Guides to Economic Literature

• Business, Economics and Labor (MichElecLib)
  • Meta-index to business and economics sources
  • Unique links under human resources, investment, insurance, small business, and workplace safety
  • Site is well organized and many items are annotated

• Data on the Net (UC-San Diego)
  • Searchable and browsable data base of approximately 800 numeric data sites, data archives, catalogs, and commercial vendor web sites
  • All entries are annotated and provide direct links to the web site

• Econdata.Net
  • Annotated guide to 350 sources of social and economic data
  • Focus on regions, states, and metropolitan areas
  • Includes links to State Data Centers and microdata

• Economic Literacy Project (FRB-Minneapolis)
  • Interactive test on general economic principles
  • Survey results from students and the general public
  • Includes articles on increasing American economic literacy

• Economics A-Z (Economist)
  • Dictionary of economic terms
  • Searchable and browsable

• International Relations Data Page (FSU)
  • Extensive annotations for international and U.S. data sets
  • Economic, political, social, environmental, and military variables
  • Sources include data sets from articles and books which would be otherwise difficult to locate

• Resources for Economists (Bill Goffe)
  • Most comprehensive guide to economics on the Internet
  • U.S. and foreign statistical sources
  • Links to newsletters, working papers, journals and organizations
  • Teaching materials, news groups, and job-hunting

• SOSIG Economics Gateway
  • Comprehensive, annotated links to economic journals, economic data sets, exchange rates, stock market reports, and academic economics departments

• WebEc: WWW Resources in Economics
  • Extensive links to economics using the Journal of Economic Literature classification
  • Subjects include economic statistics, industrial organization, mathematics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, labor, regional data, international economics, publications, and libraries
  • Most entries are annotated

Indexes to Economic Statistics

• FedStats
  • Comprehensive listing to statistical programs of over 70 federal government agencies
  • Arranged by agency or program; includes explanatory material and contacts
  • Search engine indexes individual statistical tables by keyword or agency and provides direct connection

• Macroeconomic Time Series Data Locator (Univ. of Chicago)
  • Data base of books, journals, CD-ROMs, web sites and government documents providing economic data
  • Subjects range from consumer price index and consumer confidence to national accounts, tourism, and industrial production
  • Select year, region of the world and subject
  • Note that the search results provide the source rather than the data itself

• Statistical Universe (UMich Only)
  • Indexes and abstracts federal government statistics since 1974; business, association and state government data since 1980, and international agencies since 1983
  • Access through the Search Abstracts menu
  • Delimiters include Boolean operators and numerous proximity indicators, frequency, and comparative data (by city, by foreign country, by age, by disease)
    • Sample Search: population projections and by city
  • About 15% of the abstracts link to full text
  • For items not hot-linked:
    • Write down abstract number (e.g. ASI 1997 9391-7) and bring to the Documents Center for the microfiche version
    • Search title on the web using Google

Compendiums

• Census Bureau
  • Search under Subjects A-Z for a complete listing of available data
  • Economic Census
    • Data from the 1992-2002 Censuses of agriculture,construction,manufactures,retail trade,wholesale trade, and service industries
    • See Economic Censuses for additional information
  • County Business Patterns (establishments and payrolls by industry for states and counties and Current Industrial Reports (shipments by manufacturing industry) regularly update the Economic Censuses
  • Web site includes monthly press releases of additional economic activity
  • Standard Industrial Classification Manual from OSHA/NTIS is a numerical classification used by the Census Bureau for presenting data through 1996; the North American Industrial Classification System is used beginning 1997
  • American Factfinder
    • Extraction program for economic census data since 1997 and population data since 1990
    • Search by geography and subject to create tables in text or spreadsheet format
    • Mapping programs provide reference boundaries and some thematic presentations

• County and City Data Book, 1944+ (UVa)
  • Summary demographic and vital statistics; employment, education, government, housing, production and weather data
  • For states, counties, and all cities of 25,000+
  • Statistics are a compilation from various sources, including the Census
  • To choose multiple geographic areas, click on the first area with a mouse; press the control key and click on the next area
  • The output may be sorted geographically or by value of the variable
  • 2000 Edition is available from the Census Bureau in pdf format

