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STATE INFORMATION

This guide is concerned with a variety of resources dealing with information about states. These include general guides, directories of state agencies/services, statistical resources, executive/judicial/legislature information, rankings, professional associations/organizations for policy development, “open government” resources, specific issues (taxation, healthcare). Many websites provide state information which is standard: state flag, motto, name origin (and nickname), geographic information, constitution, population data, state government profile, state bird, state song, state flower, etc.  In the annotations for the sites listed below, this information will be referred to as “basic state information.”

These sites were selected carefully among hundreds of noteworthy sides from government sources, academia and professional associations/organizations. Because many of these sites are comprehensive in nature, there is an inevitable amount of overlap and duplication. For additional state information, please see the following webguides: American Law: State Resources and Public Records.


50states.com – States and Capitals

•  Created by Roy Weber; sponsored by Pike Street Industries, Inc.
•  Browse each state in over 50 categories including basic state information, links to largest cities’ homepages, public records, state tax forms, tourism, unclaimed funds, vital records
•  Also includes directories for city guides, colleges/universities, newspapers, sports teams, white pages/yellow pages
•  Excellent: great source for quick information; especially useful for topics not often covered by other states sites


50 States of the U.S.A.

•  This site is a sub-page from “Teacher Oz’s Kingdom of History,” created and maintained by Tracey Osborn
•  Provides a wealth of information on almost every aspect of the 50 states
•  “General State Information” links general state sites and sites for state information by topic: state name origins/symbols/flags, etc.; geographic information (maps, distances, latitude/longitude); demographics (population/statistics/rankings); government (state government/law/elections); state news and city information
•  “Specific States” links to basic state information about individual states; additional links for a state vary from state-to-state (for example, Rhode Island has 7 links, while California has 32); these additional links may be cultural, genealogical, historical or municipal
•  Outstanding; comprehensive, with many more esoteric links than general state sites; map links and demographic links are especially useful; fascinating and easy-to-navigate


DOL Services by Location

•  Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
•  Links to state, regional and federal agencies concerned with multiple aspects of employment in 50 states and three U.S. territories
•  Links to up to 18 employment-related areas, including the following: a state’s economy, training/apprenticeship programs, wage information, benefits information, job safety, veterans’ programs and more
•  Comprehensiveness of links varies by state
•  Outstanding; this is the best site for locating labor programs/services on a state level


Governing: State Government Links

•  Sponsored by “Governing,” a monthly publication for state and local government officials; published by Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
•  “Internet Resources” links to federal/state/local sites and to associations/organizations for the following categories: development/land use, environment/waste management, policy/politics, public education, public safety, technology, transportation, state-based research organizations
•  Also includes a directory of over 100 sites for interstate/multistate commissions/ authorities and professional organizations for state officials (includes such esoterica as the “Association of State Dam Safety Officials”)
•  One of the best sites for links to state government information and organizations; the link to state-based research organizations is especially useful


Government Domain: State Government Fundamentals

•  Compiled by Peggy Garvin, Garvin Information Consultants for LLRX.com
•  “These resources are not specific to a single state, but rather provide nationwide coverage of state information”
•  Links to over 40 sites for state government directories for executive, legislative and judicial information, including “state personnel, news, legislation, regulations, policy updates, and statistics”
•  Annotations accompany most links
•  Links to 32 sites for researching specific aspects of government (mostly federal) produced by Garvin between 2005 and 2007
•  Excellent; not extensive but a great place to begin research on states


Government Performance Project (GPP)

•  Sponsored by the Pew Center on the States (PCS)
•  “Works to advance state policies that serve the public interest;” “conducts credible research,” … to determine what works and what does not” and seeks to “advance nonpartisan, pragmatic solutions to pressing problems affecting Americans”
•  Examines state programs/performance in 12 topical areas
•  “Grading the States 2008” report (under Topics: Government Performance) analyzes and rates how each state conducts its business in four areas: “Money,” “People,” “Infrastructure,” and “Information”
•  Each state report examines the state’s performance and assigns an overall grade (Rhode Island is a C- (down from a C+ in the 2005 report)
•  “The Criteria We Use” explains procedures utilized in compiling state reports
•  Outstanding; this project provides excellent analysis of states’ strengths/weaknesses from one of the most well-respected policy-research institutes in America


