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Social Work Statistics

USA.gov - index to the US Government Information

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The US Government is one of the largest collectors and distributor of statistics, both notioonally and internationally.  As the U.S. government's official web portal, USA.gov makes it easy for the public to get U.S. government information and services on the web. It provides  links to websites of the federal government, quasi-government agencies, and those created by public sector/private sector partnerships; state and local governments; and recognized Indian tribes. In rare instances, the sites link to websites that are not government-owned or government-sponsored if these websites provide government information and/or services in a way that is not available on an official government website.  USA.gov is an interagency initiative administered by the Federal Citizen Information Center, a division of the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.

USA.gov Fact Sheet
Download a copy of the USA.gov Fact Sheet in PDF format (PDF)               

US Government Sources

Many US Government agencies provide statistics and studies on topics related to their charges.  This is by-no-means a complete list, just a sample to give you an idea of the range of sources that exist.  Some of their subagencies or divisions may be broken out if they are of special interest, but there may be other divisions under each Department which might be helpful for your specific topic.

 

Sources from NGOs or Multiple Gov Agencies

Ageing Stats - Provided by a forum of federal agencies, this resource includes Older Americans 2008: Key Indicators of Well Being, health care and health risks for older Americans data, and access to reports on Retirement Resources, focusing on economic resources of the U.S. population nearing age 65.

Alliance for Aging Research - The Silver Book - A searchable database of hundreds of facts, statistics, graphs, and information from close to 100 agencies, organizations and experts.

Alzheimer's Association - Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures - report is a comprehensive statistical abstract of U.S. data on Alzheimer’s disease that includes:  prevalence, mortality, the costs of Alzheimer care, caregiving

AARP Research Center. Surveys and Statistics includes the results from AARP’s own polls on aging topics and reports compiled from data from national and state agencies making the data available as briefs.

Aging Integrated Database (AGID).- Provides tables and geographic characteristics that detail expenditures on services to older Americans as required by the Older Americans Act. Statistical information on caregivers, senior centers, abuse prevention, and more are available.

American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging - (AAHSA) Statistics on aging services by type, demographic profile, and costs. Data -about nursing homes and home health operations, including information on staffing levels, inspection results, quality indicators, quality measures, nursing home five-star rating system, and other statistics.

ChildHelp - national non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Includes a collection of abuse statistics.

Federal Bureau of Investigation - includes crime statistics, criminal background checks, laboratory services, training, victim assistance, and more.

Childstats.gov Compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, this site serves as a portal to an assortment of data on children and families reported by 22 different government agencies. “America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being” is an annual online publication of the Forum. Users can view the full report or scan through its highlights. In addition to demographic statistics, data are available on topics such as emotional and behavioral difficulties, health care, family and social environment, and more.

Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) FastStats: Mental Health - access to basic mental health statistics. More Data section includes statistical surveys and publications like Depression in the United States Household Population, access to the mental health trend tables from and more. Data sets are available for downloading and searching.

Information Please - A well known almanac providing answers to all kinds of factual questions since 1938—first as a popular radio quiz show, then starting in 1947 as an annual almanac, and since 1998 on the Internet

MetLife Mature Market Institute - Contains various studies on the demographics of aging. Also includes caregiving, long-term care, and retirement.

National Alliance to End Homelessness - a nonprofit, non-partisan, organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. By improving policy, building capacity, and educating opinion leaders. Includes many reports with statistics such as : State of Homelessness in America 2011 and Statistics and Facts about Youth Homelessness

National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. maintained by Cornell University, data archived on child welfare and maltreatment allows for secondary analysis. Nearly all data sets are free.

United States Conference of Mayors - the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,296 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Publications include:City Responses to Domestic Violence: A 77-City Survey, 2012 Hunger and Homelessness Survey (December 2012) and Childhood Anti-Hunger Programs in 24 Cities.
 
University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) - a longitudinal panel study that surveys a representative sample of more than 26,000 Americans over the age of 50 every two years. Supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA U01AG009740) and the Social Security Administration, the HRS explores the changes in labor force participation and the health transitions that individuals undergo toward the end of their work lives and in the years that follow. Collected information about income, work, assets, pension plans, health insurance, disability, physical health and functioning, cognitive functioning, and health care expenditures.