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NYC Deep Dive: Data Behind the Headlines

NYC-specific data for local journalism — building permits, restaurant grades, and more.

5 steps

1Data.Census.Gov

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2FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

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3NYC Green Book

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4Data Planet

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5New York Times (1980-present)

Pull NYC demographics from the Census

The US Census is the primary source for population, housing, and economic data at every geography level — from national down to individual NYC neighborhoods.

💡 Pro tip: Use "Advanced Search" to filter by geography (New York County, Kings County, etc.) and get tract-level breakdowns.

DatabaseFree$500/yr value

Data.Census.Gov

Data & Statistics

US Census Bureau's data platform with detailed demographic, economic, and housing data for every US community. Search by geography, topic, or table. Essential for sociology, urban planning, and public policy research.

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Track NYC economic trends with FRED

FRED has thousands of time series for the New York metro area — unemployment, CPI, housing prices, GDP by metro.

💡 Pro tip: Search "New York" in FRED and bookmark key series. You can overlay multiple series on one chart for comparison.

DatabaseFree

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Economics & Statistics

800,000+ economic data series — GDP, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, housing, trade, and more. Create custom charts and download data. Every econ student needs this.

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Find NYC government contacts and agencies

The Green Book is the official directory of NYC government — every agency, official, and contact. Essential for FOIA requests or sourcing.

💡 Pro tip: Use the organizational charts to understand which agency oversees the topic you are investigating.

ResourceFree

NYC Green Book

Journalism & Investigative Research

Official directory of NYC government agencies, elected officials, and public employees. Find contact info for any city agency or official.

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Visualize trends across datasets

Data Planet aggregates billions of data points from government, NGO, and commercial sources into one search interface with built-in charting.

💡 Pro tip: Export charts directly into your presentations — Data Planet generates publication-ready graphics.

Database$8,000/yr value

Data Planet

Data & Statistics

25 billion data points from government agencies, international orgs, and research institutions. Visualize and download statistical data on basically anything.

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Add narrative context from the NYT archive

Cross-reference your data findings with NYT coverage from 1980 to present. See how the numbers were reported and what stories they drove.

💡 Pro tip: Use date-range filters to find articles published around key data inflection points you identified in earlier steps.

Database$500/yr value

New York Times (1980-present)

News & Media

Full-text New York Times from 1980 to today. Search current news, opinion, investigations, and features from America's paper of record.

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