Data Source Descriptions

The Administration for Community Living

is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The administration advocates across the federal government for older adults and people with disabilities as well as families and caregivers. The administration funds services and support efforts primarily through states and networks of community-based programs, and it invests in training, education, research and innovation. 

State Program Reports

is one of several administrative data sets from the Administration on Aging and provides data annually on Older Americans Act services. The administration’s AGing, Independence and Disability Program Data Portal

is an online query system that offers multiple options to explore ACL-related data files and surveys.

The American Community Survey

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

and 5-year

datasets.

The 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.

The 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 many federal agency sponsors, provides self-reported information about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. Data are accessed via the BRFSS

website.

The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

’ Occupational Employment Statistics Query System

produces data on employment and wage estimates for nearly 800 occupations at national, state and metropolitan levels. Data are obtained from the annual Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created Care Compare

to help find and compare providers and services by furnishing detailed information about every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country. Users can find comprehensive data on health inspections, staffing and various other quality measures, accessed via the nursing homes, including rehab services data archive

.

CDC WONDER

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

and Single-Race Population Estimates

files.

The CDC COVID Data Tracker

is used to track COVID-19 case, hospitalization, death and vaccination rates across the United States. Data on specific populations are also available.

Characteristics of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Households

is a report put out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service annually since 1976. It provides information about the demographic and economic circumstances of SNAP participants and households each fiscal year.

The Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS)

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.

The Current Population Survey

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

. Data are available every two years following national elections. Volunteerism data are obtained via the Volunteering and Civic Life Supplement

and are released biennially in odd years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

performs federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. State-level air pollution data are obtained via special request to the agency.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation

manages the Uniform Crime Reporting Program

. This program generates nationwide crime statistics based on voluntary reports from law enforcement agencies at all levels. 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

.

The Mapping Medicare Disparities (MMD) Tool

is a comprehensive source of information from the CMS 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, readmission rates, mortality, preventable hospitalizations and preventive services. Data are obtained via the MMD by Population

website.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)

is the nation’s largest membership organization for hospice and palliative care workers and providers. Their annual NHPCO Facts and Figures

report leverages CMS hospice claims data. Information provided includes hospice patient characteristics as well as location and level of care.

The National Plan and Provider Enumeration System

is a registry developed by the CMS to improve the efficiency of electronic health information transmission. The system assigns a unique National Provider Identifier

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

website.

The Safe Drinking Water Information System

is a database of information on public water systems from the EPA’s Public Water System Supervision Program. The data include monitoring, violation and enforcement information pertaining to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Data are obtained via the Enforcement and Compliance History Online

website.

The Shaping Long-Term Care in America Project

is conducted at the Brown University Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research and is supported in part by the National Institute on Aging. The project website provides long-term care data, including facility characteristics, resident characteristics and long-term care policies by state, county and facility.

The State of Senior Hunger in America

is an annual report put out by Feeding America

. The report documents the prevalence of food insecurity among older adults in the U.S. It identifies the geographic sociodemographic variation in food insecurity based on data from the December Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Two years of data are combined to produce state-level estimates.