Don't forget to cite your data!
“Finding the best data to address a research question requires that one understand the kinds of data that are likely to be available, who collects the data, and where they can be found.”
– Gary M. Klass, Just Plain Data Analysis, xiii
This guide will help you find the best databases, search tools, and other resources for finding statistics and other datasets related to various topics.
The terms “data” and “statistics” are often used interchangeably, but it is useful to distinguish between the two when conducting research.
Data are: (most times)
Statistics are: (most times)
Do you need …
Take this useful Quiz from ICPSR to help determine which you need
Source: ICPSR. “Understanding Data vs Summary Statistics.” ICPSR, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, 2024, https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/instructors/fellow/understandingData.html.
Examples
Data:
This table contains NYC eviction data. Each row records information for an individual eviction that occurred. This is “raw” data, which has not been summarized or analyzed. From this raw data, we could perform analysis to calculate statistics to answer research questions. For example, we may be curious about: which month or year had the highest number of evictions? Which Marshall had the highest number of evictions associated with them? etc.
Source: Department of Investigation. (2024). City Government Evictions. [Dataset]. NYC Open Data. https://data.cityofnewyork.us/City-Government/Evictions/6z8x-wfk4/about_data
Statistics:
This table presents summary statistics (in this case, percentages), which capture state-level data of the percentage of births to Teenage Mothers, Unmarried Women, and births with low birth weight. In this case, the percentages were calculated from data that was likely raw counts by state.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics (2025). Percent Of Births To Teenage Mothers, Unmarried Women, And Births With Low Birth Weight By State: 2020 And 2022 ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the U.S. 2025 Online Edition. Retrieved from
https://statabs.proquest.com/sa/docview.html?table-no=88&acc-no=C7095-1.2&year=2025&z=AC8C1D2433E14C7F74F3534F26B305CE2D8FA70F&accountid=12447
The following questions will determine where you need to look and whether the data is available:
What level of observation/analysis do you need? (e.g. individuals, communities, states, countries...)
What time period? (most recent? 5 years? historical time series?..)
What frequency? (annual, quarterly, monthly, ...)
Not finding what you need in this guide? Try these strategies as well: