The 2012 Statistical Abstract

The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web.

Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.

Robert Samuelson Defends Stat Abstract in Washington Post

Robert J. Samuelson recently published the op ed Don’t kill America’s databook in the Washington Post. He discusses the importance of the Statistical Abstract in the context of data transparency.

What you didn't know but could learn for free, you may have to pay for

From the Daily Kos:

It was felt that the popular Statistical Abstract of the United States—the “go to” reference for those who don’t know whether a statistic is available, let alone which agency/department is responsible for it—could be sacrificed. Staff will be moving to “Communications,” digitizing the data set. It is hoped that the private sector—commercial publishers---will see the benefit of publishing some version of the title in the future...

Some would argue that this is just one more round in a policy that began under Ronald Reagan in which access to government data became ever more restricted—some of it not being collected at all—or commodified: collected but accessible only from private sources for payment. Or maybe it's just the Census Bureau's opening salvo, the usual approach of any organization under budgetary siege, picking one of its more popular programs as an example of what will be lost if it has to cut back.

Whatever the case, if the Statistical Abstract is something you'd like to keep around, you can sign a petition about it started by Alesia MacManus here.

No more Statistical Abstract?

A librarian posted this on the BUSLIB (Business Librarian) listserv this afternoon:

I couldn't take the uncertainty anymore so I called the Census Bureau and spoke to Ian O'Brien who's the Chief of the Statistical Compendia Branch. He said that the 2012 budget doesn't include funding for his branch, which would mean the elimination of not only the Statistical Abstract, but all titles produced by that branch (State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, etc.). No new editions would be produced in print or online.

I asked if there was any hope of changing this and he said that there's always a chance that Congress could be convinced to continue funding for the program. He said those who would like to save the Statistical Compendia Branch could write to their Senators and Representatives. I'm guessing this would go for the Federal Financial
Statistics Program as well.

So, start writing your letters and encourage others to do the same.

Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2011

Now available: U.S. Census Bureau's tatistical Abstract of the United States: 2011. The Abstract is perennially the federal government's best-selling reference book, but is also available online at the link. When it was first published in 1878, the nation had only 38 states, people usually got around using a horse and buggy, Miami and Las Vegas did not yet exist, and Franklin D. Roosevelt had yet to be born. The Abstract has been published nearly every year since then.

Contained in the 130th edition are 1,407 tables of social, political and economic facts that collectively describe the state of our nation and the world. Included this year are 65 new tables, covering topics such as insufficient rest or sleep, nursing home occupancy, homeschooling, earthquakes, U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, organic farmland, honey bee colonies, crashes involving distracted drivers and cities with the highest transit savings.

The statistics come not only from the Census Bureau but also from other governmental agencies and private organizations. The data generally represent the most recent year or period available by summer 2010. Most are national-level data, but some tables present state- and even city- and metropolitan-level data as well.

Some highlights include:
•Nationally, lottery revenue totaled $75.9 billion in fiscal year 2007. West Virginia collected the highest amount of any state, at $14.5 billion, followed by Delaware ($7.9 billion) and New York ($6.6 billion). (Table 447).
•Nationally, 76 percent of workers 16 and older drove alone to work in 2008, with 11 percent carpooling and 5 percent using public transportation. In New York, however, the distribution was far different: 54 percent drove solo, with 27 percent utilizing public transportation and 8 percent carpooling. (Table 1099).

Every edition of the Statistical Abstract dating back to 1878 is available in PDF or zip files on the Census Bureau's website.

The Statistical Abstract: Earlier Editions

Looking for that economic data from 1967? Or ethnic breakdowns from 1900? Statistical Abstract data presented here "ranges from the most recent edition to the historical abstracts compiled throughout the decades. Some of the data were scanned as an effort to make historical abstract information available to the public." There are only a handful of editions missing.