Data Resources on the Web
American Council on Consumer Interests
Consumer policy research and education organization consisting of a world-wide community of researchers, educators and related professionals dedicated to enhancing consumer well-being.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the nation's economic accountant, preparing estimates that illuminate key national, international, and regional aspects of the U.S. economy. This site features summary BEA estimates from the national, regional and international programs — including the latest figures on gross domestic product, personal income and balance of payments. Other features of the site include the full text of all BEA news releases (within four hours of release); the Survey of Current Business, the BEA's monthly journal, beginning with January 1994 and a link to articles from 1921–1997; a customer guide, including a telephone contact list; and the news release schedule.
Commercial Bank and Bank Holding Company Database
Provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, this web site offers the following resources:
- Commercial Bank Data — Report of Condition and Income data are available for all banks regulated by the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Comptroller of the Currency;
- Bank Holding Company Data — financial data are available for all domestic BHC's on a consolidated basis; all large domestic bank holding companies on an unconsolidated parent only basis; and all small domestic bank holding companies on an unconsolidated parent basis.including balance sheet and income information for all three categories;
- FR Y9-C Risk-Based Capital Computation — this spreadsheet is a resource for Bank Holding Companies created to help prepare the Risk-Based Capital schedule on the FR Y-9C report.
This database provides county, state and national level business data. Statistics include number of establishments, payroll (annual and 1st quarter), number of employees and number of establishments by size class for two-digit SIC industry groupings. The data is collected annually by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
The purpose of Data.gov is to increase public access to high value, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the federal government. This functions as a one stop location for many government databases.
Federal Reserve Board Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Information
The Community Reinvestment Act is intended to encourage depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. It was enacted by the Congress in 1977 and is implemented by Regulation BB (revised in May 1995). The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System maintains a comprehensive site covering depository institutions examined by the Federal Reserve. CRA information on other depository institutions is available from:
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
Interagency information about the CRA is available from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC).
Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) is the leading provider of business-to-business credit, marketing, purchasing and receivables management and decision-support services worldwide. In the business-to-business marketplace, Dun & Bradstreet is the indispensable source of content, information-management expertise and business insight that customers need to make more informed decisions and build profitable relationships. D&B's comprehensive database now covers more than 53 million businesses in over 200 countries. Their web site provides insight into a multitude of D&B's products and services, from Account Scoring Models to Data Rationalization Services. (Available with a subscription or for a fee.)
Electronic Statistic Textbook (StatSoft)
This Electronic Statistics Textbook offers training in the understanding and application of statistics. The material was developed at the StatSoft R&D department based on many years of teaching undergraduate and graduate statistics courses and covers a wide variety of applications, including laboratory research (biomedical, agricultural, etc.), business statistics and forecasting, social science statistics and survey research, data mining, engineering and quality control applications and many others.
The Electronic Textbook begins with an overview of the relevant elementary (pivotal) concepts and continues with a more in depth exploration of specific areas of statistics, organized by "modules," accessible by buttons, representing classes of analytic techniques. A glossary of statistical terms and a list of references for further study are included.
More than 70 agencies in the United States federal government produce statistics of interest to the public. The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy maintains this site to provide easy access to the full range of statistics and information produced by these agencies for public use.
Maintained by the Ohio State University, Financial Data Finder taps a comprehensive archival database of websites targeted for finance researchers and scholars. Included in the database are historical data, research, news, reports and links covering a broad range of topics, including banks, commodities, financial institutions, international finance, risk management, personal finance, real estate, venture capital and more.
Global Financial Data's database is an extensive, comprehensive collection of financial historical data. Included in the database are more than 5,000 data files from over 150 different countries. The data are recorded daily, weekly, monthly and annually. This site offers several annual data series, including Stock Markets since 1693, Inflation Rates since 1264, Interest Rates since 1700, Commodity Prices since 1257, Exchange Rates since 1800, Global World Stock Market Indices and Total Returns since 1800. (Available with a subscription or for a fee.)
Haver Analytics maintains more than 60 databases of economic and financial data from almost 100 government and private sources. Haver's geographic coverage includes national U.S. and regional U.S., as well as international coverage from Canada, Europe, Japan and emerging markets. The database is updated frequently and contains monthly, quarterly and annual data published by the U.S. government, various newspapers and numerous trade associations (sources include the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dun & Bradstreet, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture). (Available with a subscription or for a fee.)
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Data
This FFIEC site offers a vast amount of information to those interested in HMDA data. One can gain easy access to HMDA-related sites for various HMDA reports, that is, the national aggregate reports that provide a nationwide summation of the individual metropolitan statistical area aggregate reports; or aggregate and disclosure reports that give a broad look at the performance of lending institutions in individual metropolitan areas. One can research information available to the public and financial community, including the history and the purpose of the HMDA.
International Statistical Agencies
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a comprehensive listing of links to many statistical agencies around the globe. Some of the countries covered are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, France Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Philippines, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
National Agricultural Statistics Service
This USDA web site offers a wealth of agriculture-related information. In addition to a variety of historical data, the site provides the most recent Census of Agriculture along with the Research Division findings. One can browse an extensive list of publications, review market news reports by geographical area and examine numerous reports and graphs provided by the National Agricultural Statistics service.
National Credit Union Administration
This website provides a wealth of information related to credit union functioning, regulation, and compliance. While on the site, the user may learn all about credit unions, from their basic definition and types to their history and guidelines on how to start a credit union. In addition, several credit union data sources are available online, including individual credit union data, custom reports, corporate credit union reports and call reports along with call report software.
Panel Study of Income Dynamics
The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), begun in 1968, is a longitudinal study of a representative sample of U.S. individuals and the family units in which they reside. It emphasizes the dynamic aspects of economic and demographic behavior, but its content is broad, including sociological and psychological measures. PSID data can be used for cross-sectional, longitudinal and intergenerational analysis and for studying both individuals and families. The study is conducted at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
The Lab supports a wide range of academic and scholarly activities through access to extensive collections of numeric and geospatial data files; computing facilities and software for data manipulation, research and instruction; and a suite of Internet-accessible data extraction tools.
The Scout Report is the flagship publication of the Internet Scout Project. Published every Friday both on the web and by e-mail, it provides a fast, convenient way to stay informed of valuable resources on the Internet. Published continuously since 1994, the Scout Report is one of the Internet's oldest and most respected publications. The Internet Scout Project is located in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The project has several focus areas, including business and economics and social sciences. The target audience of the Scout Report for Business and Economics is faculty, students, staff and librarians in business and economics. Each biweekly issue offers a selective collection of Internet resources covering topics in the field that have been chosen by librarians and content specialists in the given area of study.
The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is a triennial survey of the balance sheet, pension, income, and other demographic characteristics of U.S. families. The survey also gathers information on use of financial institutions. The links to the surveys this page offers provide summary results of the surveys, codebooks and related documentation and full public data sets.
United States Bureau of the Census
This site offers easy access to a wide variety of socioeconomic, demographic and business data. U.S. Bureau of the Census also features the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which provides source and amount of income, labor force information, program participation and eligibility data and general demographic characteristics. The survey's purpose is to measure the effectiveness of existing federal, state and local programs; to estimate future costs and coverage for government programs, such as food stamps; and to provide improved statistics on the distribution of income in the country.
Another tool, Characteristics of Business Owners Survey, provides the only national data available for comparing selected economic, demographic and sociological characteristics among minority, women, non-minority male and all business owners and their businesses.
Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics
This site provides a wealth of information on employment and unemployment, prices and living conditions, compensation and working conditions, productivity and technology. It also offers basic economic data, including labor market conditions (civilian labor force, unemployment statistics, employee and nonfarm payrolls); hours, earning and productivity indicators (average weekly hours and average weekly earnings, employment cost index and productivity); and price indices (Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index). In addition, news releases dealing with various labor issues are presented. Finally, the site features numerous Surveys and Programs, including the Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, the Consumer Expenditures Survey and the National Compensation Survey.
