LibGuides: Statistics: Start

Disappearing Government Data

We are monitoring the disappearance of government data and websites; the removal began on 2/1/25. Many individuals and organizations have been collecting and compiling removed data. You can find links to many of those here. If you come across links that are not here, please email us to have it included.

Guides from Other Libraries: We are indebted to the work being done by libraries and other organizations to document and preserve removed data. We will link to guides and resources as we become aware of them.

Finding Government Information during the 2025 Administration Transition - from the University of Minnesota libraries: "This guide will point to resources that identify and track steps taken by the Trump administration and Congress to scale back or eliminate access to federal government information. It also provides links to groups performing data and website rescue."
Disappearing Federal Data - from Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound

General/Overall:

End of Term Web Archive
GovWayback - access government documents via the Wayback Machine from prior to January 20, 2025 using the directions provided

Environmental Data & Information:

Public Environmental Data Project - read about the project here
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data - from the Urban Ocean Lab

Heath Data & Information:

Restored CDC - RestoredCDC.org is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or any government entity. Read more about the project.
CDC Guidelines - from Jessica Valenti, includes information about contraception, sexual health, youth, LGBTQIA, sexual & intimate partner violence
CDC Datasets

Bluesky users are encouraged to follow the Data Rescue Project (@datarescueproject.org) for updates on efforts and groups who are working to preserve data. The account also provides a "starter pack" of similar accounts to follow. You can also visit their website.

Interested in contributing to data rescue? Read "Curating for Data Rescue" by the Data Curation Network. You can also consult the checklist for USA federal data backups from MIT libraries.

Researching Statistics

Finding statistics can be frustrating, challenging and exciting. You will not find everything you're looking for in a neat and tidy package. You might have to spend a lot of time sifting through sources to find the statistics you're looking for. Persistence and perseverance can pay off! When looking for statistics, ask yourself these questions:

Who/what would collect statistics on my topic?
Countless organizations collect data, including governments (federal, state, and local), news organizations, nonprofits, institutes, think tanks, and researchers. To find them, try some online searches: "Health statistics" or "housing statistics." Once you find organizations, however, be sure to evaluate the site. Where do their data come from? Do they seem reliable? Do they report their methodologies (how they collect the data)? Feel free to check with a librarian if you'd like more help vetting sources.

How would statistics on my topic be made public?
You can find statistics in a number of places, both in print and online. Many organizations publish statistics on their websites. News articles frequently contain statistics. Researchers will publish their statistics in books and journals. Keep in mind that not every statistic is publicly available, however.

Remember to be flexible! The statistics you're looking for might not have been collected exactly how you envision. The question asked by the original researchers might not be framed the same way you are framing your inquiry. Or the data may not be as nuanced as you would like (for instance, you might find statistics about dog ownership but not specifically chocolate lab ownership). Go into it with an open mind. See what statistics exist and use what you find to shape your inquiry and approach.

In addition to the resources on this guide, you may also want to look at more of our online research guides for your area of study, as the guides may contain additional information about statistics. For example, if you're looking for health statistics, consult the Health & Exercise Sciences research guide or Nursing research guide, which will outline ways and places to find information in those related areas.

This guide is a starting point and designed to give you ideas of the kinds of places that publish statistics on various topics. It is definitely not comprehensive, so please don't hesitate to ask a librarian for further assistance.

Additional Guides to Statistics

Here are some guides from other libraries. While some information might be restricted, a lot of the information you'll find on these guides is publicly available.

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