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Environmental Design Library
Statistics & Data for City Planning: United States
Gateways
Using Statistics
Numeric & Spatial Data Sources
Statistical Abstracts + 		U.S. Census Guides & Statistics:
Guides | Current | Historical | Maps
California Statistics
Campus Resources
Statistics & Data for City Planning: United States is a bibliographic research guide to UC Berkeley library and Web resources for socioeconomic and demographic data and statistics relevant to city planning. The guide has a U.S. focus with a California emphasis; for international statistical sources see Statistics & Data for City Planning: International. For additional assistance, please consult the Environmental Design Library reference staff, 210 Wurster Hall.

UC Berkeley faculty, registered students, and staff who are off campus may use items marked UCB Only or UC Only through The Library's proxy service.

Contents reviewed: 1 July 2009 Conditions of Use

    Gateways

  1. American factfinder (U.S. Census Bureau) Great starting place. Data sources include the decennial and economic censuses, the population estimates program, and the American Community Survey. Users can create tables, reports, or maps with information on their community. Some data are available at the census tract, block, or zip code levels.
    2. http://factfinder.census.gov/java_prod/dads.ui.homePage.HomePage
  2. Data.gov - UC Only  Includes a geodata catalog, and searchable list of links to a wide range of data databases generated by the U.S. Executive Branch.
    3. http://www.data.gov/
  3. DataPlace Easy-to-use source of U.S. housing and demographic data from the census tract to the national level.  Currently contains data from the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, as well as home mortgage, Section 8, and housing needs data.  Create your own maps. Includes nice directory of other online data sources.
    4. http://www.dataplace.org/
  4. Federal government statistics (UC Berkeley, Library) Links to major online statistical databases. Includes descriptions of coverage.
    5. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/govinfo/federal/gov_usstat.html
  5. Index to current urban documents - UCB Only  This unique collection of American and some Canadian local government publications is a good source of local statistics and local runs of census data. Selected microfiche copies of California reports from this collection are available in the Environmental Design Library (Microfiche 10010). The collection from 1983 to present is available at the Insitute of Governmental Studies Library.
    6. Online ed.: 1995--; http://uclibs.org/PID/7547; paper ed.: 1972--; EnvDesign JS13 A12M85 Index
  6. RAND California (RAND) Includes many interesting features, including an extensive database on California and its cities and counties, ranging from the economy to crime rates to housing, and an online index of public policy and research publications. Like American Factfinder the user can custom-design tables of statistics.
    7. http://ca.rand.org/
  7. STAT-USA/Internet - UC Only  Contains economic and business information from over 50 Federal agencies.
    8. http://www.stat-usa.gov/
  8. State of the cities data systems (HUD User) For individual metropolitan areas, central cities, and suburbs, presents business, crime, public finance data and more, as well as demographic and economic data from the 1970-2000 U.S. censuses (when available), . 
    9. http://socds.huduser.org/index.html
  9. Statistical information via Lexis-Nexis - UCB Only Indexes statistical publications issued by the U.S. federal government and other groups. Abstracts provided for all documents. Full-text microfiche available for most titles, in Doe Reference Center or the Business & Economics Library.
    10. Online ed.: 1970/83--; http://web.lexis-nexis.com/statuniv; print equivalents available in Doe Refe or Busi & Econ.
  10. Statistical resources on the Web (Univ. of Michigan, Documents Center)  Comprehensive. Excellent starting point.
    11. http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html


    Using Statistics  Here is a selection of books on using and interpreting statistics and data in the social sciences. To find additional titles, try the following subject searches in the Library's online catalogs:
    Social sciences -- Research -- Methodology
    Social sciences -- Statistical methods
    Social sciences -- Statistics
    Statistics -- Graphic methods

