Data Librarian
Senior Research Data Management Librarian
Generally Useful Sites for Data and Statistics
These sites include microdata on a wide variety of topics. Time and geographic coverage varies widely by dataset.
- ICPSR This link opens in a new windowThe Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) provides a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction. Users may view documentation, download raw data, and search a bibliography of data-related literature. (You must create a personal ICPSR account with your virginia.edu email address in order to download data.)
These sites offer statistics on a wide variety of topics. The time periods vary, but are mostly late 20th century to present. Geographic coverage and geographic units all vary.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista.com consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources.
- Our World in DataNice 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.
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new windowPolicyMap is an online data and mapping tool that enables researchers to access data about communities and markets across the United States. Major topics are: Demographics, Incomes & Spending, Housing, Lending, Quality of Life, Economy, Education, Health, Federal Guidelines, Analytics (e.g., market value). There is also the option to upload your own data to map within their system.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowThis online resource provides quick and easy access to current and historical census data. Users can create custom data reports at many geographic levels and download data in a variety of file formats for use with statistical software. Includes: ACS, Decennial Census, Population Estimates (county level, since 2010), Business Patterns, Environmental Summaries, Religion, Crime, Health, Cancer, and some international survey data.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new windowThe Statistical Abstract of the United States provides comprehensive summary of statistics on these major topics: Population, Health, Education, Crime, Environment, Government, Human Services, Labor Force, Income, Prices, Business, Science, Agriculture, Energy, Construction, Manufacturing, Trade, Transportation, Information and Communication, Finance, and Arts. The source notes can be used to find more detailed tables and machine-readable datasets. Online from 2013-present through ProQuest (above link), 1886-2013 online or in print.
United States - Science, Technology, & Environment
- American Energy Society This link opens in a new windowThe American Energy Society is the largest association for energy professionals. Providing non-partisan energy news, insights, and professional development opportunities, AES is a trusted voice with a mission to solve the world's greatest energy and environmental challenges. Some datasets about energy topics are available here, under the Services tab. Note: You must create an account using an active virginia.edu email address to activate your membership.
- Energy Information AdministrationOfficial Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government.
- Utility Rate DatabaseTime period: varies by utility, some appear to go back to at least 2010
Geographic coverage: US and International
Geographic unit(s): zip code
Unit of observation: utility
The Utility Rate Database (URDB) is a free storehouse of rate structure information from utilities in the United States. The URDB includes rates for utilities based on the authoritative list of U.S. utility companies maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.
International - Science, Technology, & Environment
- EurostatGeographic coverage: Europe
Geographic unit(s): city, nation, EU
EuroStat contains databases and statistics of Europe on many themes. Find economic and financial statistics such as national and European sector accounts, government finance, exchange rates, interest rates, consumer prices, PPPs, and balance of payments. - International Energy AgencyThe International Energy Agency works with countries around the world to shape energy policies. Some statistics and graphs freely available; other datasets require paying a fee.