MGH Guides: Population Data: Population Data

Overview

Writing a paper about a specific population? This LibGuide aims to provide resources on statistics/demographic data on populations. The resources provided can assist you in writing a grant proposal or providing rationale for studying a specific population. As always, please direct any questions to librarian@mghihp.edu.

General Populations

U.S. Census Bureau
This website is a good jumping-off point to look at data about the U.S. population by different variables such as race, age, sex, language use, older adults and aging, and more.
Population Reference Bureau
The World Population Data Sheet by the Population Reference Bureau offers the latest population, health, and environment indicators for more than 200 countries and territories.
Revision of World Population Prospects
The United Nations publishes an annual Revision of World Population Prospects, which includes population estimates and projections. Data are presented in Excel files, interactive data queries, maps, graphs, and more.
The World Bank
The World Bank provides statistical reports and demographic data on the economies of countries around the world.

Specific Populations

Aging

Alzheimer's Disease and Healthy Aging Data Portal
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an interactive site on national and state data on Healthy Aging.

Gender

Minimum Set of Gender Indicators
The United Nations Statistical Commission has created the Minimum Set of Gender Indicators as a guide for national production and international compilation of gender statistics.

Immigration

Office of Immigration Statistics
The Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS), under the Department of Homeland Security, publishes key datasets and resources on immigration data and statistics in the United States.

Low-Income

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
The USICH has statistics at the state level on families and individuals experiencing homelessness displayed in reports and maps.
USDA SNAP Data
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has data and reports on recipients of SNAP, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Mental Health

National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health has statistics on the current prevalence of mental illnesses among the U.S. population.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive (SAMHDA)
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has datasets available for public use in multiple formats on substance use and mental health services at the national and state level.

Physical Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Disability and Health Promotion
The CDC's Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) has state-level health and demographic data about adults with disabilities, as well as data and statistics on healthcare costs and state profiles in the United States.
Chronic Conditions
Downloadable data is available on this website by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for information regarding the prevalence of chronic conditions and Medicare utilization for 21 different chronic conditions.
Disability Statistics
This website by Cornell University provides disability statistics, reports, and research tools and has search filters in order to find statistics related to specific disability types, gender, race, ethnicity, age, and more.
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)
The StatsRRTC produces high quality disability statistics by providing access to timely and relevant disability statistics.
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)
SEER, supported by the National Cancer Institute, has datasets available for download on cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States. The website also features an interactive tool that provides easy access to cancer statistics.
U.S. Department of Labor Disability Statistics
The U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) collects statistics on disability within the workforce to further research and policy initiatives.

Prison

Bureau of Justice Statistics
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) provides resources on data collections, surveys, and publications from state and federal prisoners and prison facilities.

Veterans

National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) releases reports on veteran population data. The website also features an Open Data portal to advance government transparency and promote innovation by making data accessible to the public.