Data Sources

This page provides links to additional information about many of the data sources used in our Population Profiles. Data sources on this page are linked to detailed overviews provided by the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and the Healthy People 2030 initiative.

American Community Survey (ACS)

The American Community Survey (ACS) provides annual estimates of income, education, employment, health insurance coverage, and housing costs and conditions for residents of the United States. Estimates from the ACS complement population data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau during the decennial census. Topics currently included annually in ACS were previously collected once a decade through the decennial census long form.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a state-based system of telephone health surveys that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access primarily related to chronic disease and injury. The survey was established in 1984. Data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations. The NHANES program includes a series of cross-sectional nationally representative health examination surveys. The health interview includes questions on demographic characteristics, health insurance status, health and diet behaviors, chronic and acute health conditions, mental health, and prescription medication use.

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) monitors the health of the civilian non-institutionalized U.S. population through the collection and analysis of data on a broad range of health topics. A major strength of this survey lies in its ability to analyze health measures by many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. During household interviews, NHIS obtains information on activity limitation, illnesses, injuries, chronic conditions, health insurance coverage (or lack thereof), utilization of health care, and other health topics.

National HIV Surveillance System (NHSS)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collect, analyze, and disseminate surveillance data on HIV infection and AIDS; these data are the nation's source of timely information on the burden of HIV infection. Health departments report de-identified data to CDC so that information from around the country can be analyzed to determine who is being affected and how HIV surveillance data are used by CDC's public health partners in other federal agencies, health departments, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions to help target prevention efforts, plan for services, and develop policy.

National Immunization Survey - Teen (NIS-Teen)

The National Immunization Surveys (NIS) are a group of telephone surveys used to monitor vaccination coverage among children and teens. The surveys are sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (CDC, NCIRD) and conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). The NIS-Teen is a random-digit-dialing telephone survey of parents or guardians of teens ages 13 to 17 years, followed by a mailed survey to the teens' immunization providers. Data from the NIS-Teen are used to produce current, population-based, state, selected local areas and territorial estimates of vaccination coverage for all age-appropriate vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Teens are classified as being up to date based on the ACIP-recommended numbers of doses for each vaccine.

National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)

The National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) is designed to provide annual national and state-level information on the health and well-being of children ages 0-17 years in the United States. The NSCH is conducted as a household survey, and one child per household is selected to be the subject of the detailed age-specific questionnaire. The respondent to this questionnaire is a parent or guardian who is living in the home and has knowledge of the sampled child. Starting in 2016, data is collected using self-administered web and paper-based questionnaires. Prior to 2016, the NSCH underwent a significant redesign which combined content from both the NSCH and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs and significantly altered data collection methods. Further information on that redesign can be found in the 2016 NSCH Methodology Report.

National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of statistical information on the use of tobacco, alcohol, prescription psychotherapeutic drugs (pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives), and other substances (e.g., marijuana, cocaine) by the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population ages 12 years and older. The survey also includes several series of questions focusing on mental health issues. The NSDUH collects data through face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of the population at the respondent's place of residence, including households and non-institutional group quarters (e.g., shelters, rooming houses, dormitories). The survey excludes homeless people who do not use shelters, military personnel on active duty, and residents of institutional group quarters, such as jails and hospitals.

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)

The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a joint surveillance project of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health (CDC, DRH) and state health departments. Developed in 1987, PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal behaviors and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. Its purpose is to reduce infant morbidity and mortality by influencing programs and policies aimed at reducing health problems among mothers and infants. PRAMS is an ongoing surveillance system designed to identify groups of women and infants at high risk for health problems, to monitor changes in health status, and to measure progress towards goals in improving the health of mothers and infants.

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER)

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) tracks the incidence of persons diagnosed with cancer during the year and collects follow-up information on all previously diagnosed patients until their death.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors health behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth in the United States. The YRBSS includes national, state, territorial, tribal government, and local school-based surveys of representative samples of 9th through 12th grade students. These surveys are conducted every two years, usually during the spring semester. The national survey, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides data representative of 9th through 12th grade students in public and private schools in the United States. The state, territorial, tribal government, and local surveys, conducted by departments of health and education, provide data representative of public high school students in each jurisdiction.