• Economic Report of the President, 1996+ (GPO)
  • Historical summary of key economic statistics with future projections
  • Implications for government economic policy
  • Issues from 1947 to the present also available through the Federal Reserve Board's Fraser

• Economic Statistics Briefing Room (White House)
  • The latest national economic statistics in summary form
  • Subjects include income, output, employment and earnings, prices, money, transportation, and international trade
  • Some data may be formatted for Excel
  • Numerous charts and links to federal statistical agencies

• Economy in a Can
  • State, county, and metropolitan area employment trends by industry for the past five years
  • Also ranks counties in a state by top growth
  • Includes a blog

• Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970 (UMich Only)
  • Tables are time series on population, prices, foreign trade, government budgets, roughly 1789-1970
  • Most tables are national in scope
  • Excellent notes indicate when the statistic was first taken and cite sources
  • Companion volume to Statistical Abstract of the United States

• New Economy Index
  • Series of economic indicators showing structural changes in U.S. economy
  • Examples include occupational change, household income, productivity, skills, wages, unemployment, internet connectivity
  • Maps compare states and major metropolitan areas

• State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (Census Bureau)
  • Updates 1990 Census on state and metropolitan area with data on various population and housing characteristics.
  • Includes data from non-Census sources, including medicaid, crime, energy, schools, motor vehicles, industry
  • Entire file is approximately 3 MB in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format
  • HTML files provide state and metropolitan area rankings on population, births and deaths, housing starts, crime, energy, and government grants

• Statistical Abstract of the United States
  • Compendium of government and non-government statistics, primarily on the national and state levels
  • Population and vital statistics, health, economics, education, manufacturing, natural resources, transportation, and U.S. Industrial Outlook (production and foreign trade for past six years)
  • Full text available in Adobe Acrobat format
  • State rankings and state/county profiles in HTML format
  • The full text of Statistical Abstract is available in most University of Michigan campus libraries as HA 202

• Survey of Current Business
  • Full text of monthly periodical beginning January 1994
  • Wide range of current and historical economic indicators (Gross Domestic Product, income, consumer price indexes, production)
  • Each issue carries articles focusing on different indicators
  • Adobe Acrobat format only
  • Selected NIPA Tables
  • Use the BEA's Current News Releases web page for links to special articles

• Treasury Bulletin
  • Federal fiscal data, public debt, savings bonds and notes
  • General economic indicators
  • Issued quarterly with archival file beginning March 1996
  • Adobe Acrobat format

• U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook
  • Tables for 92 manufacturing industries
  • Value of shipments (i.e. production) for the industry and product with annual totals in dollars and a percentage change for each year
  • Import and export data
  • Documents Center has paper copy through 2000 as HC 106.5 .A22B
  • Being converted to web for 2001-2002

• USA Counties, 1998 (Census Bureau)
  • Population and housing variables (age, ancestry, race, education, income, and poverty for each county in the nation with some updates from the Current Population Survey
  • 1992 economic census data (manufacturing, wholesale trade, retail trade, service industries) as well as government employment and finance
  • Non-Census data includes federal funds, current employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, election data through 1992, health, Social Security beneficiaries, and vital statistics (births, marriages, deaths
  • Data may be retrieved for an individual county or comparisons between counties can be requested

Economic Indicators Time Series

• Bureau of Economic Analysis
  • Summary data on national income and product accounts (GDP) and balance of payments (trade)
  • Ranges from current data to 30-year time series

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Press releases on employment and unemployment, earnings, employment cost index, consumer prices, producer prices, productivity, collective bargaining, and union membership
  • Time series on employment, prices, and productivity
  • The Data option under the main web page is arranged by various retrieval options; these options are subdivided by subject
  • Use the Search option for a subject approach to various retrieval options
  • Web pages which combine all retrieval options include
    • Consumer Price Index
    • Current Population Survey (employment, unemployment, earnings)
    • Employment Cost Trends
    • Local Area Unemployment
    • Producer Price Index
  • BLS Handbook of Methods
    • History and methodology of labor force, employment, earnings, productivity, safety, and price index data
    • Available in HTML or Adobe Acrobat format

