All Guides: Social Science Data: International/ U.S./ Local

Commonly Used Data Sources

This page includes data sources frequently used by Macalester students across the Social Science disciplines.

World Development Indicators (WDI) This link opens in a new window
Data includes social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators which can be scaled, indexed against a particular year, viewed by percentage change and charted.

Worldbank Microdata Library
The Microdata Library facilitates access to data collected through sample surveys of households, business establishments or other facilities.

Global Health Observatory Data Repository
The GHO data repository contains an extensive list of indicators, which can be selected by theme or through a multi-dimension query functionality. It is the World Health Organization's main health statistics repository.
FAOSTAT
International agriculture data.
International Household Survey Network Catalog
The International Household Survey Network (IHSN) is an informal network of international agencies that operates solely on the basis of voluntary contributions.

Census Bureau (replaces AmericanFactFinder)
Portal for accessing U.S. Census data. Includes data from decennial summary files, American Community Survey, Economic Census, and more. Most census data collected in the past two years are not included.
American National Election Studies
ANES produces high quality data from its own surveys on voting, public opinion, and political participation.

National Center for Education Statistics This link opens in a new window
The primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations.

Open Data Minneapolis
Access to public data about the city of Minneapolis.
Open Twin Cities
Citizen driven open data project for the Twin Cities.
Minnesota Health Access Survey (MHAS)
The Minnesota Health Access Survey is a large-scale population survey that studies how Minnesotans access health insurance and health care services. Results from the survey inform policy that can help improve access to health care and health insurance for all Minnesotans. To access the data, click the link to the Minnesota Health Access Survey Interactive Data Tool
Minnesota Geospatial Commons
The Minnesota Geospatial Commons is a collaborative place for users and publishers of geospatial resources about Minnesota.
MN Public Health Data Access Portal
Environmental public health data can be used to inform policies, change behavior and help communities uncover issues to develop solutions and protections for the hazards, exposures and socioeconomic factors that influence our health. Search here to find environmental issues, trends, geographic patterns and disparities in Minnesota.
MN Department of Education Data Reports and Analytics
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) collects and maintains a great deal of information about P-12 education in the state of Minnesota, including: school finance data, school performance data.
facilities data, and data required for federal reporting and compliance.