While the emphasis in much recent research has been essentially on urban concerns, there are very substantial empirical data resources which are available for the study of nonmetropolitan social, political, and economic phenomenon. The sources of computer-readable data relevant to investigation of nonmetropolitan phenomena can be grouped into three "rather crude" categories: social science data archives and other similar facilities dedicated to the organization, processing, preservation, and dissemination of computer-readable data for research and instruction in the social sciences; governmental offices and agencies at all levels which collect and sometimes disseminate relevant computer-readable data; and a disparate category of individual researchers who have collected data and are sometimes willing to supply copies to others, as well as private profit and not-for-profit organizations which collect and in some cases supply data resources. Using a three-category scheme for the classification of available data (aggregate demographic data, information from administrative records, and individual-level data from surveys), a number of data sources are discussed in terms of their characteristics and the kind of data available from them. An appendix lists 28 archival sources for computer-readable data on nonmetropolitan communities in the United States and Canada. (BR)