• Business Cycle Indicators
  • Business Cycle Indicators (U.Alabama)
    • Data on GDP, prices, labor, cash flow, market, credit, national defense, construction contracts, money supply
    • Many of the data sets begin in the 1940s and include annual, quarterly, or monthly information
    • Information similar to that appearing in the Survey of Current Business
    • Data in ASCII format extracted and arranged by year
    • Series ended in 1997 when taken over by the Conference Board web site
  • Business Cycle Indicators (Conference Board)
    • Business cycle indicators in numerous formats; requires password and is not available through the University of Michigan Library
    • Current press release and downloading formats for the Index of Leading Economic Indicators

• DRI-PRO/Webstract (UMich Only)
  • Hundreds of U.S., Canadian, and international time series of economic and financial data
  • Includes International Financial Statistics, IMF Balance of Payments, OECD National Accounts, OECD Main Economic Indicators, U.S. Prices, Basic Economics, and International Automotive
  • Data is standardized for comparisons and user may choose time reporting intervals
  • University of Michigan affiliates should contact nsds@umich.edu for additional assistance

• Eco5 (European Business School)
  • Excellent source for time series of financial data (stock market, exchange rates, GDP, interest rates)
  • Covers primarily the U.S., U.K., Japan, Germany and France but other countries represented as well
  • Some data begins with the 19th Century

• Economagic: Economic Time Series (Ted Bos)
  • Thousands of monthly, quarterly and annual time series of economic data beginning with the 1940s and extending to the current year
  • GDP, consumer and producer prices, construction contracts, manufacturing orders, unemployment by MSA
  • Corporate profits, money stock, bond rates, consumer loans, personal savings
  • Data presented in an easy-to-use ASCII format
  • Alternatives include a data extraction system and graph capabilities
  • Entire web site may be searched by label (keyword)

• Economic History Services
  • U.S. population growth, 1800-1980, and data on the greenback dollar
  • Various data on occupation by state during the late 19th Century
  • Miscellaneous U.S. and European time series, including English foreign exchange rates and Central European land ownership through the early 20th Century

• Economic Indicators (OMB Watch)
  • Chart of 16 government indicators with links to their data, frequency, and calendar of updates
  • Substitute for http://www.economicindicators.gov, out-of-business for financial reasons on March 1, 2008

• Economic Indicators: Current
  • Monthly report on main U.S. economic trends, including Gross Domestic Product, prices, labor
  • Web site begins with January 1998 issue
  • The information is published by the Joint Economic Committee and made available by GPO

• Economic Indicators: Historical (FRED/FRB-St.Louis)
  • Gross Domestic Product, price, employment and monetary data
  • Most time series begin in the 1940s
  • ASCII or various spreadsheet formats
  • See also Ted Bos' Economic Time Series

• EPI Data Zone
  • Current labor market, family income, price, wage, GDP, foreign trade, and federal deficit data
  • Historical annual figures on wages and income with some additional national data since 1947
  • Current family budgets for 400 metropolitan areas

• Federal Reserve Board
  • Federal Reserve Board (U.S.)
    • Weekly and monthly press releases on foreign exchange rates, industrial production, consumer credit, flow of funds, bank assets
    • Archived beginning June 1996
  • Beige Book
    • Monthly textual summary of agriculture, banking, consumer spending, employment, manufacturing and prices
    • National and regional data
  • Fed in Print
    • Index to Federal Reserve Board economic research and working papers
  • Federal Reserve Districts
    • List of the 12 Federal Reserve banks and their web sites
    • Map of the districts
  • Federal Reserve Bank of New York
    • Numerous consumer-oriented publications, such as explanations of savings bonds
    • Regional economic data
    • Economic Research section includes numerous publications and working papers, a call for proposals, and additional data on the region
  • Federal Reserve Economic Data Bases: FRED (FRB - St. Louis)
    • Gross Domestic Product, price, employment and monetary data
    • Most time series begin in the 1940s
    • ASCII or various spreadsheet formats
  • FRASER (FRB - St. Louis)
    • Provides monetary and banking statistics, 1896-1970, and can be used in conjunction with FRED to provide economic time series for the 20th Century
    • Web site also provides digitized version of early 20th Century Commerce Department documents, including Business Statistics, Survey of Current Business, Economic Indicators, and Economic Reports of the President

