Data Source Descriptions

American Community Survey

is an ongoing statistical survey coordinated by the U.S. Census Bureau that provides detailed information on U.S. population demographics. Data are derived from the bureau directly via its 1-year

and 5-year

datasets.

American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation

is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the adverse health effects of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure as well as the benefits of smokefree environments. The foundation produces lists and maps covering laws regarding clean air, e-cigarettes, marijuana and tobacco sales in pharmacies. Data are accessed via the Lists & Maps

webpage.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

is the nation's largest phone-based population survey. The survey, coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with states, territories and federal agency sponsors, provides information about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. Data are accessed via the BRFSS

website.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

’ data on workplace injuries and illnesses is accessed from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

website and combined with employment data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis

.

CDC WONDER

is a query system for analyzing public-use data for U.S. births and deaths, among other topics. The data are produced by the National Center for Health Statistics. Data are obtained from the Multiple Cause of Death

, Natality

and Single-Race Population Estimates

files.

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)

is a non-profit environmental policy think tank that produces data and reports on climate basics, solutions and policies. Data are obtained from the C2ES State Electricity Portfolio Standards

.

Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS)

data is produced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research, which manages specific housing data from the American Community Survey. These data demonstrate the extent of housing problems and needs, particularly for low-income households. Data are accessed via the Consolidated Planning/CHAS Data

website.

Current Population Survey

is an ongoing statistical survey sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that collects information monthly about employment, earnings and education in the nation. Voting data are obtained from their Voting and Registration Supplement

. Data are available every two years following national elections.

Health Resources and Services Administration

is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that supports health infrastructure and provides health care to individuals in need, with a particular focus on those in geographically isolated regions or with economic or medical vulnerabilities. Data are obtained from the Data Downloads

webpage.

Mapping Medicare Disparities (MMD) Tool

is a comprehensive source of information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health, offering data on eliminating health disparities and improving the health of minority populations. This tool features health outcome measures for disease prevalence, costs, hospitalization for 60 chronic conditions, emergency department use, readmissions rates, mortality, preventable hospitalizations and preventive services. Data are obtained via the MMD by Population

website.

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) Atlas

allows users to create customized tables, maps and charts using more than 15 years of surveillance data on HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and social determinants of health. Data are obtained via the NCHHSTP AtlasPlus

interactive website.

National Immunization Surveys

are a set of ongoing phone surveys conducted by the CDC that collect information on flu vaccinations for children ages 6 months to 17 years, and other vaccination coverage among children 19-35 months old and teens ages 13-17. Data are obtained from VaxView

websites.

National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES)

is a registry developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve the efficiency of electronic health information transmission. NPPES assigns a unique National Provider Identifier (NPI)

number to covered health care providers and health plans to conduct all administrative and financial transactions under HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Data are accessed via the NPI files

website.

National Survey of Children’s Health

is an annual survey on children’s health and access to health care, funded and directed by the Health Resources & Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The respondent is a parent or guardian who knows about the child’s health and health care needs. Data for this report are obtained via the Maternal and Child Health Bureau

. The survey data are also published annually on the U.S. Census Bureau’s website

.

Survey of Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs Program

is a data source from the Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARSⓇ) System that collects product- and geographically-specific data on abuse, misuse and diversion of prescription drugs. The RADARS System is part of Denver Health and Hospital Authority’s Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety (RMPDS). Data are obtained via a direct request to the organization.

Trust for America’s Health

is a public health policy, research and advocacy organization. State public health funding data are obtained via a direct request to the organization.

Uniform Crime Reporting Program

, managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, generates nationwide crime statistics based on voluntary reports from all levels of law enforcement. The program’s annual Crime in the U.S.

report includes the number and rate of violent and property crime offenses in the nation and by state. Data are accessed via the Crime Data Explorer

.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s)

Economic Research Service analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements to create the Household Food Security in the United States

report. This report provides national statistics on food security, household food spending and the use of federal food and nutrition assistance by food-insecure households.

U.S. Department of Education

produces many data products through the National Center for Education Statistics, which is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. Data products include the Common Core of Data

and the Nation’s Report Card

(data obtained via the NAEP Report Card: Reading

).

U.S. Energy Information Administration

provides information on energy markets, production and more. Data are obtained via their State Energy Data System

, which tracks state energy consumption, prices and expenditures.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

performs various federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. Data from this agency include the Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI) model, which uses the Toxic Release Inventory to quantify toxic release as it relates to population health (data obtained via the EasyRSEI Dashboard

). National Safe Drinking Water Act data is reported by states and compiled from the Safe Drinking Water Information System

database for public water systems (data obtained via the Enforcement and Compliance History Online

website). State-level air pollution data are obtained via a special request to the agency.

Water Fluoridation Reporting System

of the CDC’s Division of Oral Health monitors community water systems receiving optimally fluoridated drinking water. The division provides national- and state-level water fluoridation statistics from the Fluoridation Statistics

website.