Guide to State Statistical Abstracts

•  Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
•  Compiled from an appendix in the Statistical Abstract of the United States, this site lists the latest available state statistical abstracts since 2003
•  Links to online sources (some states have multiple links); provides contact information and/or print product information where available
•  The nature of statistical data links differs; some are links to stand-alone state statistical agencies, but many link to state university sites for business/economic development/research, state planning agencies
•  Data may include demographic, economic, historical, agricultural, additional information
•  “All sources contain statistical tables on a variety of subjects for the state as a whole, its component parts, or both”
•  “Browse Sections” allows users to access statistical information for 30 topical areas
•  Complements “Statistical Information by State” (see below)
•  Best federal resource for official state statistical information gathered in one place


Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project (CAP)

•  “Uses legal research to examine the individual statutory provisions controlling open meetings and open records in the 50 states, regardless of where the provisions are found in a state’s statutory compilations”
•  Access information as follows: by multiple legal categories by single state, by single legal category across all states, by comparing specific categories for two states
•  Information can be statutory, constitutional or by court opinion
•  “Sunshine Index” rates a law’s transparency by utilizing 7 “weather icons,” from “Sunny” (completely open) to “Dark” (completely closed)
•  Complements “Open Government Guide” (see below)
•  Outstanding; one of the best sites for accessing the legal foundations of each state’s records and meetings laws


NACo – National Association of Counties Homepage

•  “The only national organization that represents county government in the United States”
•  Links to county websites and legislative concerns, programs/projects, governmental/organizational resources
•  Provides information about membership and services of NACo, publications, conferences, events
•  Also links to websites for such “issues areas” as community/economic development,, environmental/energy/land use concerns homeland security, public lands, public safety
•  One of the best, most comprehensive sites for all types of county information; for best
results, search using the “Site Map”


National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)

•  “A bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation’s 50 states, its commonwealths and territories”
•  “Provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues”
•  “An effective and respected advocate for the interest of state governments before Congress and federal agencies”
•  “State & Federal Issues” provides access to resources (reports, news, legislation) for over 20 policy areas in economic, educational, legal, health, additional areas; also links to resources about state legislatures, state-federal relations
•  “Mandate Monitor” (click on “Standing Committee on Budgets and Review”) tracks the status of unfunded federal mandates which impact states’ budgets/fiscal operation
•  There is significant information for the general public; some information, however, is restricted to “Legislators and Staff Only”
•  Includes information about NCSL’s structure, events, policies, publications, resources and services
•  Outstanding; an excellent resource for information on states’ relations with the federal government and for policy/legislation comparisons on a variety of policy area of interest to all states


National Governors Association (NGA)

•  The mission of the NGA is “… to support the work of the governors by providing a bipartisan forum to help shape and implement national policy and to solve state problems”
•  Provides information about the policy positions, programs, resources and services of the NGA
•  The website’s best feature is “The Center for Best Practices,” a clearinghouse for information designed to aid governors in developing policy and avoiding pitfalls, so that governors can be “… better prepared to react to emerging issues”
•  “The Center” provides its own research reports, links to federal/regional government agencies and relevant policy analysis documents from other sources; provides resources for dozens of specific issues on the following topics: economy/technology, education, workforce development, social services, health, homeland security, energy, the environment and other issues
•  Also offers up-to-date state news, legislative updates, and “About the Governors” (websites, contact information, speeches, etc.)
•  Free NGA monthly e-mail update
•  Complements “StatesNews” website
•  Excellent, well-organized approach to complex issues; one of the best sources for research on issues facing states, from the executive perspective


Open Government Guide

•  Sponsored by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
•  Former known as “Tapping Officials’ Secrets”
•  “A comprehensive guide to open government law and practice in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia”
•  “Fifty-one outlines detail the rights of reporters and other citizens to see information and attend meetings of state and local governments”
•  Browse by state for “Open Records” and “Open Meetings”
•  “Open Records” links include basic application of statutes, exceptions and other legal limitations, state law on electronic records, record categories (open/closed), procedures for obtaining records
•  “Open Meetings” links to basic application of statutes, exemptions and other legal limitations, meetings categories (open/closed), procedures for asserting right of access, asserting a right to comment
•  “Compare” allows a comparison of the above topics between two or more states
•  Complements “Marion Brechner Citizen Access Project” (see above)
•  Outstanding; one of the best sites for accessing the legal foundation of each state’s records and meetings laws


