Research Guides: Economics: Finding Data & Public Policy Research

Census Data Resources

U.S. Census Bureau
Leading source of up-to-date demographic data about the United States people and economy.

Current Population Survey
Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the United States.
Household Pulse Survey
Begun in April 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic, HPS measures emergent social and economic issues impacted households across the country. Available geographies: U.S., states and metropolitan statistical areas.
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In January 2025, HPS will transition to the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS). The HTOPS data will be collected and release every other month.

State Statistics
Contains datasets covering critical social science statistics for the U.S., states, counties, cities, ZIP Codes, and Census Tracts. Access through the Oxy VPN when off campus.

PUMS Data
The U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files are a set of untabulated records about individual people or housing units.

IPUMS
Database of census and survey data from around the world integrated across time and space. Users must create a free account to access.
PolicyMap
Mapping and analytics tool with applications for research related to social sciences, urban studies, real estate and housing analysis, community development, public administration, public health, political science, education, business, economics, statistics, geography, and more.

Opportunity Atlas
Visualize economic opportunity in the United States through an interactive map

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
Federal Reserve
The central bank of the United States, access monetary news, data sets and interactive data visualizations.
Federal Reserve Working Papers
Access research published by the Board of Governors and all 12 Federal Reserve Banks. Covers 1936-Current
FRED Economic Research
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Download, graph, and track 672,000 US and international time series from 89 sources
FRASER
Digital library of U.S. economic, financial, and banking history—particularly the history of the Federal Reserve System.
The Demographic Research Unit of the California Department of Finance
Data on demographic trends, available on a county or state-wide basis, both current and historical.

World Bank
Free and open access to data about development in countries around the globe.
EuroStat
Statistical office of the European Union that provides statistics for Europe. Information is culled from the European Statistical System (ESS), an amalgamation of various statistical bodies.
IMF Data
Search financial statistics by country, topic, or data source. *This is the open source version with limited data available without subscription.
Center for Economic Policy Research
CEPR is Europe’s leading network of Economic Policy Researchers.
OECD Financial Statistics
An international organization working to establish evidence-based standards and find solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges.
International Financial Statistics
Query International Financial Statistics from the IMF by country, topic, or data source. View charts in your browser and download raw data. Note: This is the open version -- limited data available without subscription.
Statistics Bureau of Japan (in English)

Current Population Survey
Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the primary source of labor force statistics for the population of the United States.

State Statistics
Contains datasets covering critical social science statistics for the U.S., states, counties, cities, ZIP Codes, and Census Tracts. Access through the Oxy VPN when off campus.
Pew Research Center
A nonpartisan, nonadvocay fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research, and other data-driven research.
RAND Reports
Research on children and families; education and the arts; energy and environment; health care; infrastructure and transportation; international affairs; law and business; national security; public safety; science and technology.

Urban Institute
Nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity.
The Brookings Institute
Nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. conducting research to improve policy and governance at local, national, and global levels.
The American Enterprise Institute
AEI is a community of scholars and supporters committed to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity and strengthening free enterprise.
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan educational institute dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action.
Center for the Study of Social Policy
Policy research on children and families. 1979-Current.

CLASP Center for Law and Social Policy
CLASP conducts analysis of national, state, and local data to accurately document racial disparities and disparate policy impacts by race to inform our policy recommendations and advocacy.

Southern Poverty Law Center
A nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.
Measure of America-SSRC Project
Provides tools for understanding the distribution of well-being and opportunity in America, health, education, and living standards.
Institute for Research on Poverty
IRP researches the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in the United States. We bring together social scientists from across research disciplines such as economics, sociology, social work, and demography. The result is a well-rounded understanding of poverty issues.
Neighborhood Data for Social Change
A project of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, NDSC is a free, publicly available online resource for civic actors to learn about the trends, challenges, and opportunities facing Los Angeles County neighborhoods through maps, charts, data analysis, and storytelling.