U.S. Government statistics on the World Wide Web

The U.S. Government produces and provides massive amounts of statistics. Government initiatives have made much of the statistical information emanating from its various federal agencies, departments, and offices digitally accessible on the Internet. Assisting users in locating specific statistics can be one of the most challenging duties librarians have. This article provides a guide to government sources that will help librarians locate health statistics for researchers, health professionals, health consumers, and others. Some selected sites may be an endpoint of the search, and others may offer a solid beginning to a complex answer. Links are also provided to gateway Web sites, where a search strategy utilizing some of the tips discovered while compiling this list can be used to help promote successful outcomes. As always, it is recommended to use evaluative criteria to assess information quality as well as integrity of the data.