Skip to Main Content

Economics

This guide provides a starting place for economic research. Find data, analyses, and more.

U.S. Data Resources & Economic Indicators

  • The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)
    (CBPP) was founded in 1981 to analyze federal budget priorities, with a particular focus on how budget choices affect low-income Americans.
  • Current Population Survey Data for Social, Economic, and Health Research
    IPUMS is provided by the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota, and they also provide resources to harmonize the data to help user's analyzing change over time.
  • Data.gov
    The Home of the U.S. Government's Open Data - you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more.
  • Economic Policy Institute Data Library
    The State of Working America Data Library provides researchers, media, and the public with easily accessible, up-to-date, and comprehensive historical data on the American labor force.
  • Employment Research Data Center
    Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, the Upjohn Institute serves as the data repository for many research and evaluation projects. Data from these projects (along with specific information related to the data) and final reports are offered via download at no charge. 
  • Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research (FRASER)
    Provides access to historical U.S. government economic data publications and statistical releases dating from 1900 onward.
  • Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
    Provides historical data sets for U.S. economic indicators gathered by the Federal Reserve banks. Includes daily interest rates, monetary indicators, balance of payments, etc. Also available is vintage economic data through ALFRED and mapped data through GeoFRED.
  • FreeLunch.com 
    Free Lunch provides a easy-to-use interface to download financial and economic data from a variety of reliable sources. Moody’s Analytics helps capital markets and credit risk management professionals worldwide respond to an evolving marketplace with confidence.
  • National Bureau of Economic Research Data Archive
    The NBER Public Use Data Archive is an eclectic mix of public-use economic, demographic, and enterprise data obtained over the years to satisfy the specific requests of NBER-affiliated researchers for particular projects.
  • Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) 
    The survey data include information on families’ balance sheets, pensions, income, and demographic characteristics. Information is also included from related surveys of pension providers and the earlier such surveys conducted by the Federal Reserve Board. 
  • U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
    This resource provides accurate and objective data about the nation's economy. While this resource covers a wide variety of economic indicators, a few examples would be GDP by state, personal income, employment by industry, etc.
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
    BLS is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as part of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. Browse data via subject area, latest publications, etc. 
  • U.S. Census Bureau 
    The Nation's leading provider of quality data about its people and economy. For a historical data, visit the Statistical Abstract of the United States.
    • Census Business Builder - a suite of services that provide selected demographic and economic data from the Census Bureau tailored to specific types of users in a simple to access and use format. More information on business, visit the Statistics of U.S. Businesses page.

Global Data & Economic Indicators

  • Eurostat
  • Statistical information at subnational level is an important tool for highlighting specific regional and territorial characteristics, similarities and differences. Eurostat has therefore developed a range of statistics based on different classifications to provide a more detailed picture. These statistics cover the following aspects: regions, cities, degree of urbanisation, metropolitan regions, rural development, coastal, island, and outermost regions.
  • Human Development Index
  • Human development – or the human development approach - is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities and choices.
  • IPUMS
    Provides census and survey data from around the world integrated across time and space. IPUMS integration and documentation makes it easy to study change, conduct comparative research, merge information across data types, and analyze individuals within family and community contexts. Data and services available free of charge.
  • The Maddison Project
    The Maddison Project Database provides information on comparative economic growth and income levels over the very long run. The 2023 version of this database covers 169 countries and the period up to 2022.
  • Our World in Data
    To make progress against the pressing problems the world faces, we need to be informed by the best research and data. Our World in Data makes this knowledge accessible and understandable, to empower those working to build a better world.
  • Trading Economics
    Trading Economics provides accurate information for 196 countries including historical data and forecasts for more than 20 million economic indicators, exchange rates, stock market indexes, government bond yields and commodity prices.
  • The United Nations Statistics Division - Country Profiles
    In its mission to promote the development of national statistical systems, has developed a central repository of country profiles of statistical systems. See below a list of countries and organizations which includes a brief history of the country's statistical system, legal basis, etc.
  • World Bank Indicators 
    At the World Bank, the Development Data Group coordinates statistical and data work and maintains a number of macro, financial and sector databases. Working closely with the Bank’s regions and Global Practices, the group is guided by professional standards in the collection, compilation and dissemination of data to ensure that all data users can have confidence in the quality and integrity of the data produced.