  1. The Chicago guide to writing about numbers, by Jane E. Miller. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2004.  Table of contents.
    2. EnvDesign, Doe/Refe, Bus & Econ, Engin T11 M485 2004
  2. The Essentials of statistics: a tool for social research, by Joseph F. Healey. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Abbreviated version of: Statistics: a tool for social research.
    3. EnvDesign HA29 H39 2007
  3. Handbook of applied social research methods, Leonard Bickman and Debra J. Rog, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998.
    4. EnvDesign, Main, PubHealth H62 H24534 1998
  4. How to think about statistics, by John L. Phillips. 6th ed. NY: W.H. Freeman and Co., 2000.
    5. EnvDesign, Main HA29 P517 2000
  5. Interpreting quantitative data, by David Byrne. London: Sage, 2002.
    6. EnvDesign, Bus & Econ HA35 B97 2002
  6. Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies, by Robert S. Weiss. NY: Free Press, 1995, c1994.  Note Chapter 6: Analysis of Data.
    7. EnvDesign HN29 W42 1995
  7. Statistics: a tool for social research, by Joseph F. Healey. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publ., 2005.
    8. EnvDesign HA29 H39 2005
  8. The Uses and misuses of data and models: the mathematization of the human sciences, by W. James Bradley, Kurt C. Schaefer. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1998.
    9. EnvDesign, Main H61.25 B69 1998
  9. The Visual display of quantitative information, by Edward R. Tufte. 2nd ed. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, 2001.
    10. EnvDesign, Engin QA276.3 T83 2001

    Numeric & Spatial Data Sources  Here is a selection of numeric data collections for the social sciences. To find additional data sets, try the following search strategies in the Library's OskiCat catalog. Neither search strategy is perfect; we're working on it! NOTE: Neither of these strategies will work in the Melvyl® online catalog.
    Strategy 1: Search results include ICPSR and other new numeric data sets.
    Choose Advanced Search
    Select Genre/Physical Charac (exact) from the drop-down menu of search types
    Type data set in the search for box
    To narrow your search results by topic, type subject terms in the second search for box,
    & select subject keywords from the drop-down menu of search types.

    Strategy 2: Search results are limited to CD-ROMs in Doe Reference, where most of the social sciences data collections are held.
    Choose Advanced Search
    Limit your search by location: DREF
    Limit your search by publication format: Computer Files
    To narrow your search results by topic, type subject terms in the second search for box,
    & select subject keywords from the drop-down menu of search types.

  1. The California spatial information library: statewide data index (CaSIL) (California Geographic Information Systems(GIS)) Provides metadata, sample views, and ftp links to some of California's physical and cultural geospatial information, previously distributed by the Teale Data Center.
    2. http://gis.ca.gov/data.epl
  2. Econometrics Laboratory data sources (UC Berkeley, Econometrics Laboratory) - UCB Only A comprehensive listing of statistical and other data resources for economic analysis available via the web to UC Berkeley faculty and students. Includes links to U.S. Census sources, other federal statistics sources, international and foreign official sources, as well as a variety of social science and business data sources, and some locally developed datasets.
    3. http://elsa.berkeley.edu/eml/emldata.shtml
  3. GIS in the Earth Sciences & Map Library (UC Berkeley) Site includes selective list of GIS databases available in the library, as well as links to web sites with downloadable GIS data.
    4. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/gis.html
  4. Integrated public use microdata series (IPUMS) (Univ. of Minnesota, Minnesota Population Center) Consists of 38 samples of the American population drawn from every surviving census from 1850-2000 and from the American Community Surveys of 2000-2004. 
    5. http://usa.ipums.org/usa/
  5. ICPSR direct (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) (Univ. of Michigan, Institute for Social Research) - UC Only Supplies data files for use with statistical software, such as SAS, SPSS, and Stata. The ICPSR data sets are cataloged in the Library's online catalogs.
    6. http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/
  6. Social science & government data library (UC Berkeley) Provides Internet and ftp access to important data resources including U.S. census data (1970, 1990, 2000). Site includes links to other online data libraries.
    7. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GovData/info/
  7. UC Data: data archive & technical assistance (UC Berkeley, Survey Research Center) UC Berkeley's principal archive of computerized social science and health sciences data.
    8. http://ucdata.berkeley.edu/

    Statistical Abstracts  Statistical abstracts gather statistical tables from a variety of sources and (re)publish them together. The best statistical abstracts, such as those listed here, include the original source of each table. Note that the Doe Reference Center has statistical abstracts from many state governments.

