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Federal Web Resources

Official Government Resources*

Major Portals and Search Engines
General Information Resources
Laws and Regulations
Statistical Resources

Other (Unofficial) Resources

There are many unofficial links to government information. These links are provided as being potentially useful, but the user must keep in mind that these do not have the same authority or permanence as official government information sources. Use with care!

Official Government Resources

Major Portals and Search Engines

Congressional Directory
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS194
The official directory of the U.S. Congress, published every other year. It gives addresses, phone numbers, committee assignments, and biographical information for all members of Congress.
GPO Access
The Government Printing Office homepage provides access to official government information and publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
GPO Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
The CGP is the official index and finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive records for historical and current publications.
USA.gov
The "official U.S. government's web portal," providing access to consumer information, federal jobs, directories, science and technology information, etc.
United States House of Representatives
United States Senate
White House

General Information Resources

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS1729
A central location for information about federal loans, grants, and other types of financial assistance programs, including necessary qualifications and application guidelines.
Grants.gov
Internal Revenue Service
IRS site provides tax news and information, contact information for local IRS offices, printable tax forms, and more.
Library of Congress
Library catalogs, maps, photographs, audio, multi-lingual resources on world culture, and more.
National Technical Information Service
Occupational Outlook Handbook
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS51754
A nationally recognized source of career information, describing hundreds of occupations in detail, including the nature of tasks performed, working conditions, training required, general earnings, and outlook for employment in each occupation.
Public Papers of the Presidents
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS4752
An annual publication that contains the speeches and papers of each president in chronological order, and often contains photographs of the president.
Public STINET (Science and Technical Information Network)
The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)'s Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET) Service provides access to scientific and technical information.
Science.gov
State and County Quick Facts
A Census Bureau site which not only provides information at the state and county level, but also for cities and towns with populations over 25,000. Some information is available for rural areas and townships.
Thomas
Legislative information from the Library of Congress.
U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission
United States Government Manual
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2410
Biennial. As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the annual United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, including listings of officials, phone numbers, addresses, and descriptions of the purpose and history of each agency. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
World Factbook
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS552
Annual, issued by Central Intelligence Agency, providing statistics on geography, population, economy, etc., for dozens of foreign countries, along with useful maps, flag illustrations, and brief discussions of transnational issues. It is no longer available in print.

Laws and Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS494 The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) codifies (gathers together by topic) the rules currently in force which were originally published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis.
Federal Register
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS1756
Daily, the Federal Register is the official publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents, documents that Congress requires be published, and other federal documents of public interest. Material initially published in the Federal Register is subsequently compiled into the Code of Federal Regulations.
Regulations.gov
This U.S. Government Web site encourages public participation in the Federal rulemaking process by allowing you to view and comment on regulations and other actions for Federal agencies.
United States Code (USC)
The United States Code is the codification of the general and permanent federal laws currently in effect. It is divided by broad subjects into 50 titles. Since 1926, the United States Code has been published every six years. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information. A very useful feature is the list of acts by popular names, e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Statistical Resources

General

Fed Stats
Statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies. Includes statistical profiles of states, counties, and districts.
Historical Statistics of the United States
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS55561 (vol. 1)
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS55811 (vol. 2)
Statistics on population, births, deaths, migration, labor, prices and price indexes, national income and wealth, agriculture, and more. The most recent federal edition covers colonial times to 1970; a private publisher issued an updated edition in 2006.
Statistical Abstract
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2878
Statistics compiled by the Bureau of the Census, other government agencies, and some private associations. Topics include health and nutrition, parks, recreation and travel, elections, national defense, banking, business, communications, energy, and much more.
US Census Bureau
Statistics for the United States, individual states, counties/parishes, and cities on population characteristics and housing.

Crime

Crime in the United States (FBI Uniform Crime Reports)
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS3082
Annual, statistics of types of crimes committed in the United States, and on persons arrested.

Education

Digest of Education Statistics
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS6878
Statistics on enrollment, degrees conferred, and related information for elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions, as well as financial data.
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.

Business and Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Economic Indicators
purl: http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS1458
Monthly statistics of U.S. economy, including gross domestic product, national income, corporate profits, employment, unemployment, wages, consumer prices, and federal debt.