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Gateways to Statistical Resources

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United States

Bureau of Economic Analysis
Covers U.S. economic accounts on an international, national, regional, and industry level. BEA tutorial

Bureau of Labor Statistics Home Page
Homepage for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Census Bureau Economic Information
Economic data on agriculture, retail and wholesale trade, international trade, manufacturing, and more.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Statistics page for CMS. This is a good place to start when researching health care expenditures.

COMPUSTAT data files are produced by Standard & Poor's Institutional Market Services. The principal contents of the data files are the items reported by companies in standard financial reports, such as quarterly and annual income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Both current and historical data are available. Compustat can be accessed via Wharton Research Data Services (see below).

CPS Utilities (on CD-ROM)
This is the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, 1962-2003. The CD-Roms contain the Annual demographic file with data on the composition and economic status of the U.S. population. Comprehensive information is given on employment, occupation, and industry for persons 14 years old and over. Characteristics such as age, sex, race, marital status, family relationships, household structure, occupation, employment history, income, educational background, and ethnicity are shown for each person in the household.

CRSP, The Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP), from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, maintains security data for the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ stock markets. CRSP can be accessed via Wharton Research Data Services (see below).

Datastream
Datastream provides historical coverage of major securities from worldwide markets, (including the U.S.) plus increasing data coverage on emerging markets and new instruments. It can be accessed on the Census workstation in the Online and Data Services Office.

EconData (INFORUM)
University of Maryland website that provides access to several hundred thousand economic time series. Series include national income and product accounts (NIPA), labor statistics, price indices, current business indicators, industrial production, information on states and regions, as well as international data. Data is at the U.S.national, state/local and international levels.

EconData.Net
Not to be confused with EconData above, this site specializes in U.S. regional socioeconomic data.

Economic Data: FRED
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) provides historical US economic and financial data, including daily US interest rates, monetary and business indicators, exchange rates, etc.

Economic Report of the President
The entire report from the years 1995 onwards and the statistical section from 1997 onwards can be viewed or downloaded from this site. Contains historical statistics on employment, GDP, CPI, etc.

Economic Statistics Briefing Room
Provides easy access to current federal economic indicators.

Energy Information Administration
Official energy statistics from the United States government.

Federal Reserve Bank Reports The Federal Reserve Bank Reports contains three databases collected from Federal Reserve Banks. Two of them (Foreign Exchanges and Interest Rates) come from reports published for the Federal Reserve Board (H.10 and H.15 reports). The other one contains the Coincident State Indexes from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The data can be accessed via Wharton Research Data Services (see below).

Fedstats: One Stop Shopping for Federal Statistics
Provides links to statistics from over 70 government agencies.

Global Insight offers comprehensive economic coverage of countries, regions and industries. The collection covers U.S. and international financial, economic and industry data. Binghamton University users have access only to the Basic Economics files (U.S. data). The data can be accessed via Wharton Research Data Services (see below).

Historical Statistics of the United States on CD-ROM
Covers colonial times to 1970, with statistics on labor, demographics, national income, consumer income and expenditures, etc. Located on the Census workstation in Online and Data Services.

ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) Data Archive
Provides access to a vast archive of social research data. ICPSR data can be downloaded by BU researchers that access ICPSR through the campus network or remotely by authenticating for resources from the Libraries' web pages.

NABE: National Association for Business Economics
This site has a collection of useful data links. Click on Economic Links.

National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS)
The primary purpose of the five sets of surveys that comprise the National Longitudinal Surveys is the collection of data on the labor force experience of specific age-sex groups of Americans. Data is also available via ICPSR (see above) and covers the years 1966-1992.

New York State Data Center

Provides access to the various statistical series for and about New York State's economy and population. Download data as spreadsheet files.

Panel Study of Income Dynamics on the Web
PSID is a longitudinal survey covering economic and demographic information on both families and individuals. Content focuses on income sources and amounts, employment, family composition changes and residential location. It is a good source of labor statistics. Data can be downloaded directly from the web site. For more detail on how to use this site, see the library printout Panel Study of Income Dynamics on the Web, available in the Online and Data Services Office in Bartle Library.

STAT-USA/Internet Home Page BU Only
Click on State of the Nation to find statistical data on economic indicators, employment, international trade, industry, national income and product accounts, etc. Some statistics updated daily or weekly.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. Selected international data are also included. The Abstract is also your Guide to Sources of other data from the Census Bureau, other Federal agencies, and private organizations. 

USA Trade Online
U.S. export and import information on more than 18,000 commodities world wide. Users must access this database from a PC in Bartle Library. Go to the Bartle Reference desk to get the password.

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) WRDS is the interface used to access the Compustat, CRSP, Global Insight, and other large financial and economic data files. Use of these files requires registration and is strictly restricted to Binghamton University faculty and students. The files of interest to Economics students are listed on this page, however, for a complete list of the available data files, go to the WRDS library page.

International

B&E Datalinks
This page is sponsored by the Business and Economic Statistics division of the American Statistical Association. It provides links to national and international data sources.

China Data Online
Provides access to monthly and annual macroeconomic statistics, monthly reports on economic development, city and county data, and industrial sector data. This is a single user only database. Searching of the statistical databases is allowed, but not the yearbooks or census data. It can only be used in the library. Go to the Bartle Reference desk to get the password.

Davidson Data Center & Network (DDCN)
DDCN is an integrated, fully searchable database on transition and emerging markets. DDCN archives and provides (mostly) free access to socio-economic micro and macro data on transition economies.

Direction of Trade Statistics and The Historical Direction of Trade Statistics (CD-ROM))
Covers trade flows from one region of the world to another. The Historical Direction of Trade Statistics CD-ROM, which complements this title, has coverage from 55,000 time series of annual, quarterly, and monthly trade data for approximately 200 countries from 1948 to 1980.

International Energy Agency
Has international statistics for coal, oil, etc.

International Financial Statistics Online
Statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance from 200+ IMF countries. Contains approximately 32,000 time series of financial and economic data. International and domestic finance statistics for most countries of the world. Financial data includes exchange rates, international liquidity, international banking, money and banking, etc. IFS Online tutorial

Japan Statistical Yearbook
Comprehensive summary of basic statistical information, covering demographics, land, economics, society, and culture. Files are available in both PDF and Excel format.

Penn World Tables provides national income accounts-type of variables converted to international prices. The data can be accessed via Wharton Research Data Services (see above).

Statistical Resources on the Web
Provides numerous links to statistical sites.

Statistical Universe BU Only
This is an index to over 100,000 publications, including those from the U.S government and states, other countries, and national and international organizations.

The Statistics Homepage
This is an electronic online textbook which "offers training in the understanding and application of statistics".

Economics Resources | Business and Economic Resources