  1. California statistical abstract (Calif. Dept. of Finance) A cooperative effort by public and private agencies to compile annual data on social, economic and physical aspects of the state. Annual.
    2. Online ed.: 2000-2005; http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/fs_data/Fs_home.htm; paper ed.: EnvDesign HA261 A3 latest Reference Desk
  2. County & city data book  Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Provides socioeconomic data for individual American cities and counties.
    3. Online coverage: 1944--; http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/ccdb/. Paper ed.: 1947--; EnvDesign HA203 A33 latest Reference Desk
  3. Statistical abstract of the United States (U.S. Census Bureau) Standard compilation of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the U.S. Convenient for facts and figures, and as a guide to other statistical publications and sources. Covers U.S., regions, and states. Annual.
    4. Online ed.: 1878--; http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html. Paper ed.: 1950--; EnvDesign HA203 A3 latest Reference Desk

    U.S. Census Guides & Statistics  See also California Statistics in this guide, and the American Factfinder.
    Guides | Current | Historical | Maps

    Guides

  1. Unlocking the census with GIS, by Alan Peters and Heather MacDonald. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press, 2004. Focuses on the research needs of "urban analysts," among them city planners, community development organizations, economic development specialists, and transportation planners.  Table of contents.
    2. EnvDesign & Main HA37 U55 P48 2004
  2. 2000 Census:  Introduction to Census 2000 data, (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
    3. http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/products.html
  3. 1990 Census: A Guide to state and local census geography. 1990 Census. U.S. Bureau of the Census and Association of Public Data Users, 1993.
    4. EnvDesign HA201 1990 A355 1993 Reference

    -----. Understanding the census: a guide for marketers, planners, grant writers, and other data users, by Michael R. Lavin. [Phoenix, AZ]: Oryx Press [distributor, library ed.], 1996. Well-organized, easy to read.
    EnvDesign HA201 1990ar Noncirculating
  4. 1980 Census: Users' guide, 1980 census of population and housing. Part A: Text, Part B: Glossary. U.S. Bureau of the Census, [1982].
    5. EnvDesign HA201 1980b Reference
    Current Statistics

  1. U.S. Bureau of the Census  Includes population, housing, and economic data. FTP site.
    2. http://www.census.gov/
  2. Zip code business patterns [computer file]. Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census. 1994-2001--.
    3. Doe Refe HC110 D5 Z57 compu/d Non-circulating. Ask at Doe Reference Desk for accessibility
    Historical Statistics

  1. 1990 Census (U.S. Census Bureau) Interactive 1990 U.S. census data site.
    2. http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen1990.html
  2. Catalog of United States census publications, 1790-1945. [1968].
    3. EnvDesign HA29 A12 U6 1968 Reference
  3. United States historical census data browser (Univ. of Virginia Library & the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) "The data presented here describe the people and the economy of the US for each state and county from 1790 to 1960. [This site] is not intended as a tool for downloading data for further research or more involved manipulation. Those who require the original data should contact their ICPSR OR or ICPSR itself."
    4. http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/
    Maps

  1. American factfinder (U.S. Census Bureau) Users can view or create maps with information on their community. Some data are available at the census tract, block, or zip code levels.
    2. http://factfinder.census.gov/java_prod/dads.ui.homePage.HomePage
  2. Maps and more: your guide to Census Bureau geography. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Good overview of the 1990 census geography; includes information about the TIGER files.
    3. EnvDesign fHA37 U55 M36 1994 Reference
  3. Thomas Bros. maps Excellent street maps in book form, with census tract overlays. Volumes for Bay Area counties are available at the Environmental Design Library Reference Desk.  Other volumes are available in the Earth Sciences/Map Library.

    California Statistics   Listed here are selected statistical sources, in addition to the U.S. Census Bureau, for California regions, counties, cities, etc. Note that city/county/regional general plans can be great sources for local statistics. Check local government and regional governmental agency web sites for data; see California Planning for a list of useful web sites. See also the Institute of Governmental Studies Library list of California statistics sources.  This list is organized into sources for the state as a whole and by regions within the state.

