LEO: Sociology: Demographics and Statistics Online

Government Resources

Various government agencies and offices provide statistics that can be useful for sociology researchers. These sites are all freely accessible online.

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Part of the U.S. Department of Labor. Measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Numerous current and historical statistics are freely available here, including inflation and prices, unemployment and employment, productivity, earnings, and workplace injuries. Useful publications include the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Collects and publishes statistics, including GDP (total, by region, and by industry), consumer spending, personal income and outlays, corporate profits, international balance of payments and trade, and other topics.
Economics and Statistics Administration
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Provides economic analyses, disseminates national economic indicators, and oversees the U.S. Census Bureau (Census) and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. Its site include information on monetary policy, banking information and regulation, payment systems, and other financial topics.
International Trade Administration
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Provides summaries and statistics for international trade in a variety of industries.
United Nations Human Development Reports
Based on the premise that “People are the real wealth of a nation," UN Human Development Reports are issued annually for the countries of the world. They include numerous statistics that describe various factors that impact people's quality of life and serve as guides for national and international policy decisions.
UNdata
By the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Entry point for wide range of UN statistical databases.
U.S. Census Bureau
Serves as leading source of data about the nation's people and economy. Conducts population & housing census every 10 years, economic census every 5 years, census of governments every 5 years, annual community survey, economic indicators reports, and other reports.
The World Bank--Data
The World Bank is a UN institution that makes loans to developing countries and tracks economic development around the world. This site provides free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.

Evaluating Online Information

In the course of your research, you may find other sites with sociological information and statistics. Here are some things to consider when evaluating whether the information you find is credible.

1. Authority--Who created the site/content? What expertise do they have in the topic?

2. Objectivity--What is the purpose of the site/content (an "About" page can help determine this)? Does it present any bias toward the topic? Have the statistics been "framed" in a way that promotes a particular point of view?

3. Accuracy--How does the information correspond to what you already know about the topic? Are sourced cited, and are they reliable?

4. Currency--When was the page created, and when was it last updated?