present
Geographic coverage: US
Geographic unit(s): national
Unit of observation: individual and families
The PSID has collected information on individuals and their descendants continuously since 1968. Topics covered include employment, income, wealth, expenditures, health, marriage, childbearing, child development, philanthropy, education, and numerous other topics.

Time period: 1997-present
Geographic coverage: United States
Geographic unit(s): national
Unit of observation: individual/household (survey microdata)
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. These datasets focus on internet and technology. See Social & Demographic Trends topics. Also note the special section for Hispanic Trends.

Time period: 2030-2055
Geographic coverage: Virginia
Geographic unit(s): state and localities (counties and cities)
Unit of observation: statistics
UVA’s Demographics Research Group at the Weldon Cooper Center produces population projections for the state of Virginia and its localities. Find projections by decade for 2030-2055 for total population, by age and sex, and by race and ethnicity.

Time period: 2000, 2010
Geographic coverage: China
Geographic unit(s): county
Unit of observation: county
This collection GIS shapefiles from the China Data Center contains a county boundary map with more than 1000 comparable variables from the 2000 and 2010 population censuses and map layers for highways, national roads, provincial truck roads, railways, rivers, and coast lines.

Time period: majority post-2000; oldest survey began in 1890
Geographic coverage: international
Geographic unit(s): varies
Unit of observation: household
Database of surveys and censuses conducted in low and middle-income countries. It is maintained primarily by the World Bank and other IGOs.

Time period: varies by country, see Sample Information
Geographic coverage: international
Geographic unit(s): varies by country
Unit of observation: individual or household
IPUMS-International offers census data from around the world, which include demographic information (e.g., age, sex, birth, marriage, fertility, mortality) and beyond, such as education, work, income, migration and disability. Begin with their short tutorials on how to extract and use the data. Note some other data files that do not fit within their extract system are listed here.

Time period: 2001-present
Geographic coverage: international, coverage varies
Geographic unit(s): national
Unit of observation: individual/household (survey microdata)
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. These datasets focus on internet and technology. See Global Attitudes & Trends topics.

Time period: 2000-ongoing
Geographic coverage: OECD countries/international
Geographic unit(s): country
Unit of observation: individual
OECD offers the International Migration Database which shows inflows and outflows of migrants, by nation, as well as asylum seekers and labor.

Time period: 1991-2014 (ongoing), varies by dataset
Geographic coverage: India
Geographic unit(s): villages and towns
Unit of observation: villages and towns
The Socioeconomic High-resolution Rural-Urban Geographic Platform for India (SHRUG) is a geographic platform that facilitates data sharing between researchers working on India. It is an open access repository currently comprising dozens of datasets covering India’s 500,000 villages and 8000 towns using a set of a common geographic identifiers that span 25 years.

Time period: varies
Geographic coverage: International
Geographic unit(s): varies by source
UN Data is a portal for finding data from the UN, OECD, IMF, and more. Databases related to Census and Demography include: World Fertility Data, Contraceptive Use, Population Prospects, and Demographic Statistics.

Time period: 1995-present, in waves
Geographic coverage: International (108 low, middle, and high income countries)
Geographic unit(s): country
Unit of observation: individual or household
UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys is the “largest source of statistically sound and internationally comparable data on women and children worldwide.” This provides data for the Millennium Development Goals indicators. Topics include health, education, and child protection among many others.