Research Guides: Economics Research Guide: Websites

U.S. Statistics

Federal Government websites

Data.Census.gov
(Data that was previously found on American Factfinder) This new database from the US Census Bureau is used to find population, housing, and business statistics including population, housing, race, economics, and social characteristics. summaries, and the economic census.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Find data on wages and earnings by occupation and geographic area, as well as, earning by other variables such as: education, age, sex, race, etc. Also consumer materials here, like the Consumer Expenditure Survey.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
One of the Commerce Department's statistical agencies - national, regional, industry and international data.
Bureau of the Public Debt
Congressional Budget Office
Council of Economic Advisors
Economic Indicators
Economic information on gross domestic product, income, employment, production, business activity, prices, money, credit, and more.
Inflation Statistics
more...less...
Consumer Price Index (CPI), Producer Price Index (PPI), International Consumer Price Index, and Employment cost Index (ECI), are all accessible on this site.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Statistical Abstract of the U.S.
more...less...
Well arranged, easy-to-read tables summarizing international financial statistics, for example, central bank discount rates, exchange rates, external public debt by country, etc. Latest print copy at the Reference Desk HA 202
U.S. Economic Census
more...less...
Profiles the U.S. economy every five years.

Banking & Finance Websites

U.S. Banking, Finance and Monetary Policy

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank
more...less...
The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States. The Fed oversees the nation's monetary policy, banking institutions, etc.
Currency Converter
more...less...
Interactive foreign exchange currency rate calculations
Exchange Rates
more...less...
Provides access to current and historic daily exchange rates.
FDIC
more...less...
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was created in congress to maintain stability in the banking industry. Included at this site are statistics on banking, banking quarterly profile, consumer information, etc.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
more...less...
Information on interest and exchange rates charts, news releases, economic research publications, banking and regulatory information.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
more...less...
FRED database of economic data e.g. business/fiscal, CPI, employment & population, balance of payments, trade data, PPI, banking, etc.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
more...less...
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.

Minnesota Statistics

State of Minnesota websites

Minnesota Department of Trade and Development
more...less...
Minnesota's database of economic and demographic data.
Minnesota - Export & International Trade Statistics
Minnesota State Demographic Center

International Websites & Statistics

International Statistics & Trade websites

Background Notes - US State Dept.
more...less...
U. S. Department of State updates and revises based on reports received from regional bureaus. Information on countries and regions of the world can be found. Gives an overview of the economics of the country, but also history, people, politics, foreign relations, U.S. relations, and travel and business.
Country Briefings - Economist
Find a country in the list of topics to see recent Economist articles about that country.
more...less...
The Economist provides news, country profiles, forecasts, statistics for countries.
Country Studies from the Library of Congress
102 countries and regions covered. Emphasis on areas where US forces maybe deployed. Information provided may include basic geographical information, in-depth historical, political, social and economic coverage. Some graphics. From the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress.
Penn World Tables
more...less...
Data from 152 countries and 29 subjects - Search by regions, then countries
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division
more...less...
Global data - e.g. Millennium Indicators Database lists 48 social and economic indicators by country and years since 1985.
World Bank
World Income Inequality Database
more...less...
Collects and stores information on income inequality for developed & developing countries. Includes the Gini Coefficient
World Bank Open Data
The World Bank's Open Data initiative is intended to provide all users with access to World Bank data. The data catalog is a listing of available World Bank datasets, including databases, pre-formatted tables, reports, and other resources.

Investment Websites

Some useful websites for investing:

SEC Edgar
Public Register Online Annual Report Service
more...less...
Direct links to annual reports for thousands of companies.
Futures and Options
more...less...
An extensive list maintained by the Office of Futures and Options Research at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne
IPO Central
more...less...
Part of Hoover's online, this site provides background on the IPO process, as well as a directory of filings. A section called "IPOs in registration" covers companies that have filed with the SEC, but have not yet begun trading.
NASDAQ
New York Stock Exchange
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Evaluating Websites

Things to Consider:

Authorship (who is responsible for the information)
Accuracy (how accurate)
Currency (how current)
Publishing Body (consider URL such as .com, .org, etc)
Point of View (the bias)
Appropriateness (how will this affect your research)

More info

Also check out our Statistical & Census Data Guide for more information.