Research Guides: Economics and Business: Find Statistics

Search for Statistics

U.S. Census Bureau
View pre-created tables or generate your own tables of socioeconomic and demographic data at the national, state, and metro level.
Census Scope
Demographic maps on themes such as population change, home ownership, race, and segregation. Most recent census data is from 2000.
International Data Base (U.S. Census Bureau)
A database of demographic information by country, including historic data, projected population pyramids, and some valuable cross-tabulations.
N.H. Data Center
Developed by the state's Office of Energy Planning, this website compiles statistics on New Hampshire's population, economy, and other characteristics.
Population Reference Bureau
Click on the DataFinder to access the PRB's user-friendly database for obtaining basic demographic and health data on the countries of the world.
State and County Quick Facts (U.S. Census Bureau)
Provides comparative data for each state and county for 33 categories, divided into three groups: Population, Business & Geography.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
Access this annual compendium online, including both recent and historical editions. It includes a range of variables related to population, fertility, mortality, and marriage.

BigCharts
In addition to providing stock prices and index performance for markets and industries, this website allows you to create charts of financial data.
Financial Services Factbook Archive
This website provides overviews and data on the finance, banking, insurance, and securities sectors in the US, plus snapshots of savings, debt, and investments.
Wall Street Journal Market Data Center
An excellent source for free statistics on US and international stocks, mutual funds, bonds, commodities, currencies, and credit markets.

Comtrade (United Nations)
Access detailed monthly trade statistics for a wide range of commodities.
World Economic Outlook Database
Use this database to find data on national accounts, inflation, unemployment rates, balance of payments, fiscal indicators, trade for countries and country groups (aggregates), and commodity prices whose data are reported by the IMF.
International Trade Statistics (World Trade Organization)
Use the WTO's statistics database to obtain import and export data for many commodities and products.
OECD Data (Organization for Economic and Co-operative Development)
Access the latest economic statistics on OECD countries from this simple A-Z topic list.
UNCTADstat (United Nations)
This database is the best source for data on foreign direct investment between countries, and is also a good source for trade data.
World Development Indicators (World Bank)
This database contains country-by-country time series data on over 1,000 economic and social indicators, including GDP, inflation, national debt and savings.

It's helpful to know the NAISC and SIC codes for your industry before going into some of the sources below.

For help understanding ratios and how to use them see the following sites:

Financial Intelligence by Karen Berman; Joe Knight; John Case (As told to)
Call Number: General Collection HG4028.B2 B422 2013
RMA annual statement studies by Robert Morris Associates
Call Number: Ref HF5681.B2 R6 2007/08

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Access business ratios for individual companies. Ratios are available under the "Company Financials" tab of a company report.
First Research This link opens in a new window
Analysis of over 900 US industries with product overview, competitive landscape, sales & marketing, finance & regulation, human resources, industry outlook,leading industry indicators & drivers, issues & challenges, trends & opportunities, NAICS & SIC codes and more, including D&B industry ratios in the Financial section.

Internal Revenue Tax Statistics
This page provides an abundance of statistics compiled from individual and corporate tax returns, including breakdowns by geographic areas.

These resources offer either recent economic figures or lengthy time series of business and economic indicators. They can provide data to support your arguments and analyses in research papers.

Statistical Abstract of the U.S. [PROQUEST] This link opens in a new window
Access the Statistical Abstract of the United States (1970 - present). Search one volume at a time or multiple volumes simultaneously. Charts can be downloaded into Excel for further data manipulation.
The ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political and economic conditions of the United States from 1970 to today.

Bureau of Economic Analysis
This government agency produces reports and statistics related to GDP, trade, foreign investment, and income, with breakdowns by region and industry.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The BLS produces statistics related to employment, wages, productivity, and inflation, including data at the state and metro level.
National Bureau of Economic Data
Economic research, including developing new statistical measurements, estimating quantitative models of economic behavior, and analyzing the effects of public policies.
Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
This online database offers over 40,000 time series of U.S. economic data, generally going back several decades. The data can be viewed in charts or downloaded for analysis.
U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators
Download spreadsheets containing historic time-series data for the major indicators (such as housing starts, retail sales, GDP, and construction spending).
FreeLunch.com
An easy-to-use website sponsored by Moody's that offers free economic, financial, and demographic data for viewing and downloading. Free registration is required.

Handbook of U. S. Labor Statistics by Mary Meghan Ryan
Call Number: Ref HD8051 .A63 & ONLINE
ISBN: 1598887637
Publication Date: http://library.anselm.edu/search/t?SEARCH=Handbook+of+U.S.+Labor+Statistics&submit=Submit
Numerous years available in print or electronically.

State of Working America
From the Economic Policy Institute, this website contains graphs on issues like unemployment, poverty, and income. The underlying data can be downloaded for Excel.
U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Statistics
This page includes the Economic Census, County Business Patterns (economic profiles down to the local level), and a wide range of other sources for data by business sector.

Historical Statistics of the United States [CAMBRIDGE] This link opens in a new window
Compendium that includes thousands of data series related to health, crime, migration, and the economy.
Data and Statistics about the U.S. This link opens in a new window
Access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic