Several data sources on health are available for public use, particularly from the federal government. These data sources can be used to design your own study, delve further into a research question, or analyzed for a thesis or dissertation. The data sources presented here are primarily from government –sponsored surveys on health and the health care system. The data sources employ a wide range of methodologies and data collection practices as well as statistical software and are available in a variety of formats. We have provided basic summary information and links so that you can learn more about these data sources. To find out more details about analyzing these data sets, please contact the sponsoring organizations.
While we have grouped data sets into the following categories to facilitate access, there is overlap between the categories and many provide state level information and are so noted.
Public Health/Vital Statistics
Health Care Financing and Delivery
State Level
Related Data Sources
AIDS Info
This database from the NIH provides information on HIV/AIDS clinical trials and treatment.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The CDC’s BRFSS tracks individual’s health behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol use, sexual activity, exercise, receipt of screenings, and medication use. Data are collected each year and are available at the national and state levels as far back as 1984.
CDC Wonder
Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) provides a single point of access to the vast range of data offered by CDC. It includes reports and quantitative data on chronic diseases, health practice and prevention, communicable diseases, injuries, occupational health, environmental health and reference data.
Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health (DRC)
The DRC includes over 100 standardized indicators from the two extensive state-based surveys on health and health care of children, youth, and families from The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) and The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). It is searcheable by age, race/ethnicity, income, health status and state.
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
NHIS, sponsored by the CDC, is an annual survey that monitors trends in illness and disability, tracks progress toward achieving national health objectives, examines barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluates Federal health programs. It is a major source of national statistics on the health of the U.S. population.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
NHANES examines the diet practices of the U.S. population and the relationship between diet and health . The survey data are collected annually through in home questionnaires as well as physical exams. Data are reported annually.
National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC)
Sponsored by the NIH, the NESARC collects information on alcohol and drug use, abuse and associated illnesses in the U.S. population. Fielded for the first time in 2000-2001, the second set of data collection is currently in progress.
National Vital Statistics System
The National Vital Statistics datasets are a collection of vital events such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and fetal deaths in all 50 states and 5 territories.
National Immunization Survey (NIS)
Conducted by the CDC annually, NIS reports on immunization rates of children between the ages of 19 and 35 months nationally, in the states, and in 27 large urban areas for diptheria, polio, measles, tetanus, hepatitis B, and the flu. The National Adult Immunization Survey reports on adult vaccinations for pneumonia and the flu.
National Cancer Institute Databases
NCI uses several databases to conduct national, state, and local surveillance of a number of cancers.
SEER Incidence 1973- 2001 Public-Use Data
The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) Public-Use Data is the nation’s major tool for surveillance of cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality.
SEER, Cancer Quering Systems - (CANQUES)
This interface allows users to generate charts and tables on cancer statistics, using data from the SEER tracking system.
SEER Medicare Database
The SEER-Medicare database reflects the linkage of SEER data with Medicare data from CMS, producing detailed information about elderly persons with cancer.
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)
The NSFG is a major source of national data on reproductive health and includes information on marriage, divorce, contraception, and infertility. The sample includes women ages 15-44 years of age and data are collected by in-person interviews.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS)
Sponsored by the CDC, the YRBS monitors health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth. YRBS topics include Tobacco use, diet, physical activity, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors, unintentional injuries and violence. The survey is conducted of a sample of high school students every other year. Back to top
Current Population Survey (CPS)
The CPS is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households primarily focused on labor force participation. The CPS includes an annual supplement that is a primary source of data on health insurance coverage in the U.S.
Health Accounts
Collected by CMS, the Health Accounts are data reported annually on national and state-level health expenditures. Data are available for expenditures on a wide range of health services and programs, and can be downloaded for further analysis.
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Databases
Sponsored by AHRQ, HCUP consists of four databases that contain data on hospital utilization, access, charges, quality, and outcomes. Each database addresses a different range of utilization measures. Multistate and national/State comparisons and analyses can be conducted through these data sets.
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS)
An annual survey sponsored by CMS, the central goals of MCBS are to determine expenditures and sources of payment for all services used by Medicare beneficiaries, including co-payments, deductibles, and noncovered services; to ascertain all types of health insurance coverage and relate coverage to sources of payment; and to trace processes over time, such as changes in health status, spending down to Medicaid eligibility, and the impacts of program changes.
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
MEPS, sponsored by AHRQ, is an annual survey that collects data on the specific health services that Americans use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, how they are paid for, as well as the cost, scope, and breadth of private health insurance held by and available to the U.S. population.
Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS)
This database from CMS collects information on services and payments rendered in the Medicaid program. Data are based on states’ reports of Medicaid claims processed each year.
