STATS America is an easy to use resource for a wide variety of data from many different sources (i.e. U.S. Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and Bureau of Labor Statistics). Data profiles on population, housing, income and labor are easily accessible at the state, county, and metro levels. Not only does STATS America compile data from many public and private sources, they also include the original source of the data on every table, profile and map. That is a very important addition that is not so conscientiously provided by many other sites.

STATS America looks a lot like Stats Indiana. That is because both were developed by the Indiana University Business Research Center.  Both are very good resources.  However, STATS America provides the following unique added features that are well worth a look:

• Innovation in America’s Regions: Three online tools that provide measures and information about innovation at the county and regional levels. Although these tools were developed to support rural economic development efforts, they work equally well for any region, rural or urban.
• Measuring Distress:  This tool was developed to provide an easy to use online tool to help counties, regions, and neighborhoods determine whether they meet grant thresholds for unemployment and income.  However, it also provides a useful snapshot of the economic health of a county, region, or neighborhood.