SHG (State Handbook & Guides) Resources

•  This site provides numerous links to various issues (domestic violence, census information, people locators, traffic); its applicability to this guide, however, is in its governmental links
•  “State Information” links to 11 sub-directories (under “States”); one of these (U.S. State Agencies) links to 40 categories of links for state government activities/services, from “aging services” to “vital statistics and records”
•  “State Pages” provides basic state information; also links to a state’s colleges/universities, media outlets, as well as personal interest sites (entertainment, money, finance, shopping, etc.)
•  Contains significant commercial content
•  Despite this site’s general nature, the “Government Agencies” directory alone makes it worthwhile, since it is one of the most comprehensive topic-specific directories of state services available


State and County QuickFacts

•  Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
•  Great source for “quick, easy access to facts about people, business, and geography”
•  “QuickFacts” tables are summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available at the national, state, and county level.”
•  Links to other Census Bureau sites of related interest
•  Not comprehensive, but one of the best sites for quick, basic census data


State and Local Agencies and Offices, by Topic

•  Maintained by USA.gov
•  Links to 52 sites; site title is a misnomer, since all sites (with two exceptions) link to state resources
•  Links to “the basics” (administrative, executive, judicial and legislative sites); also links to sites not readily available elsewhere (historic preservation offices, lottery results, utility commissions)
•  No annotations
•  Outstanding; one of the best sites available for accessing state government agencies in one place


State Capital Links

•  Sponsored by StateScape
•  Links to the following government information for each state: full texts for bills, legislature homepage, information about legislature members
•  This site is one of the best sites for direct access to fundamental legislature links in one place


State Education Data Profiles (SEDP)

•  Sub-page of the National Center for Education Statistics (NECS), “… the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations”
•  SEDP includes data indices in each state for elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational levels, demographics, public libraries, and “National Assessment of Educational Progress”; also provides comparative data concerning national averages
•  Excellent; one of the best resources for locating basic statistical information on state education; parent site (NECS) is the best resource (official or otherwise) for undertaking any statistical research about American education


State Government and Politics

•  Maintained by Grace York for the University of Michigan Documents Center (UMDC)
•  One of the most comprehensive and best sites for state governments, state legislatures, public policy, local governments
•  Includes a wide variety of topics including elections, statistics, advocacy groups, think tanks, state government associations
•  Excellent annotations accompany most links
•  Browsable only
•  As with all UMDC sites, this one is very well-organized, thorough and easy-to-navigate
•  Excellent; a “must” for anyone interested in state government research


State Government Finances

•  Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
•  “Provides a comprehensive summary of annual survey findings for state governments”
•  Data is displayed in “Summary Tables” (US and states), “Ranking Table” (total and per capita revenue and expenditure amounts), “Lottery Table” (income and apportionment of state lottery funds)
•  “Technical Documentation” provides an “… explanation of the source and limits of data, file layouts and content”
•  Links to additional, related Census Bureau sites (link from “Site Map”): “Census of Governments,” “Public Employment & Payroll” (all government levels), “Public Employee Retirement Systems” (state and local), “Tax Collection” (state and local), “Federal Expenditures”
•  Best direct official source for state government finance and related topics


State Government Tax Collections

•  Sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau
•  “Provides a summary of taxes collected by state for up to 25 tax categories”
•  Data is displayed in “Summary Tables” (US and states), “Ranking Table” (by total state tax), “Flat Data File” (tax item data for each state)
•  “Technical Documentation” provides an “explanation of the source and limitations of data, file layouts and content,” and provides a link to “definitions and explanations of the various tax codes”
•  Links to additional, related Census Bureau sites (link from “site map”): “Census of Governments,” “Public Employment & Payroll”, “Finance” (state and local,) “Public Employee Retirement Systems” (state/local levels), “Federal Expenditures”
•  Best, direct, official source for state taxation, and related topics


State Health Facts Online

•  Sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation
•  This site’s mission is to provide “… the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing and state legislation”
•  “50 State Comparisons” allows the user to compare data on the following: demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage and the uninsured, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, health costs and budgets, managed care and health insurance, providers and service use, women’s health, minority health, HIV/AIDS
•  “50 State Comparisons” may be keyword searched as well as browsed
•  “Individual State Profiles” provide single-state data for each category listed in “50 State Comparisons;” also links to the state government’s home page, legislature, Medicaid agency and Department of Insurance
•  US health data profile also included
•  “Tools” provides access to a topics list, publications factsheets, glossary, e-mail update service
•  All sources for data are identified (many are federal government sites)
•  Outstanding; one of the best – if not the best – health research sites for US states; comprehensive, easy-to-navigate; excellent in all respects