    California

  1. California demographics (Calif. Dept. of Finance, Demographic Research Unit)  Includes California demographic data, selected full-text reports and papers, catalog of publications, etc.
    2. http://www.dof.ca.gov/html/Demograp/druhpar.htm
  2. California economic conditions (UC Berkeley, Library)  Research guide on sources for finding economic information and data on California.
    3. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BUSI/bbg14.html
  3. Census 2000 for California: a friendly guide, by Elias S. Lopez.  Sacramento, CA: California State Library, California Research Bureau, [2002].
    4. Online ed.: http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/02/07/02-007.pdf; paper ed.: Doe Refe HA265 L67 2002 Govt/Stat
  4. Counting California (California Digital Library)  Offers a single interface to raw data compiled by federal, state, and local agencies; allows users to collate and integrate data by topic, geography, title, and provider. Includes demographic and socioeconomic data.
    5. http://countingcalifornia.cdlib.org/
    Regions

  1. ABAG Data center Great source of San Francisco Bay Area economic and demographic statistics. Here is a selection of the categories available. ---Population and demographics ---Land use and maps ---Real estate and housing.
    2. http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/overview/datacenter/
  2. Bay Area census (Metropolitan Transportation Commission & the Association of Bay Area Governments) Very useful and well-designed site. Aggregates Census 2000 data for the nine Bay Area counties. Includes maps.
    3. http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/
  3. Census 2000. San Francisco Bay Area demographic profiles: data summary #2, Planning Section, Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Oakland, CA: Planning Section, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, 2001.
    4. Online access: ftp://ftp.abag.ca.gov/pub/mtc/census2000/DataSummary/; paper ed.: EnvDesign HA267 S381 S23 2001 Reference Desk
  4. East Bay profile (Economic Development Alliance for Business) Provides economic, demographic, and quality of life information. Also includes a description of the region and information on 15 cities in the East Bay (SF Bay Area).
    5. http://www.edab.org/
  5. Index of Silicon Valley (Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network) The JVSVN is a non-profit regional collaborative. The annual Index provides a set of indicators tracking the Silicon Valley's economy and quality of life.
    6. Online coverage: 2004--, http://www.jointventure.org/publicatons/siliconvalleyindex.html; Paper ed.:  2000--; EnvDesign F868 S25 J75 Reference
  6. Projections...: forecasts for the San Francisco Bay Area to the year..., population, households, income, employment. Association of Bay Area Governments. Oakland: ABAG. Provides a wealth of demographic data and projections for the 9-county region, each county and city.
    7. Online ed.: http://www.abag.ca.gov/; paper ed.: EnvDesign HD5726 S4 P72 latest Reference Desk; Reference
  7. Silicon Valley projections: transportation, housing, education, environment. Prepared by the Association of Bay Area Governments. Oakland: The Association.
    8. Online ed.: 2004--, http://www.svlg.net/press/library/; paper ed.: 1999--; EnvDesign HD5725 C2 S57 Noncirculating
  8. A Statistical tour of California's great Central Valley, by Kenneth W. Umbach, California Research Bureau, California State Library, 1997.
    9. Online ed.: http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/97/09/index.html; paper ed.: EnvDesign F868 C45 U46 1998  Reference & circ.



    Campus Resources  Here are a few campus locations that have significant collections of statistics, or numeric or spatial data.

    Business & Economics
    Student Services Wing
    Haas School of Business
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BUSI/

    Doe Reference Center
    2nd Floor, Doe Library
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/reference.html

    Earth Sciences & Map Library
    50 McCone Hall
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/      		Econmetrics Laboratory
    549 Evans Hall
    http://emlab.berkeley.edu/eml/index.shtml 

    Environmental Design Library
    210 Wurster Hall
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/ENVI/ 

    Institute of Governmental Studies Library
    109 Moses Hall 
    http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/     		Library Data Lab
    208A Doe Library
    http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/datalab/

    Survey Research Center
    2538 Channing Way
    http://ucdata.berkeley.edu:7101/


Compiled by Deborah Sommer
City Planning & Landscape Architecture Librarian
Environmental Design Library
Originally compiled in 1999

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