Research Guides
- University of Washington Libraries
- Library Guides
- UW Libraries
- Journalism
- Data & Records Resources by Subject (crime, health, etc)
Journalism: Data & Records Resources by Subject (crime, health, etc)
This guide supports students in COM 360, COM 361, and anyone trying to locate information available through the Deep/Invisible Web.
Data & Records Resources Table of Contents
Background & Context
- History Link Washington State history
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window Reports, summaries, and pro/con views on a range of current issues,1923-present.
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- Gale Ebooks This link opens in a new window Full text encyclopedias in all subject areas
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Government Sources
- govinfogovinfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
- Government Attic More documents obtained by FOIA
- Government Sources by Subject Subject listings of government information and websites maintained by the UW Libraries Government Documents librarians.
- SCRIBD (FOIA documents) Searchable online database of government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act
- MetaLib Searches across various federal government databases simultaneously. Provided by the Government Printing Office.
- Congressional Video Footage Sources of historical and current Congressional video footage
- USASpending.gov Track government spending for contract and grants in your congressional district/state, by agency, etc.
- Seattle Channel News, analysis, and stories about Seattle's civic and cultural landscape.
- TVW Offers unedited coverage of Washington state government and reporting on government, politics, and public policy. Archival programming back to 1995.
- C-Span Daily coverage of Washington and more than 200000 hours of extensively indexed and archived C-SPAN video.
WA State Data & Public Records (multiple subjects)
See the Get Public Records section of the For Journalists page for strategies about accessing public records.
- Seattle Open Data Portal An assortment of public record datasets, including building, electrical, and land use permits; crime statistics; traffic cameras; etc.
- King County Open Data Portal An assortment of King County public record datasets, including budgets, election results, food inspection reports, jail bookings, pet licensing sites, etc.
- Washington Public Records Databases Listings maintained by the librarians at the UW Gallagher Law Library
- CQ Researcher Subject experts provide pro/con views on a range of current issues. Try the "Recent Reports" RSS link on the right side of the page to view more topics.
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- Sage Data This link opens in a new window Social-science data and statistics from a variety of sources.
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- Social Explorer This link opens in a new window Maps and reports based on U.S. Census and other data sources, 1790 to present.
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U.S. National Data
- US Census The US Census Bureau's website, where you will find access to decennial census data via American Factfinder, as well as less detailed but more up-to-date census data via the American Community Survey.
- American Community Survey (ACS) "The American Community Survey helps local officials, community leaders and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities. It is the premier source for detailed information about the American people and workforce."
- US Census Library Click on Publications to see data from the Census dating back to 1801. The Library also includes infographics, audio, video, and more.
- ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States (2012-present)
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- Statistical Abstract of the United States (1889-2012) Published yearly, provides statistics from government agencies and associations. A great starting place for any statistic.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window These well researched reports, dating back to 1923, include useful charts and graphs. The reports can help you to find leading sources for stats in particular areas of research.
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- SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
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Create maps and tables of demographic, business, and marketing variables. (Formerly known as SimplyMap.) - Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
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Maps and reports based on U.S. Census and other data sources, 1790 to present. - Sage Data This link opens in a new window Social-science data and statistics from a variety of sources.
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International Data
- Country Data Services (United Nations) List compiled by the United Nations.
- Human Development Indicators Statistics from the United Nations' annual Human Development Report.
- ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new window Database of statistical publications (U.S. & international). Allows users to search abstracts and full-text tables within statistical publications of federal, state, and international agencies/organizations.
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- UNdata Explorer Compiles over 30 databases produced by United Nations Statistics and Population Divisions and other UN agencies under one interface. While time period and geographic coverage vary for each dataset, data are generally current and far-reaching—covering a broad range of international measures related to the UN’s mission to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations and promote social progress, better living standards and human rights.
- World Development Indicators International statistics with some data back to 1960. Includes more than 900 development indicators for over 200 countries covering economic policy and debt, education, environment, financial sector, health, infrastructure, labor and social protection, poverty, private sector and trade, and public sector.
- World Health Organization "The Global Health Observatory (GHO) is WHO's portal providing access to data and analyses for monitoring the global health situation. It provides critical data and analyses for key health themes, as well as direct access to the full database. The GHO presents data from all WHO programmes and provides links to supporting information."
Businesses, Corporations, Employment, & Licensing
- Department of Financial Institutions: Financial services licensee database Covers check cashers and sellers, consumer loan companies, currency exchangers, escrow agents and companies, franchises, money transmitters, mortgage brokers, mutual funds, payday lenders, and securities filings.
- Department of Licensing: Business and professional license query system Covers dozens of professions regulated by the Licensing Department, including architects, bail bondsmen, cemeteries, collection agencies, court reporters, engineers, firearms, funeral directors, geologists, martial arts, notaries, private investigators, security guards, travel agents, and others.
- Washington State Department of Revenue: public records database Covers business registered in the state. Provides tax registration or UBI number, legal entity name, "doing business as" name, mailing address, business location, and type of entity.
- Minority and Women-Owned Businesses searchable directory
- Registered Corporations Covers corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships, other partnerships, etc.
- Better Business Bureau Business Lookup Find out if any complaints have been filed against a business. Also lists many home addresses for individuals operating these businesses.
- Neighborhood Economic Data The Federal Financial Institution Examination Council (FFIEC) provides economic census data dating back to 1997. Know your Census Tract number before using the Census Report System.
- uspto.govSearch for trademarks
Crime
- State Patrol: Criminal history records Includes convictions and arrests. Searchable. Fee-based ($10 per search).
- Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs: Sex offender search Covers Level II and III registered sex offenders. Search by street address and zip code; offender's name; or offense. Provides offender information, including photographs, descriptions, and offense(s).
