Statistical Data: Search Strategies

Strategy 1. Start with a finding aid. Details

Strategy 2. Start with a statistical compendium. Details

1. Look in the compendium for general statistics of interest.
2. Look in the footnotes or source notes for the source(s) of those statistics.
3. Find those sources. Often they contain more detailed or comprehensive statistics than the compendium.

Strategy 3. Start with an agency or organization.

1. Find government agencies, an agency's statistical programs, non-governmental organizations, or private organizations that may produce statistics of interest. Details
2. Look for a statistical compendium produced by the agency/organization of interest that might include relevant data. Details
3. Look for statistics of interest at the websites and statistical publications of those agencies/organizations.

Strategy 4. Look for relevant statistics reported in books, journal articles, or newspaper articles. Find the source of those statistics.

Strategy 5. Search the Internet using your favorite search engine. This may be a more effective strategy for statistics that are not published by the federal government or through other traditional publications.