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
NBER is a private organization that researches issues related to economic policy, including health economics. NBER analysts have created SAS, SSPS, and STATA versions of some government datasets, including the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation and CMS’ Healthcare Cost Report Information System. NBER also has links to many external datasets and tools for analyzing and extracting data.
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis: Area Resource File (ARF)
The ARF is a HRSA database that provides county-level data on a broad range of health system and workforce factors. Data is compiled from mortality and birth records from the National Center for Health Statistics, physician specialty data from the American Medical Association, and facilities data from the American Hospital Association.
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis: The Registered Nurse Population
This database collects information on nurse staffing in the health care workforce. The survey covers nurse educational levels, salaries, geographic distribution, and demographic information. Public data are available at the state and county level.
National Health Care Surveys
The NHCS is a family of surveys sponsored by the CDC that have to do with the delivery of health care services. Each survey addresses a specific sector of health care delivery:
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)
National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery
National Hospital Discharge Survey
National Nursing Home Survey
National Home and Hospice Care Survey
National Employer Health Insurance Survey
National Health Provider Inventory
National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs
This survey, sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, was conducted from 2000 to 2002 and studied the health care that children with special needs receive. Data were collected through surveys as well as interviews with children and parents.
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
SIPP offers detailed information on cash and noncash income of U.S. residents and contains data on taxes, assets, liabilities, health insurance coverage, and participation in government transfer programs.
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Alcohol Policy Information System
APIS is a database of federal and state alcohol-related policies that have been enacted since 1998. The database includes legislative bills, statutes, and regulations.
California Health Interview Survey
CHIS is conducted biannually of residents across the state of California. CHIS covers many of the same indicators as the NHIS, including health status, health-related behaviors, utilization, and insurance coverage.
State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey (SLAITS)
SLAITS, sponsored by the CDC, collects a broad range of health information, such as health insurance coverage, access to care, health status, utilization of services, and measurement of child well-being at the state and local levels. SLAITS is based largely on other federal government health surveys.
Statecoverage.net
Statecoverage.net is a project of AcademyHealth and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to provide resources to researchers, advocates and policymakers on health insurance coverage by state. The website also includes analyses of the basic issues of health insurance coverage, glossary of related terms and links to other relevant groups.
Statehealthfacts.org
Statehealthfacts.org is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and is designed to provide free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states. Statehealthfacts.org provides data on more than 450 health topics and is linked to both the Kaiser Family Foundation website (www.kff.org ) and KaiserNetwork.org (www.kaisernetwork.org ).
Cancer Prevalence Database
This NCI database tracks the number of people living with cancer in the United States. Information is available by age, sex, race and geographic area.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Department of Labor offers datasets that measure social and economic issues, including wages, income, employer-sponsored health insurance and other workplace benefits.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
This site from the Department of Justice allows users to create charts and statistical reports on incidents of violence and certain preventable injuries.
DataFerrett
DataFerrett is a unique data mining and extraction tool. DataFerrett allows you to select a databasket full of variables and then recode those variables as you need. You can then develop and customize tables. Selecting your results in your table you can create a chart or graph for a visual presentation into an html page. Save your data in the databasket and save your table for continued reuse.
Economic and Statistics Administration
Housed in the Department of Commerce, the ESA provides access to economic data, analyses and forecasts for use by Government agencies, businesses and others. ESA is made up of the Census Bureau, STAT-USA, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and provides links to data from these three sub-organizations.
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR),
ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction, and offers training in quantitative methods to facilitate effective data use. ICPSR preserves data, migrating them to new storage media as changes in technology warrant. In addition, ICPSR provides user support to assist researchers in identifying relevant data for analysis and in conducting their research projects.
Kaiser Health Poll Search
Health Poll Search is a searchable archive of public opinion questions on health issues that allows users to know what Americans think about health issues, as well as what Americans have thought about health issues over time. The Health Poll Search archive covers 29 topics and more than 300 subtopics, and holds more than 60,000 questions on health issues from health care surveys that have included questions on health.
National Survey of America's Families
The National Survey of America's Families, conducted by the Urban Instititue, provides a comprehensive look at the well-being of children and non-elderly adults in the United States and in 13 states: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
RAND
RAND conducts research on a broad range of social, economic, and political issues, including the U.S. health care system. RAND’s public databases include information on education, population and demographics, and health and socioeconomic issues.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
The Roper Center is an archive, preserving the data from polls conducted by many leading survey research organizations for the use of researchers, students, and journalists.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Drugs @FDA
The FDA provides a downloadable catalog of approved and tentatively approved prescriptions, over-the-counter and discontinued drugs.
