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Data

Data for journalists and researchers.

Every dataset, chart and embeddable tool on trynewsusa.com in one place, with the files and a line to cite.

Published by NewsUSA · Updated

Short answer

NewsUSA publishes 6 datasets on trynewsusa.com, each as a CSV with a page that explains it: news deserts and news outlets by state and county from Medill's 2026 data, a study of sponsored feature stories on local news sites, an AI assistant citation test, local news statistics and a 2027 awareness-month calendar. All of it may be reused with a link to the page it comes from.

Everything here may be reused with a link to the page it comes from. Where the figures are someone else's, such as the Medill Local News Initiative's or the Census Bureau's, credit them as the source too; each page names its sources.

Datasets

  • 2027 feature story calendar. Seasonal moments and awareness months in 2027 that brands can tie feature stories to, with the 2027 date or date rule, the organizer and a suggested story angle for each. Compiled by NewsUSA; organizers linked. On 2027 feature story calendar. Files: feature-story-calendar-2027.csv (CSV) · feature-story-calendar-2027.ics (iCalendar). Cite as: NewsUSA, "2027 feature story calendar," trynewsusa.com/feature-story-calendar-2027, updated November 5, 2026.
  • US local news statistics: chart data. The figures behind the charts on NewsUSA's local news statistics page: newspapers for every 100,000 Americans, US counties with no or one local news source, how Americans prefer to get local news, and the share of local newspaper readers who read mainly online. Compiled from the Medill Local News Initiative and Pew Research Center. On Local news statistics. Files: local-news-statistics-charts.csv (CSV). Cite as: NewsUSA, "Local news statistics," trynewsusa.com/local-news-statistics, updated November 8, 2026.
  • US news deserts by state, 2026. For each US state and the District of Columbia, the number of counties with no local news source (news deserts) and with only one local news source, from the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University, 2026 data. On News deserts by state. Files: news-deserts-by-state-2026.csv (CSV). Cite as: NewsUSA, "News deserts by state," trynewsusa.com/news-deserts-by-state, updated November 9, 2026.
  • US local news outlets by state and county, 2026. For each US state, the District of Columbia and each of the 3,144 counties and county equivalents, the number of newspapers, digital-only news sites, public broadcasters and local TV newsrooms in the Medill Local News Initiative's 2026 data, with each county's news desert status and, for states, newspapers per 100,000 people from US Census Bureau 2025 population estimates. On News deserts by state. Files: news-outlets-by-state-2026.csv (CSV) · news-outlets-by-county-2026.csv (CSV) · news-outlets-by-county-2026.json (JSON). Cite as: NewsUSA, "News deserts by state," trynewsusa.com/news-deserts-by-state, updated November 9, 2026.
  • Sponsored feature stories on US local news sites, August to October 2026. Aggregate figures from NewsUSA's study of 218 sponsored feature stories on 14 US local news sites: length, photos, topics, publishing weekday, seasonal timing and headline features. On How brand feature stories run on local news sites. Files: local-news-feature-story-study-2026.csv (CSV). Cite as: NewsUSA, "How brand feature stories run on local news sites," trynewsusa.com/local-news-feature-story-study, updated November 9, 2026.
  • AI assistant citations for 200 business questions, November 2026. Every site cited by Claude (claude-sonnet-5-5) with web search in answers to 200 questions about local businesses and services, asked once each on November 14, 2026: 10 industries, half naming one of 20 US cities. Each cited site is classified by type, including local and national news. On Which sites does an AI assistant cite? We asked it 200 business questions. Files: ai-search-citation-study-2026.csv (CSV) · ai-search-cited-sites-2026.csv (CSV). Cite as: NewsUSA, "Which sites does an AI assistant cite? We asked it 200 business questions," trynewsusa.com/ai-search-citation-study, updated November 14, 2026.

Local news in each state

Each state has its own page with every county's newspapers, digital news sites, public broadcasters and local TV newsrooms, for example Texas, Ohio and California. All 51 are linked from news deserts by state.

Charts you can reuse

Each chart is 1200 by 675 pixels. The page it comes from has the code to put it on your site with its credit line.

Tools you can put on your own site

Free to embed with the credit line. The embed code is on each tool's page.

Questions

Can I use this data in an article or a paper?

Yes. Link to the page the data comes from. Where the figures are another organization's, such as Medill's or Pew's, credit them as the source as well.

How often is the data updated?

The sponsored feature study adds new stories twice a week. The state and county figures follow the Medill Local News Initiative's annual report. Each page shows when it was last updated.

How this page was made

This page lists the datasets, charts and tools published elsewhere on this site; each one's method and sources are on its own page. How these guides are made.

News deserts by state.News deserts and news outlets in every state and county, with a lookup, a map and CSVs.Local news statistics.Newspapers left and lost, news deserts, trust and how Americans get local news, each figure linked to its source.Which sites does an AI assistant cite? We asked it 200 business questions.Original data: every site an AI assistant cited in 200 answers, and how often local news appeared.About NewsUSA.The facts about NewsUSA in one place, with descriptions you can copy.

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