State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States

•  Co-authored by Robert K. Anderson and Daniel K. Correa
•  Sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
•  This report evaluates the progress of each state toward integration into the “new economy” and its emphasis on a knowledge-based economy vs. a traditional industrial-based economy
•  Analyzes the structure, development and trends of the “new economy and an overall ranking for the 50 states
•  The report is organized into the following categories: “Knowledge Jobs,” “Globalization,” “Economic Dynamism,” “Digital Economy,” “Innovative Capacity”; 26 indicators analyze and make recommendations for improving various facets of a state’s economy and its compliance with “new economy” goals
•  Also provides recommendations for “Economic Development “Strategies”
•  Identifies “Data Sources” utilized in compiling the report
•  Outstanding; comprehensive and insightful, this timely study is one of the best research reports of its kind online; highly recommended


State Resource Center

•  Sponsored by LexisOne
•  “State Resource Center” is comprised of two directories, the “State Resource Center” and the “Legal Web Site Directory
•  The first section of the “State Resource Center” – “General State Resources” – links to state constitutions, state court directories, and state/national resources (annotated links to some of the best legal state/national sites)
•  The second section – links to individual states – includes the following: state home pages (with links to Census sites), statewide offices, legislative branches, judicial branches, executive branches, rules of courts/forms, boards/commissions, regional/county links, libraries; also links to U.S. territories
•  “Legal Web Site Directory” links to 18 categories of legal information: “Most Visited Sites” include judicial courts/decisions, practice areas, code/statutes, legal/business/government forms, legal journals/law reviews, bar resources
•  Excellent source for extensive direct links to a wealth of state and legal sites; easy-to-navigate


Stateline.org

•  Sponsored by the Pew Center on the States, University of Richmond
•  “State News Roundup” provides access to current news and policy developments from all state capitals
•  “My Stateline” is a news alert service which allows users to be updated on the latest news/issues for their state (registration required, but it’s free)
•  Allows state-specific and issue-specific searching
•  Archives past news items
•  Excellent; one of the best resources for current information on states’ news/policies


StateList: The Electronic Source for State Publication Lists

•  “A joint project of the Documents and Law Libraries at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign”
•  “Provides links to state publication checklists and shipping lists that are currently available on the Internet from 37 states”
•  Checklists/shipping lists comprehensiveness vary from state to state; many states’ lists are not sequential in nature and the quality of such listings varies widely
•  Excellent; does an admirable job of trying to bring organization to document types which can be haphazard at best


Statistical Information by State

•  Sponsored by University Libraries, University of Colorado at Boulder
•  Links to over 100 online statistical sources for the 50 states (some states have multiple links)
•  The nature of state statistical data differs; some are links to stand-alone state statistical agencies, but many links to state university sites for business/economic development/research, state planning agencies
•  Data may include demographic, economic, historical, agricultural, additional information
•  Complements “Guide to State Statistical Abstracts” (see above)
•  Excellent resource for state statistical information


StateMaster

•  Launched in 2006, “StateMaster was developed to provide a free educational resource for people looking for updated and essential information about the United States, giving people a greater insight into the study of our country”
•  “A central location where states can be compared on just about anything”
•  Currently includes over 3,500 statistical tables and over 1,100 maps (as of May 2009)
•  Each state’s profile includes links to in-depth statistics for 20 data areas, which include demographics, health, government, crime, the economy and education; additional information is included about “top rankings” and “bottom rankings” for a state
•  “All statistics on this site are cited;” some (but not all) sources include the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, National Center for Education Statistics, Bureau of Justice, American Community Survey
•  Includes an FAQ feature
•  Links to NationMaster, a companion site for in-depth statistical data for world’s nations
•  Outstanding; this is a cornucopia of almost every conceivable type of statistics for U.S. states; a phenomenal achievement which is as entertaining as it is informative; highly recommended


U.S. States: The 50 States

•  Click on a state on a US map to link to basic state information (in 15 categories) for that state
•  Also links by topic for the following: state maps (many are printable), flags, state trivia, regions, travel and climate (includes landmarks, national park system information, mileage between cities), government (federal/state links, postal codes)
•  Level of information at this site is comparable to almanac data; very useful for what it covers, but not for in-depth research


Websites presented on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content or stability of any website linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh, 6/03; latest update 7/09

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