Governments collect and disseminate an extraordinary amount of data. There is not, however, a uniform way of accessing this information. A good strategy is to narrow down your geographic area as much as you can. In other words, do not search for information on federal sites when you only need information on a particular county. Then use advanced searching techniques that allow you to combine phrases. If you are searching for domestic data, include .gov in your search. If you are researching a location outside the U.S., use that country's Internet code. One can occasionally discover data by adding the key word "reports," "publications," "pdf," or similar terms. For example: "City of Houston" AND parks AND .gov AND reports.
Government data outside the U.S. is highly varied in its availability and complexity. To search specific areas, limit searches with keywords like "municipal," "territory," etc., along with the place name and type of information you are seeking.
The Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association maintains a guide to statistical databases collected in all 50 states and the capitol. Users can find any number of data, including crime statistics, health data demographics, and highway conditions. Click here to search.