Wide variety of economic, labor, social, environmental, and political indicators from many US government agencies as well as international bodies.
Recording on content and using Data-Planet
ILOSTAT. 1950+
Summary of the principal statistics for over 230 countries on employment, unemployment, labor costs, occupational injuries, industrial disputes and consumer prices.
Recording on content and using ILOSTAT
World Development Indicators
Annual economic, social, educational, environmental and health data from many of the World Bank's major statistical publications. Provides data from 1960 to the present. If researching African nations, also see Africa Development Indicators which has some additional variables. WDI drops items over time and numbers do change.
Recording on using WDI.
American Community Survey (ACS) (1996+)
Producer:United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census.
Scope: Nationwide survey designed to provide communities with a fresh look at how they are changing. 2005 is the first full year. Prior years were small test runs. Replaces the decennial long form. Tells us what the population looks like and how it lives. Includes demographics, socioeconomic status, education, occupation, income, occupancy status, homeownership data, and housing cost data. IPUMS also contains the data in an easier to use format. More recent data may be found directly on the Census website. For summary statistics, use Social Explorer.
Recordings: ACS Methodology; ACS through Social Explorer; ACS through IPUMS
Current Population Survey (CPS) (1962+) (IPUMS CPS interface)
Recording on how to use the methodology and how to use the CPS
Monthly survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A detailed demographic supplement is conducted annually in March, and supplements on other topics, including computer use and school enrollment, are also conducted regularly. Listings documenting the occurrence of current population survey supplements by topic and month are available. Questionnaires and codebooks are available at the Census Bureau site. See the Current Population Reports series for summary reports and methodological papers. While geography is at the state, county, or metropolitan statistical area level, one should use with caution for detailed geography due to the sample size. One should not use for anything other than national, state, or the 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas.
Mexican Migration Project (1982+) (MMP)
Recording on using the MMP
Main focus is to gather social as well as economic information on Mexican-US migration. Each year, during the winter months (when seasonal migrants tend to return home), households in communities located throughout Mexico are randomly sampled. After gathering social, demographic, and economic information on the household and its members, interviewers collect basic immigration information on each person's first and last trip to the United States. From household heads and spouses, detailed year-by-year labor history and migration information is compiled; in addition, for household head migrants, a detailed series of questions about their last trip to the U.S. is administered, focusing on employment, earnings, and use of U.S. social services. Information on 27,274 Mexican households, 1,057 U.S. households, and individual-level data on 176,701 individuals. Includes data on remittances. Register at OPR's Data Archive. Once you input your email, OPR will send you an email with a temporary password. Then, you'll be able to access all of their datasets free of charge
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and 1997
Scope: Designed to document the transition from school to work and into adulthood. Collects extensive information about youths' labor market behavior and educational experiences over time. Also included is a survey of the biological children of women in the NLSY79. Documentation is available at the NLS site. See the NLS Investigator guide. A separate file Recidivism in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 - Standalone Data (Rounds 1 to 13 contains recidivism data. Also see the NLS Bibliography.
Sample size:The 1979 survey began with over 12,000 participants. The 1997 survey began with approx. 9,000.
Recording on content and using NLSY