• Global Insight (UMich Only)
  • Business database with news and time series data on general economics as well as the automotive, energy medical and pharmaceutical, and telecommunications sectors
  • For ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL DATA, choose DataInsight-Web on the lefthand side of the screen
    • Under historical data, choose Global Economy, Financial Markets, US Economy or US Regional Economy
    • Select in a separate box the indicator , the geography, and source; then choose frequency (e.g. monthly quarterly); then press GO
    • Highlight the table of interest and note any INFORMATION in the lower lefthand box (sometimes the spreadsheet doesn't identify a country or other information
    • Export the selected data
    • Subjects include IMF, Direction of Trade, Balance of Payments and OECD main economic indicators
    • US economic indicators include Daily Treasury Statements, housing, prices, retail trade, industrial output, labor markets, national accounts as well as state breakdowns for many of the indicators
    • Some time series date back 40 years
    • Sample search
  • For Automotive, Energy, Healthcare and Telecoms, use the link provided under MYINSIGHT SERVICES on the lefthand side of the main screen to select options which will eventually appear on the lower part of the lefthand side
    • AUTOMOTIVE - production and sales by country and by automotive company
    • ENERGY - primarily country reports on oil, gas, electricity, government policies, and political risks
    • HEALTH CARE - country data on causes of death, health care expenditures per capita, the pharmaceutical market; US FDA approved drug list
    • TELECOMMUNICATIONS - country data on land line and mobile phone as well as internet users; market penetration by company

• National Income and Product Accounts (BEA)
  • Personal income and outlays, government receipts, foreign transactions, savings, income by industry, and supplementary tables on motor vehicle output
  • National data in annual and quarterly time series, 1929 to present

• NBER Macro History Data Base
  • Time series of 3500 monthly, quarterly, or annual U.S. economic indicators, approximately 1900-1960
  • WAIS-searchable with ASCII output
  • Documentation available for purchase

• Source OECD (UMich Only)
  • Statistical data bases and periodicals of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • In-depth time series of data for the Western European countries, United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia
  • Main Economic Indicators, Historical Indicators, and National Income and Product Accounts appear under PERIODICALS/STATISTICAL PERIODICALS
  • Economic Surveys are under PERIODICALS
  • Use the search engine on the righthand side or the PERIODICALS or STATISTICS links at the top of the page
  • Thereafter you can navigate from the middle of the screen or the lefthand frame
  • Articles are in pdf format
  • Data bases require you to choose series, countries, and dates
  • Data can be downloaded in spreadsheet format

