Government agencies collect and produce vast amounts of data on various topics that can be invaluable for research, journalism, business analytics, and more. Much of this data is available to the public for free if you know where to look. Getting access to free government data just takes a bit of digging.
What types of free government data are available?
There are many types of free government data available in the United States. Here are some of the most common types of free government data:
- Census data – Demographic, economic, and population data from the decennial census and other Census Bureau surveys.
- Economic data – Data on GDP, unemployment, inflation, trade, and other economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other agencies.
- Health data – Data on healthcare costs, enrollment, vital statistics, clinical trials, and more from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Disease Control.
- Science and research data – Research and scientific data from NASA, NOAA, USGS, DOE, and other science agencies.
- Education data – Data on schools, students, teachers, graduation rates, test scores, and education expenditures from the Department of Education.
- Crime data – Crime rates, arrests, prison populations, and other data from the FBI and Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Government spending data – Data on government contracts, grants, salaries, budgets, and expenditures from sites like USASpending.gov.
- Geospatial data – Maps, satellite imagery, GPS coordinates, and GIS data from agencies like the Census Bureau and USGS.
This is just a sampling of the many types of free public government data available. There are also more specialized data sets from specific agencies that researchers and analysts may find useful.
Where can I find free government data online?
Many government agencies have online data portals where you can download free data. Here are some of the best government data sites:
- Data.gov – The central government data portal that links to agency data across the federal government.
- CDC WONDER – Database from the Centers for Disease Control with health statistics.
- FedStats – Gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. federal agencies.
- USAspending.gov – Data on government spending, including contracts, grants, loans, and other awards.
- data.census.gov – Data portal for accessing Census Bureau data like the American Community Survey.
- FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) – Economic and financial data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
- National Map – USGS portal for accessing geospatial data and topographic maps.
- ClinicalTrials.gov – Registry of privately and publicly funded clinical studies from NIH.
Most government agency websites have a “Data” section where you can find available data resources. Exploring agency websites is a good way to discover more niche data sets.
How can I download and use government data?
Government data is usually available to download in common formats like CSV spreadsheets, XML files, JSON files, and API interfaces. Here are some tips for accessing and using free government data:
- Check data portal sites like Data.gov for the specific agency data you need.
- Find and download bulk data sets from agency open data sites to get large data sets all at once.
- Use API (Application Programming Interface) documentation to understand how to make direct queries on agency data through an API.
- Use Socrata Open Data APIs (SODA) to access many agency data sets through a standardized API.
- Download geographic information system (GIS) and geospatial data files for use in mapping software.
- Scrape data from agency sites that don’t have downloadable file formats available.
- Load government data into analytics, visualization, and business intelligence software tools for analysis.
Be sure to check the usage rights and attribution requirements for any government data you use. Some data sets have restrictions on commercial use or require citations. Following proper attribution ensures agencies can continue providing open data.
What tools can I use to analyze government data?
There are many desktop and cloud-based tools for analyzing government open data:
- Microsoft Excel – Import CSV data sets into Excel for calculations, charting, and pivot tables.
- R and RStudio – Open source programming for statistical analysis and visualization.
- Python – General purpose programming language popular for data analysis.
- Tableau – Interactive data visualization software with dashboards.
- QGIS – Open source GIS software for mapping geospatial data.
- Carto – Cloud-based mapping and location intelligence software.
- Apache Spark – Framework for big data processing and analytics.
- MySQL, PostgreSQL – Open source relational databases to host and query data.
- MongoDB – NoSQL document database good for unstructured data.
The best tools depend on your specific needs. For small to medium sized data sets, Excel, R, Python and business intelligence tools offer accessible options. For big data or more advanced analytics, databases, GIS, and frameworks like Apache Spark open more possibilities.
What are some examples of interesting analyses using government data?
Government data enables all kinds of fascinating insights when analyzed. Here are just a few examples of intriguing analysis projects using open government data:
- Using CDC data on obesity, physical activity, nutrition and tobacco use to research public health trends.
- Leveraging USDA food environment data to identify “food deserts” lacking healthy options.
- Downloading historical weather data from NOAA to study climate change patterns.
- Using General Social Survey data to model changing social attitudes over time.
- Mapping USGS Earth MRI satellite imagery to analyze forest fire damage.
- Combining EPA emissions data with cancer data to research environmental impacts.
- Downloading Supreme Court oral argument transcripts to perform textual analysis.
- Using data.census.gov race, age, and income data to analyze demographic shifts.
The possibilities are endless! Government data provides fertile ground for all kinds of unique analyses across science, social science, health, business, and technology domains. If you can imagine an intriguing research question, chances are good government data exists to help answer it.
What tips do you have for effectively analyzing government data?
Here are some best practices for working with government data:
- Understand how the data was collected – look for methodology, data dictionaries, technical documentation, etc.
- Clean the data by checking for errors, missing values, inconsistencies, etc.
- Make sure you have the complete data context – don’t assume, look for documentation.
- Verify data quality by spot checking values against other sources.
- Watch for changes over time – government data collection evolves, know when and how.
- Check data formats – sometimes PDFs are published instead of spreadsheets.
- Use consistent IDs for joining data sets – don’t assume identical column names.
- Graph trends and outliers to eyeball for anomalies before statistical modeling.
