On August 19 , I posted a list of useful free data sources on the Internet. This post continues that list.
“Big Mac” Index. A database maintained by The Economist magazine, it regularly tracks the cost of the McDonald’s sandwich in countries throughout the world. Its value is that since the sandwich is uniform everywhere, it gives a good indication of whether exchange rates are misaligned and by how much.
Budget.gov. A government web site where one can find the president’s budget as well as historical budget data and other documents generated by the Office of Management and Budget.
Case-Shiller Home Price Index. This is the main index used by economists to track home price trends nationally.
Doing Business. This is a database maintained by the World Bank with information on the cost of doing business in almost every country, including taxes and government regulations. Updated annually.
Economagic. This site has thousands of foreign and U.S. data series. Its main value is that all are in Excel files and can easily be charted.
Eurostat. Central source for a wide variety of data on the European Union and its member countries.
Federation of Tax Administrators. Excellent source for state tax data. If you need to know the top income tax rate in some state or the sales tax rate, this is the best place to go.
Financial Report of the United States Government. This annual report is an essential supplement to the president’s budget. Whereas the budget is like an income statement for the government, the financial report is like a balance sheet with assets and liabilities.
Fortune 500. Fortune magazine has been listing the 500 largest industrial corporations in the United States since 1955. This database aggregates the data from every annual list.
Historical Prime Rate. A database maintained by JPMorgan Chase with changes in the prime interest rate changed by banks.
Inflation calculator. Useful calculator maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics makes it easy to find out what prices in the past would be in today’s dollars and vise-verse.
Kitco. A good source for data on the prices of gold and other precious metals.
National Association of State Budget Officers. Good source of data on state spending.
Recovery.gov. A government web site set up to track as closely as possible all the spending from last year’s stimulus program.
Science and Engineering Indicators. Every year the National Science Foundation publishes an enormous amount of data on these topics, often with comparable international data.
Statistics Canada. Central source for all data relating to Canada. It is generally considered to be the best national statistical agency in the world.
Tax Foundation. Provides good historical data for a variety of federal, state and local taxes.
Tax Policy Center. A web site maintained jointly by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, it contains a wealth of data on the federal tax system.
Unionstats. Excellent source for data on labor union membership.
USAspending.gov. A government web site designed to track federal contracting.
World Factbook. A public document compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency with comprehensive data on every country on earth.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Read his most recent column here. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