• STAT-USA (Commerce Department)
  • Discontinued as of September 30, 2010
  • See below for public access alteratives
  • State of the Nation Library includes thousands of current and time series tables on national income, trade, prices, treasury notes, employment, etc.
  • Some data compressed for downloading; some are ASCII press releases
  • GLOBUS, National Trade Data Bank and Trade Opportunities Program Bulletin analyze the business climate in foreign countries and provide trade leads (contacts, requests for proposals)
  • Alternative Public Access Data
    • University of Central Florida Guide
      • Copies links STAT-USA has made to alternatives
    • Army Area Handbooks
    • Bureau of Economic Analysis (national income, balance of payments, foreign investment, state and local income, selected tables from the Survey of Current Business)
    • Bureau of Labor Statistics (employment, productivity, prices)
    • Bureau of Public Debt (treasury auction results, savings bonds, national debt)
    • Business Cycle Indicators
      • University of Alabama's Business Cycle Indicators
      • Conference Board, 1996+ (Requires Password)
    • Census Bureau (retail sales, industrial production, housing construction, foreign trade)
    • Commercial News USA (U.S. exporters by name and product and U.S. export opportunities)
    • Country Commercial Guides
    • Economic Indicators (GPO Access) (wide range of current economic data)
    • Economic Time Series from Ted Bos (Historic and current Business Cycle Indicators, finance, labor, and price data)
    • Energy Information Administration (state, national, and international energy statistics)
    • Federal Acqusitions Jump Station (government contracts)
    • Federal Budget (GPO)
    • Federal Business Opportunities (government contracts)
    • Federal Reserve System (foreign exchange rates, consumer credit, interest rates, money supply)
    • Federal Reserve Board/St. Louis (historical economic indicators, treasury auctions, money supply, consumer and producer prices)
    • Foreign Agriculture Service (agricultural exporting)
    • International Trade Administration (trade statistics, general foreign import needs, export assistance)
    • Small Business Administration (assistance on starting a small business)
    • State Department (foreign economics and country commercial guides)
    • United States Embassies Abroad (trade opportunity information varies with the embassy)
    • U.S. Trade Representative (trade policy and statistics)
    • White House Economic Statistics Briefing Room (most current economic press releases)

Economic Journals

• JSTOR Project (UMich Only)
  • Full text of historical economics journals in English to within five years of current
  • Expert Search provides the greatest flexibility
  • Easiest to download entire article to screen in pdf format
  • Among journals included:
    • American Economic Review, 1911-
    • Econometrica, 1933-
    • Journal of Economic Perspectives, 1987-
    • Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking, 1969-
    • Journal of Political Economy, 1893-
    • Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1886-
    • Review of Economics and Statistics, 1919-89

Special Subjects

• Empowerment Zones
  • Empowerment Zones (HUD)
    • Maps of urban and rural empowerment and enterprise zones arranged by state and geographic area
    • You can also search street address to determine if it is located in an empowerment zone

• Foreign Investments
  • International Accounts Data (BEA)
    • Summary data on foreign investment in U.S. and U.S. investment abroad
    • Tables by country or by industrial sector
    • Frequency varies; quarterly or annual

• Gross City Product
  • Fortune Magazine (UMich Only)
    • Article entitled Boomtown Stats appeared in November 23, 1998
    • Provides 1998 gross city product and change between 1992 and 1998
    • Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Austin, Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Jose, Atlanta, Raleigh, Denver, and Grand Rapids
    • Go through Info Trac, choose Reference Center Gold, search Boomtown as subject, November 23, 1998 as date, and Fortune as magazine
    • Does not appear to be retrievable using the ProQuest version of the magazine
  • Global Urban Indicators Database
    • Wide variety of population and housing variables for key cities, particularly in third world countries
    • Only 15 cities within the U.S. are measured
    • Includes gross city product among its key indicators

• Gross Domestic Product (BEA)
  • Gross domestic product in the U.S. since 1929 in Excel format
  • Gross domestic product by industry since 1947 in zipped format

• Gross State Product (BEA)
  • Calculate gross state product for one or more states and the U.S. and industry
  • Years from 1977 to the present
  • Gross Product by Industry for the United States and States (Doc. Cen. CD-ROM DoX114) also has data for 1977-98
  • The seminal article on the GSP appears in the Survey of Current Business, May 1988 (HC 1 .R1981 1988 and ASI Fiche 1988 2702-1.810) with state data for 1963, 1967, and 1972-1987

• Price Deflators
  • Gross Domestic Product Price Deflator (FRB - St. Louis)
    • Quarterly price deflator data since the first quarter, 1947
  • How Much is That?
    • Purchasing power of the U.S. dollar since 1665 and British pound since 1264
    • Historic interest rates, price of gold, and GDP for both countries with many series dating back 800 years
    • U.S. and British exchange rates with 40 other countries for a minimum of 90 years

See also Foreign/International Economic Data

Grace York, Retired Documents Librarian
University of Michigan Library
Ankur Mehta, Documents Assistant, May 2002
Graphics by Sherry Piontek and Barbara Perles

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~graceyor/govdocs/stecon.html