- Communicate results – highlight insights, data limitations, and analysis rigor.
Paying attention to the details in these areas helps avoid mistakes and validate the accuracy of your findings when working with government data.
What legal considerations apply when using government data?
When using government data, be sure to follow relevant terms of service, laws and guidelines:
- Review terms on agency open data portals and obey attributed re-use guidelines.
- Don’t violate privacy laws when handling data involving personal information.
- Understand Freedom of Information Act rules regarding commercially valuable data.
- Check for proprietary restrictions on some government-collected third party data.
- Consider intellectual property issues for creations derived from government data.
- Follow local open data policies if acquiring city, county, or state data.
- Avoid misrepresenting what data says or implies about individuals and groups.
- Cite government data sources to give credit for the information.
While most government data is open, be careful to use it appropriately. When in doubt, consult the open data policies of the agency providing the data.
What are some downsides to be aware of when using government data?
While incredibly useful, government open data does come with some cautions and limitations:
- Data accuracy depends on methodology – it may have biases, errors, or quality issues.
- Data lag – most data sets involve a 1-5 year lag from collection to publication.
- Infrequent updates – some data sets only get updated every few years.
- Changes over time – collection methods and definitions evolve, limiting trend analysis.
- Unavailable demographics – some data excludes key demographic attributes.
- Incomplete data – not all agencies participate or disclose everything.
- FOIA restrictions – some commercially valuable data cannot be disclosed.
- Privacy protections – data anonymization limits precision for analysis.
- Formatted as PDF – documents rather than databases restrict utility.
- Hard to access bulk data – APIs and bulk downloads may be lacking.
Being aware of these limitations helps contextualize analysis. Government data offers great insights, but often requires cleaning and care to generate quality analysis.
How can I stay updated on new and changed government data releases?
Here are some strategies for keeping up with new government data releases:
- Bookmark key agency open data sites and portals to check back on periodically.
- Subscribe to agency blogs, email lists, and social media accounts to get data release announcements.
- Follow advocates on social media who spotlight new government data sets.
- Set Google Alerts for government data topics and specific agency sources.
- Attend open data conferences and events to connect with the community.
- Look for lists of best new data sets released each year.
- Search Github for repositories housing government data to find new postings.
- Monitor sites like data.gov/changelog for updates across government data.
Discovering new and updated government data quickly takes following the community of government data advocates and miners. Connecting with others interested in open data makes staying in the loop much easier.
Should I learn to code to tap the full potential of open government data?
Learning to code in languages like Python, R, and SQL will greatly expand your ability to work with large, complex government data sets. Programming enables you to:
- Query databases efficiently using SQL.
- Parse messy unstructured data with text processing.
- Apply machine learning algorithms to uncover insights.
- Visualize data interactively for deeper analysis.
- Build tools and apps powered by government data APIs.
- Run iterative analyses and statistical modeling.
- Automate scraping and processing of bulk data.
- Share useful code with the open data community.
You don’t have to be an expert coder to benefit. Learning just a bit of programming will give you more flexibility with government data. For deeper data science projects, more rigorous coding skills become necessary.
What are some examples of cool open government data projects?
Many researchers, journalists, activists, and developers have used open government data to build interesting projects. Here are some cool examples:
- Healthcare.data.gov – Public health data tools and resources for developers.
- How’s My Waterway – EPA site showing water quality grades for local water bodies.
- Spying on America’s Dog Park Paradox – Analyzing Census data on dogs vs dog parks in major cities.
- 2016 USA Election Map by County – Interactive national election map with census data.
- School Inequality Index – Interactive maps exploring school funding by location.
- USAFacts – Compiling government data to tell the story of how USA spends taxpayer dollars.
- Worldmapper – Collection of world maps showing issues like poverty and obesity using data.
- FEC.gov – Website providing searchable campaign finance data.
- OpenSecrets.org – Tracks money in U.S. politics using FEC data.
These showcase the range of creativity possible when leveraging open government data for analysis, storytelling, and civic benefit.
What are some resources for learning more about working with open government data?
Many great resources exist for learning more about open government data. Here are some recommendations:
- Data.gov and Agency open data sites – dive into the data!
- sunlightfoundation.com – Promotes open government data and tools.
- opendatahandbook.org – Guide for government open data publication.
- Census Academy – Free courses on working with Census data.
- conferences like Strata Data and Open Government Datacon – Connect with the community.
- books like “Data Science for Public Policy” – Focused on gov data analysis.
- r/opendata subreddit – Discuss open data news and questions.
- Open data meetups/events – Look for local Meetup groups.
- GitHub open data repositories – Find useful code and datasets.
- Blogs from Max Roser, Ben Wellington, Julia Silge – Examples of open data analyses.
The open government data community is full of helpful people and resources for continuing to level up your skills and knowledge.
Conclusion
Accessing and analyzing free government data unlocks huge potential for research, journalism, advocacy, business intelligence, and technology innovation. Government agencies offer a wealth of open data if you know where to look and how to extract insights from it. Follow best practices for finding, downloading, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting open government data. Learn enough coding to access APIs and work with large datasets. Stay plugged into the open data community to take advantage of the latest resources. Government open data, despite some limitations, enables previously impossible analysis and civic benefits.