Select Statistical Sources
Data Sources
| Source | About | Coverage/Frequency | Access |
| American Community Survey (ACS) |
Replaced the Decennial Census long form in 2000. Since 2007 you can find the ACS with multiyear sampling estimates. More information. Also see ACS tables on language use. |
2000-Present; every year | |
| Decennial Census | Composed of short form (basic) and long form (socio-economic). Long form replaced by ACS in 2010 | 1850-2010; every ten years |
Social Explorer |
| Yearbook of Immigration Statistics- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) | Admissions on permanent basis, temporary basis, aylum or refugee status, naturalizations. Replaced the functions of the INS in 2001. | 2002-Present; Every fiscal year | |
| National Center for Health Statistics | Principal source of information on the health of the population of the United States and supports several major data collection programs and survey instruments. | varies on dataset | |
| MassCHIP | MassCHIP provides community-level data to assess health needs, monitor health status indicators, and evaluate health programs. | varies on dataset |
More Helpful Data Sources, Organizations and Policy Reports
- Brookings InstituteProminent public policy research institution that provides reports on immigration written by Brookings Institute fellows.
- Immigration Policy Center (IPC)The research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council (AIC). Especially helpful are the "Issues" and "Research and Publications" headers.
- Interdisciplinary Immigration Workshop at University of California, BerkeleyLinks to various data sources and guides
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)Access to reports and data related to international migration and refugee/asylum flows worldwide, refugee and asylum issues, and migration and economic development.
- Migration Policy Institute (MPI) DatahubPrivate, nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank in Washington D.C. Great resource for immigration statistics, maps and other reports. The "Who's Where in the United States" and "U.S. Historical Immigration Trends" are especially helpful. Summarizes recent American Community Survey data along with reports on immigration policy.
Migration Information Source (MIS), a service of the Migration Policy Institute. Provides authoritative data and concise overviews from numerous global organizations and governments, as well as global analysis of international migration and refugee trends.
Includes a lot of good articles on migration flows by sending and receiving country. - Office of Refugee ResettlementThe Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides new populations with the opportunity to maximize their potential in the United States.
- Pew Hispanic Trends ProjectAccess to statistical portraits, reports and public opinion poll data
- Policy MapMapping tool much like Social Explorer but integrates other data sources from the Department of Homeland security, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S Census, and more.
- Social ExplorerA great mapping tool that allows access to the US decennial census from 1790-2010, The American Community survey from 2005-2011. Very good tool if you want to include geographic visualizations in your essay.
- The Urban InstituteThe Institute gathers and analyzes data, conducts policy research, evaluates programs and services, and educates Americans on critical issues related to the built environment, immigration, employment, and more.
