Statistics are useful in many ways; in addition to enhancing one's understanding of a subject, they can provide persuasive evidence for a point of view. You can find statistics on just about any topic, but it helps to first ask yourself some key questions about the data you're seeking:
In other words, It's helpful to consider where you might reasonably expect to find the data - this can save you hours of fruitless searching.
Try googling education statistics site:gov
Try googling your topic and site:gov. For example cancer statistics site:gov
The following documents are examples the sort of information that is available.
Try googling economic indicators site:gov or small business indicator site:gov
Try googling poverty site:gov or housing statistics site:gov
Try googling demographic profiles site:gov or census site:gov