A Journalist's Database of Databases

Thank you for visiting my database of databases. This is a list of databases I have used at some point. If you know of any databases or invaluable computer-assisted reporting resources that should be included on this list, please let me know at drew@nicar.org

You'll usually find data in a couple of different formats. Data stored on a gopher or FTP site is the most useful because you can download the whole database. The data may be in a ASCII delimited, fixed-length or even DBF format that can be imported into any spreadsheet or database.

You might find the data in a tabular form you can cut and paste into a spreadsheet. Other times you might be asked to run a search that limits the data (i.e by state). The results set is printed to the screen as a tab-delimited, comma separated or fixed width file. By selecting FILE-SAVE AS on your browser menu, you can save the data to a local file and then import it with a database or spreadsheet. This can be annoying as you may need to get a database one piece at a time.

US Downloadable Databases

• US Census Data Lookup - Allows you to download search results to tab delimited files and ftp them
• US Census Population Estimates - You can download updated population estimates by state, city, MSA or county. You have to do a little cutting and pasting but it works okay.
• Government Information Sharing Project - Very intelligent site that offers everything from ag population and demographic data to the Ag census, Consolidated Federal Funds data, EEO data, import/export data and school district data. Most data can be saved and imported into a spreadsheet after a few queries.
• American University Campaign Finance Site - Nice site where lots of campaign finance data that can be downloaded in DBF form.
• HCFA Data - Medicare and medicaid statistics. Includes MEDPAR data, HCFA public use file summaries and other neat tidbits. Most of it is downloadable as spreadsheets.
• CDC Data - The National Center for Health Statistics has a lot of nice downlaodable datasets on mortality and health. You can download the complete ICD-9 here as well (the coding manual for cause of death used by many agencies).
• EPA Databases - The EPA has a lot of good databases that can be easily downloaded. These include the Emergency Release Notification System (ERNS) which has data on unexpected hazardous spills and the searchable Toxic Release Inventory System (TRIS) which has data on expected hazardous spills.
• IRS Statistics - The IRS Statistics of Income program tracks all sorts of neat data. You can find all sorts of information on non-profits (including the database of tax data for approved non-profits downloadable by state in fixed-length format) and other stats on income earned, migration and foreign taxes paid. All are downloadble in fixed-length file format. Some databases are VERY big and the site is a little slow.
• Federal Railroad Administration Accident Data - Gopher site where you can download files in DBF format. Includes good record layouts. Nice site.
• NOAA Storm Prediction Center - Downloadable files of every tornado or tornado deaths since 1950 or severe storm. Also hail and wind damage data. Nice.
• USDA ERS State Fact Sheets - Basic ag data you can convert into spreadsheet
• Bureau of Labor Statistics - A little difficult to use at first - extract and download labor stats to spreadsheet
• DOL - Mining accident data - Data can be downloaded as easy to use, self-extracting file.
• BTS National Data - Good Transportation databases - most downloadable...some annoyingly limited.
• USDA data sets - Downloadable databases on crop yields and other ag stuff.
• Access databases from Microsoft - SIC codes, National Park data, Congressional Directory and food nutrition data in Access format. Bizarre. Does Microsoft think it's the government?
• ATSDR HazDat Registry database - Search by clickable map for Superfund and other serious pollution sites. You can donload it into a spreadsheet very easily.
• The Economic Statistics Briefing Room - Economic data that can be downloaded into spreadsheets
• The Social Statistics Briefing Room - Social stats like crime and populations
• The Regional Economic Information Service - Lots of neat national, state, MSA and county economic data that can be queried and then imported into a spreadsheet. Includes employment, wage and price data.
• U.S. Imports and Exports by 4-digit SIC Industry, 1958-92 - Includes FTP option to download ASCII file.
• Florida Notary Public System - Download lists of all Florida notaries. - Neat

International Downloadable Data

• Penn World Tables 5.6 - Database of loads of international population and economic data for 152 countries
• Social Indicators of Development - Health, education, food and household data from around the world. Query output can be downloaded to a spreadsheet.

Interesting Searchable Databases Online

• Internic - Site for looking up who has registered a domain (i.e. who's web page are you looking at)
• SEC EDGAR Database - Search SEC database
• GPO Gate - GPO Access - UCSD - Search just about everything including Fed Register and GAO reports
• OSHA Searchable databases - OSHA once fought the Dayton Daily News like hell to not turn over their inspections database. Now they've offered the complete database for free on the Internet with enough search fields to make it worth while. Includes data since 1973.
• FAA Safety Databases - This FAA site may be more reliable than landings.com which has been known to have bad data. Site is pretty clunky but it has a few neat features. Here is an older version with a few more databases.
• N T S B - Aviation Accidents - Alas. A really useful site. Fast, efficient and very helpful. Looks like they'll have some additional accident data in the near future as well.
• Landings. com - This free commercial site has a number of great databases including databases of pilots, mechanics, and medical examiners as well as registration databases for American, Canadian and British aircraft. I use the FAA and NTSB safety databases before I use the databases on this site.
• Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia - Pictures and information of different types of fish. Weird but cool.
• Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) - Once you could download data...now they have a totally stupid search feature that makes no sense at all. A real step backwards.

Other Database-Related Resources

• Fedstats - Listed as your one stop shop for federal statistics. It comes close with lots of interesting links by both agency and program. Even has regional data. One of the better government sites.
• BTS Products - Alphabetical Listing - Listing of free Bureau of Transportation Statistics databases
• U.S. Department of Transportation Databases - contact names and addresses for USDOT databases
• Canadian Database of Databases - Robin Rowland's list of Canadian databases
• USDA Economic Research Service - USDA databases available for purchase (greedy bastards)
• NTIS -- Plug Into A World of Information - Databases available through NTIS (really, really greedy bastards). Someone needs to do a story on why the NTIS needs $1000 to copy a single 9 track tape.
• The US Department of Transportation - access to gopher system with interesting data and other stuff
• Government Printing Office CD-ROMS for sale - some interesting stuff in these cheap CD-ROMS
• 1040.com - All sorts of personal and business related tax forms. Good to look at when requesting information from non-profits and businesses.
• Stockmaster - search database of stocks and plot them. Example of data visualization