Math 146: Morgan-Krick, V. (Fall 2022): Free datasets
Free datasets?
Some researchers and organizations protect their datasets. Sometimes this is done for privacy and security reasons. Sometimes you need to 
apply for, and perhaps pay for, sensitive or proprietary datasets. Below, your instructor and your librarian have compiled a few datasets that are available to the general public.
Some of these may require registration. We clearly label which datasets require registration. We are not listing any datasets that require a membership and fee.
If you want to search for more free datasets available to you, you could browse the TCC Library Statistics Guide, and try Google Dataset Search. See the boxes below for more information.
Photo by iMattSmart on Unsplash
- Dataset file conversionYou might encounter some "SPSS .sav" dataset files out there (Pew Research uses .sav file format exclusively).
Here is a free .sav-to-Excel file converter.
Health and medicine
- United States COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Laboratory Testing by State, Territory, and JurisdictionUpdated daily, Monday-Saturday. Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage to access the dataset and click "Download Data." Defaults to open as an Excel document.
- Unicef datasetsUnicef monitors the health and well-being of women and children across the globe. You can also search for datasets here: https://data.unicef.org/dv_index/
Social
- US Census Tables and Maps"Dynamically add geographies, topics, or filters to get the data tables and maps you need."
- Pew Research CenterRequires registration. This is an amazing resource, but please read: You can browse dataset topics freely to see if it is interesting to you, but to access the datasets you need to register. It's free and no risk. You will also need a way to open the datasets from an SPSS .sav file extension. See above for a free online conversion service. You will also need to access the survey questions so you understand what each data point refers to. This is included in the dataset zip file, and does not require any special tools to open it.
- College Tuition Compare - trends from 2010-2022From the link above you can search directly for trends for a specific college or university. Data tables include information about admission trends, costs, graduation rates and more.
- Census at SchoolU.S. Census at School is an international classroom project that engages students in grades 4–12 in statistical problem solving. This international program began in the United Kingdom in 2000 to promote statistical literacy in schoolchildren by using their own real data.
Science
- Qualitative Environmental Learning Project (QELP)A collection of teaching and learning datasets on environmental science topics from a National Science Foundation grant project at Seattle Central College.
Large general data collections
- data.govIf the U.S government collects data on anything, it is here, with 343,527 datasets from local and state and federal agencies. You can browse or search and narrow endlessly. If you narrow by formats to Excel and CSV you will have a greater chance finding actual datasets, though others may work also. For some datasets you may need to create an account.
- KaggleRegistration required to download datasets. You can browse freely to find out if it is worth your while. This is a vast service. Linked here is the data collection for "120 years of Olympic history: athletes and results." Datasets are in a variety of formats.
- Miscellaneous datasetsA large listing of truly miscellaneous datasets! From "Smoking/Age/Death" to "Vaccine for plague in ferrets" to "Crop circles by country and field type". Compiled by who appears to be an instructor of statistics from University of Florida. Enjoy.
See the TCC Library Statistics Guide
This is a general guide to statistical information. As this guide is dedicated to statistics generally, not every source linked in this guide includes access to free datasets (or data tables).
Sports
- Baseball Reference"Baseball Stats and History The complete source for current and historical baseball players, teams, scores and leaders."
- Basketball Reference"Basketball Stats and History Statistics, scores, and history for the NBA, ABA, WNBA, and top European competition."
- FB Ref (soccer)"Football Stats and History Statistics, scores and history for 100+ men's and women's club and national team competitions."
- Pro-Football Reference"Football Stats and History The complete source for current and historical NFL, AFL, and AAFC players, teams, scores and leaders."
- Equibase (Horse Racing)"Equibase offers a comprehensive menu of handicapping products, statistical information and video race replays in support of the North American Thoroughbred racing industry."
Crime and justice
- FBI Crime Data ExplorerDownloadable datasets of crime incidents in the United States. Download as a zipped file with .csv file extension (opens in Excel). Like many government agency websites, this website is vast, and complex, but if you are interested in the topic, it is well worth a significant exploration time.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics: Data CollectionsThere are inconsistencies between how you can access datasets. Here is one pathway: You can search or browse from this link. Once you select a study of interest, select the drop down menu "Publications and Products" and select the data you would like to see. Then, find the Downloads block and select Data tables.
- National Registry of Exonerations (NRE)To access this dataset, you must send a request - linked here. This is a free service. Explore this U. Mich. site to learn more about the NRE and also see The Innocence Project to learn more about their use of this dataset.
Money, stock, finance, housing prices
- Macrotrends - research: company stock historiesAn extensive listing of top U. S. companies' stock price histories. Click on a company, and find the "Download Data" button near the bottom of the webpage.
- Pierce County Housing DataExcel file snapshot of Pierce County real estate from 2021
Global
- UNdataComprehensive database which includes most major statistical resources of international statistics from the United Nations.
- Our World in DataThis site provides data on heath and the environment, but it also has data on "happiness and life satisfaction."
Google Dataset Search
If you are feeling extra confident in your understanding of what type of datasets your instructor would like you to access and use (or if you just want to have some fun), you can search for datasets on your own. Google now offers a dataset search, where, "using a simple keyword search, users can discover datasets hosted in thousands of repositories across the Web" (Google Dataset User Support Center).
- Google Dataset SearchDataset Search is a search engine for datasets. Using a simple keyword search, users can discover datasets hosted in thousands of repositories across the Web.
Except where otherwise noted, the content in these guides by Tacoma Community College Library is licensed under CC BY SA 4.0.
This openly licensed content allows others to cite, share, or modify this content, with credit to TCC Library. When reusing or adapting this content, include this statement in the new document: This content was originally created by Tacoma Community College Library and shared with a CC BY SA 4.0 license.
Tacoma Community College Library - Building 7, 6501 South 19th Street, Tacoma, WA 98466 - P. 253.566.5087
Visit us on Instagram!