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Bioengineering

Best Library and Internet Resources for finding bioengineering information. Also includes information about library services, basic library skills and tools that help with citation management, poster design and writing.

Introduction

Statistical information answers quantitative questions such as "How many ...?", "How much ...?",  "What percentage ...?"  Although most of this data is provided in tables or databases, some also appears within text.  The two main sources of statistical data are government agencies and professional associations.  

If the resources listed on this page contain a section/location for statistical data links will be provided, however, some sites disperse the statistical data throughout their publications.    In the latter case a link is provided to the overall agency/organization site so that the site's search engine can be used to locate information by topic.  

Resources are divided by these categories:  

  • General includes resources that multi-disciplinary and/or provide a good starting point for a statistics search regardless of topic.  
     
  • Business - US BLS lists the many resources available from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Business - Other lists business and economic agencies other than BLS
    These sections will be most useful for those looking for employment, management, and/or economic data.  Although some overall industry data will be covered here, also consult the "Resources - Industry Information" section on this guide.  
     
  • Healthcare Agencies includes resources about human diseases and will be most useful to those in biomedical areas.
     
  • Science/Engineering Agencies includes resources from subjects such as aerospace, construction, energy, environment, infrastructure, and transportation.  
     
  • Professional Associations provides tips on finding professional agencies that might have statistical data for their area of expertise. 

Statistical Resources

ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States
Comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. This online version contains 1400+ individually indexed tables (with attached spreadsheets), both searchable and browsable.  Off-campus access limited to ASU faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. 

ProQuest Statistical Insight 
Covers statistical information from professional associations, business organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations, state governments, university research centers, international non-governmental organizations and international intergovernmental organizations.  Some entries include the full text; the remainder require finding the book or database in which the information is contained.  Off-campus access limited to ASU faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. 

U.S. Census Bureau
Covers the areas of Business, Economy, Education, Emergency Preparedness, Employment, Families and Living Arrangements, Health, Housing, Income and Poverty, International Trade, Population, and the Public Sector. 

Includes:

  • American Fact Finder
    ​Find popular facts (population, income, etc.) and frequently requested data about your community.
     
  • Annual Survey of Manufactures
    Provides sample estimates of statistics for all manufacturing establishments with one or more paid employee.  Provides statistics on employment, payroll, supplemental labor costs, cost of materials consumed, operating expenses, value of shipments, value added by manufacturing, detailed capital expenditures, fuels and electric energy used, and inventories.
     
  • Quick Facts
    Provides statistics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.
  • Manufacturing and Construction Statistics
     
  • ZipWho
    Not associated with U.S. Census Bureau but database contains Census data that is searchable by zip code or demographic variables.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is THE source of employment data for the United States.

  • Use the Geographic Guide to determine what statistics are available for regions, states, metropolitan areas, cities and towns. 
  • Data Sources: 
    • Consumer Expenditure Survey
      Information on the buying habits of America's consumers.
       
    • ​Consumer Price Index
      Monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services.
       
    • Current Employment Statistics (CES)
      Each month the CES program surveys approximately 146,000 businesses and government agencies, representing approximately 623,000 individual worksites, in order to provide detailed industry data on employment, hours, and earnings of workers on nonfarm payrolls.
       
    • Employee Benefits Survey
      Comprehensive data on the incidence (the percentage of workers with access to and participation in employer provided benefit plans) and provisions of selected employee benefit plans.
       
    • Employment Cost Trends
      Quarterly indexes measuring change over time in labor costs, Employment Cost Index (ECI), and quarterly data measuring level of average costs per hour worked, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC).

    • International Labor Comparisons
      Coverage stopped in the 2011-2013 timeframe.  For more recent data see The Conference Board
       
    • Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
      Monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, persons not in the labor force, hours of work, earnings, and other demographic and labor force characteristics.
       
    • Labor Productivity and Costs
      Measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and services produced (output) with the number of hours worked to produce those goods and services. 
       
    • Multifactor Productivity
      Multifactor productivity (MFP), also known as total factor productivity (TFP), is a measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and services produced (output) to the amount of combined inputs used to produce those goods and services. Inputs can include labor, capital, energy, materials, and purchased services.

    • National Compensation Survey
      The Employment Cost Index (ECI) component of the National Compensation Survey (NCS) is a Principal Federal Economic Indicator that measures changes in labor costs. Average hourly costs for employee compensation are presented in the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation.  The NCS also provides benefits incidence data on the percentage of workers with access to and participating in employer provided benefit plans. The survey covers a broad range of benefits including holidays and vacations, sick leave, health and life insurance, and retirement plans. Details of employer-provided health and retirement plan provisions are also provided. 
       
    • Occupational Employment Statistics
      Produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual States, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available.
       
    • Producers Price Index
      Measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output.
       
    • Quarterly Assessment of Employment and Wages
      Publishes a quarterly count of employment and wages reported by employers covering 98 percent of U.S. jobs, available at the county, MSA, state and national levels by industry.
       
    • Work Stoppages
      Monthly and annual data and analysis of major work stoppages involving 1,000 or more workers lasting one full shift or longer.

Arizona Department of Commerce
 

The Conference Board
Continues the international data collection that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stopped in 2011-2013.  

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
Commerce information by country. Off-campus access limited to ASU faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. 
 

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) iLibrary
​Includes information from International Energy Agency.  Off-campus access limited to ASU faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students.  

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

 

See also the "Industry Information" subpage (under the Resources tab above) if you are looking for statistics that would be included in a "market report".   

U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

World Health Organization 

General

Aerospace

 

Construction and Infrastructure

 

Energy

 

Environment

 

Transportation

 

​
 

Many professional associations collect data on their membership and/or their area of expertise.  Although some make this data freely available on their website, others restrict the data to members only or may provide data only to news sites or journalists for a fee.   The ASU Library cannot obtain the data if the association restricts it.  

To find websites for professional associations: 

  • Use Google (or other search engine) to look for an association or society along with the name of the topic, subject area or the title of professionals within that area.  
    Examples: 
    • association construction
    • society construction
    • association medical devices
    • society mechanical engineers
      ​
  • Use the Gale Directory Library: 
    • Once in the database, click on "Advanced" on the light blue navigation bar near the top of the screen
    • On the Advanced Search Screen, hold down the CTRL (Control) key and click on the following four databases: 
      • Encyclopedia of Associations: International Organizations 
      • Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations of the U.S. 
      • Encyclopedia of Associations: Regional, State, and Local Organizations of the U.S.
      • National Directory of Non-Profit Organizations
    • Use the search boxes to search by keyword for your topic, subject, or professional title
    • In the results list, for each entry of interest, click on the website address to bring up the website in a different browser window. 

Once in the website, look for a category or section labeled statistics or data.  If no such section exists, use the site's search box to look for "statistics".   If the site has a publications section, see if that has a separate search engine in which you can search for "statistics".  

The ASU Library acknowledges the twenty-three Native Nations that have inhabited this land for centuries. Arizona State University's four campuses are located in the Salt River Valley on ancestral territories of Indigenous peoples, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Indian Communities, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. ASU Library acknowledges the sovereignty of these nations and seeks to foster an environment of success and possibility for Native American students and patrons. We are advocates for the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge systems and research methodologies within contemporary library practice. ASU Library welcomes members of the Akimel O’odham and Pee Posh, and all Native nations to the Library.