Datasets - ECON 368 - Big Data and Economics - Research Guides at Bates College

Big data

The following guide highlights datasets that are big (significant in size and complexity) and free to use.

Large data archives

These are collections of datasets on varied topics, which may qualify as "big data" or not.

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new window
Social science data archive. Requires free registration

UCI Machine Learning Repository
Google Data Commons
Aggregation of large number of statistics at different levels of geography.
Data Is Plural Archive
Datasets featured in the Data Is Plural newsletter.

Open data portals

Many large cities have data portals with freely available data from the city government, often including crimes, permits, inspections, and other data generated by city functions.

Google "data portal" and a city or state and you will find more options.

Consumer

Dominick’s Scanner Data
Store-level scanner data collected at Dominick’s Finer Foods over a period of more than seven years.
National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)
Nationally representative survey of U.S. households about food purchases and acquisitions.

Housing

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Data
Loan-level mortgage information.
MassGIS Data: Property Tax Parcels
Some state GIS office or county tax assessors have downloadable data on assessed value of properties.

Health

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) This link opens in a new window
Data on health behaviors in the United States, including smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Time period: 1984 to the present.
Microdata are downloadable as SAS Transport files. Online analysis is available 2004-2018 via the Web Enabled Analysis Tool. Find statistical tables in data.cdc.gov and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. Some state-specific questions are only in state-level datasets held by state public health departments.

DEA Pain Pills Database
Via the Washington Post. 2006-2012.
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
Fatal injuries suffered in motor vehicle traffic crashes.
IPUMS Health Surveys
Data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, harmonized across years. Publication dates: 1964 to the present.
National Center for Health Statistics Public Use Data
National health care surveys, National Vital Statistics System (mortality and fertility), and other survey data.
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers, and employers across the United States. MEPS is the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage. Publication dates: 1996 to the present.
HCUPnet
Data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). It provides access to health statistics and information on hospital inpatient and emergency department utilization.
Hospital Compare Datasets
These data allow you to compare the quality of care at over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country.

Environmental

World Carbon Pricing Database
The price per metric ton of CO2 equivalent associated with any carbon taxes and cap-and-trade mechanisms
Safe Drinking Water Information System
Monitoring, enforcement, and violation data related to requirements established by the Safe Drinking Water Act
Air Data
Air quality data collected in the U.S.

Social Science Librarian

Christine Murray

Contact:

Ladd Library 132
(207) 786-6268
cmurray2@bates.edu

I am usually at the Research Desk Mon. 10-1, Tues. 6-9, and Thurs. 1-4

Subjects: African Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Chinese, Economics, Environmental Studies, History, Japanese, Languages and Literatures, Legal Studies, Politics, Psychology, Sociology, U. S. History

ECON 368 - Big Data and Economics: Datasets