- Washington Courts: search for cases Indexes cases filed in the district, municipal, superior, and appellate courts. Contact the specific court that handled a case to order a copy or get information on how to inspect the record.
- Campus Crime Statistics - US Department of Educationcrime statistics for college and university campuses.
- Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics (Bureau of Justice Statistics) The Bureau of Justice Statistics, through its Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center (FJSRC), compiles comprehensive information describing suspects and defendants processed in the federal criminal justice system. The Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics (FCCPS) tool is an interface that can be used to analyze federal case processing data
- Uniform Crime Reports Compiled by the FBI, includes volume and rate of crime offenses for the nation, the states, and individual agencies. Also includes arrest, clearance, and law enforcement employee data.
- Hall of Justice "Hall of Justice, a project of the Sunlight Foundation, is a robust, searchable inventory of publicly available criminal justice datasets and research. While not comprehensive, Hall of Justice contains nearly 10,000 datasets and research documents from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and the federal government. The data was collected between September 2014 and October 2015."
Environmental Data
- Environmental Monitoring Data (WA State Department of Ecology) Washington State environmental data search window
- Environmental Information Management (WA State Department of Ecology) "EIM is a database containing data collected by the Washington State Department of Ecology and affiliates such as local governments and cleanup sites."
- EPA Envirofacts Data by zipcode on air and water quality, waste management, land cleanups, toxics and radiation emissions in your community.
- EPA MyEnvironment interactive tool from the Environmental Protection Agency that creates a map of environmental conditions by zipcode.
- EPA Searchable Databases covering numerous environmental issues and topics.
- EPA Zipcode Search Interactive tool from the Environmental Protection Agency that allows you to locate environmental information by zipcode.
Health
- Public Health - Seattle & King County Data and Reportshealth data, gun violence data, and more.
- WA State Department of Health - Restaurant Inspections Inspection reports by county
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Part of the NIH, the NCCAM is the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Find statistics and research reports here on CAM use in the United States.
- National Health Statistics Reports These reports provide annual data summaries, present analyses of health topics, or present new information on methods or measurement issues. Reports published by the National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
- State Health Facts Data, news, and reports about health issues including Costs & Budgets, Coverage & Uninsured, Health Reform, HIV/AIDS, Medicaid & CHIP, Medicare, Minority Health, and Women's Health from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Housing & Property
- King County Recorder's Office Records Search Indexed documents include land records, marriage records, surveys, real estate excise tax affidavits and general documents recorded with the King County Recorder's Office. In general, the indexes on this site begin in 1976. Pre-1976 indexes are on microfilm and are available for research at the King County Archives.
- The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State 2020Interactive data and maps available from UW Today.
- Washington Center for Real Estate Research As part of the UW Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies, this Center provides reports about WA State housing and apartment markets.
- WA State Department of Revenue County Assessor and Treasurer websites Property tax is administered by local governments. County assessors value and assess the tax and county treasurers collect it.
- HUD / US Census / USPS Home Vacancy Data The US Census Bureau, Department of Housing and Urban Development and the United States Postal Service are working together to bring you census-tract level data on home vacancies that is updated every 3 months. This is raw data that you download as a DBF file and open with Excel or Access or SAS.
- US Census Bureau Housing Data Provides links to US Census Data dealing with housing topics.
- Urban Design & Planning Research Guide Recommends resources covering housing, new urbanism, real estate, sprawl, urban sustainability, and more.
Politics
- Follow the Money Campaign finance in your state
- MapLight See how campaign contributions are timed by contributors against the movement of legislation.
- Public Disclosure Commission: Campaign contributions and expenditure reports Covers spending by candidates and political committees; also independent spending.
Polls & Public Opinion
- globalbarometer Globalbarometer project combines a common module of questions from the African, Arab, Asian, and Latino barometer surveys. While representing only a selection of the questions asked in the regional barometer surveys, these data are available for online analysis allowing for significant cross-national comparisons (see http://www.jdsurvey.net/gbs/gbs.jsp).
- Roper iPoll This link opens in a new window US national opinion surveys, 1935 - present. Includes data from academic, commercial, and media survey organizations such as Gallup, Harris Interactive, Pew Research, and more. From the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. UW is a member of the Roper Center. Create a personalized account using the "sign in" link. This will allow you to download data sets through RoperExpress.
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- Pew Global Attitudes Project "Interactive database allows users to explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes toward the U.S. to people's assessments of their own lives to views about globalization, democratization, extremism and other important issues."
- World Values Survey Administered to nationally representative samples covering values and perceptions of life, the environment, work, family, politics and society, religion and morale, and national identity, as well as demographic characteristics. Download data files or analyze online.
Poverty
- Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity Database from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
Research & Policy Institutes
Special Populations
- Committee to End Homelessness - King County Use the "scope of the problem" link in the blue navigation bar on the left.
- Homeless Populations Reports From the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- Interactive Data Tools (National Alliance to End Homelessness) From the National Alliance to End Homeless. Some reports include 2008 and 2008 homeless population counts at the state (not community) level.
- Research and Publications on Homeless Populations From the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Transportation
- WA State Department of Transportation Maps & Data Includes maps (see the cool traffic volume map) and crash data, travel data, roadway data.
- Mass Transit Research GuideLocal and national resources.
- Bicycle Transportation Research Guide Lists resources related to planning, government, health impact, research, and more.
- TRID Contains references to books, technical reports, conference proceedings, journal articles and on-going research in the field of transportation. Transportation topics include: Highways, Transit, Railroads, Maritime, Aviation, Planning, Finance, Design and Construction, Materials, Environmental Issues, Safety and Human Factors, and Operations.