Subject Guide: Business: Government Sources

• Small Business

  Tools and information to better understand government involvement and regulations in businesses.

• US Census Bureau

  Portal to the Census Bureau and information about America's People, Places and Economy.

• USA.gov

  Official U.S. Government web portal and search engine.  USA.gov is an easy-to-search, free-access website designed to give you a centralized place to find information from U.S. local, state, and federal government agency websites.

• Bureau of Economic Analysis collects information on economic indicators, national and international trade, accounts, and industry.
• Bureau of Justice Statistics reports on justice systems, crime, criminal offenders, and victims of crime.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the U.S. economy.
• Bureau of Transportation Statistics provides data on airline on-time performance, pirates at sea, transportation safety and availability, motorcycle trends, and more.
• Census Bureau is the main source of data about our nation's people and economy.
• DAP Public Dashboard provides a window into how people are interacting with the government online.
• Data.gov is the home of the U.S. Government's open data. Find federal, state, and local data, tools, and resources to conduct research, build apps, design data visualizations, and more. 
• Economic Research Service informs public and private decision making on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural development.  
• Energy Information Administration provides data on U.S. use of coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and more.
• Internal Revenue Service Tax Statistics examine tax returns to report on such things as sources of income, exemptions, use of medical savings accounts, migration, and geographic data, tax information on foreign corporations controlled by U.S. parent corporations, exports, international boycotts, and investments and activities in the U.S. by foreign persons.
• National Agricultural Statistical Service researches data on food production and supply, organic sales, chemical use, demographics of U.S. producers, and more. Every five years it conducts the Census of Agriculture that provides agricultural data for every county in the United States.
• National Center for Education Statistics researches education in the United States. It publishes the Digest of Education Statistics, which includes international comparisons of students, and the annual report to Congress, The Condition of Education, which reports the progress of American education.
• National Center for Health Statistics is the principal health statistics agency for improving the health of the American people.
• National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics publishes data on the American science and engineering workforce and the progress of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States.
• Office of Personnel Management provides statistics on the Federal civilian workforce through data sources such as FedScope.
• Social Security Administration Office of Research Evaluation and Statistics offers data on social security program benefits, payments, covered workers, and more.
• USAspending.gov is the official source for spending data for the U.S. government. Learn about the size of the federal budget, and how the government spends that money on a national level and around the country.

• Census Bureau - Business and Economy  The Census Bureau produces economic data across the entire economy on a monthly, quarterly, yearly, and five-year basis
• CIA World Factbook

  Provides informational maps and data on world entities, including government, policy, history, economics, and much more.

• Economy at a Glance-By State

  Provides labor force, salary and wage for nonfarm employment, and metropolitan area data (depending on the state) by state.

• EDGAR- US Securities and Exchange Commission

  Both foreign and domestic companies are required to register and file forms through EDGAR, and all of this information is free from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Information including company contact information, SIC code, fiscal year , and registered companies in a state are included in this site.

• Export.gov

  This site, provided by the International Trade Administration, aims to provide necessary resources from the U.S. Government in order to help with business planning strategies in the global marketplace. It includes webinars, news, a list of opportunities, a blog, and much more.

• International Trade Administration

  Important links on this page include the Topics link, that links to various articles about trade, exporting, compliance, enforcement, and events. Also relevant would be the Data & Analysis tab, that shows data by industry and statistics.

• IRS Tax Statistics

  These statistics include information on businesses, individuals, charitable & exempt organizations, and income. You can search by these topics or by form to find information about taxes.

• Major Economic Indicators

  Provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Major Economic Indicators is a site with news releases about the economy.

• Small Business Administration

  Provides information, advice, blogs, videos, online events, and more for those interested in small business.

• US Department of Labor

  This is the portal for the U.S. Department of Labor and features news blogs, and frequently asked questions about the department, as well as a list of other relevant agencies.

• US Department of Commerce

  This site includes news, economic indicators, and blogs for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

• Federal Laws and Regulations - Portal. This is a great place to 0start.

Some frequently used sites for Business Law Research include (but not limited to):

• Federal Trade Commission

  The FTC enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws by investigating complaints against companies initiated by consumers, businesses, or congressional inquiries. The commission seeks to ensure competitive markets by eliminating unfair or deceptive practices. The website offers texts of congressional hearings, federal rules, staff opinions, and decisions, orders and complaints.

• Guide to Law Online

  Provided by the Library of Congress, this site provides vast annotated links which offer full texts of laws, regulations, and court decisions, along with commentary from lawyers. Covers international, multinational, U.S. federal, and state legal information.

• Internal Revenue Service

  The Internal Revenue Service is the tax collection agency for the United States Government. It administers the Internal Revenue Code. This website contains a massive amount of tax-related resources, including Pronouncements, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, laws, regulations, news, and court rulings.

• U.S. Copyright Office

  The Copyright Office provides expert assistance to Congress on intellectual property matters. It is the office where claims to copyright are registered and where documents relating to copyright are recorded. The website offers informational circulars; application forms for copyright registration; links to the copyright law, and news. It includes congressional testimony and press releases; latest federal regulations; a link to online copyright records cataloged since 1978; and more.

• United States Patent and Trademark Office

  The role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is processing patent and trademark applications and disseminating patent and trademark information. The website allows full-text searching of patents since 1976 and searching of full-page images since 1790. In addition, the user may use TESS (Trademark Electronic Search System) for searching trademark applications and registration information.

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

  The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) protects investors and regulates the securities markets. Included in this website, are laws and regulations, rules, staff interpretations, litigation releases, and public statements. Also, offers searching and downloading of public company SEC filings