Data Source Descriptions

The American Community Survey

is an ongoing statistical survey coordinated by the United States Census Bureau

that provides detailed information on national population demographics. The survey collects and produces information about social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics from the nation's civilian noninstitutionalized population each year. Data are derived from the bureau directly via its 1-year

and 5-year

datasets or from the public use microdata sample (PUMS)

file.

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 state, territory and federal agencies, provides information about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. Annual BRFSS survey data

are available on the CDC website.

CDC WONDER

is a query system for analyzing public-use data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics

on births and deaths, as well as other topics. Data are obtained from the Multiple Cause of Death,

Linked Birth/Infant Death,

Natality

and Single-Race Population Estimates

files.

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)

is a nonprofit environmental policy think tank that produces data and reports on climate basics, solutions and policies. Data are obtained from the C2ES website.

Child Care Aware of America

is a nonprofit organization that focuses on child care availability, quality and accessibility. Data are obtained from annual reports on the price of child care

across the U.S. 

The Child Maltreatment

report series presents data about child abuse and neglect collected from child protective service agencies across the nation. Reports are published annually by the Children’s Bureau,

a federal office of the Administration for Children and Families

dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and families.

Child Welfare Outcomes

report data are also produced by the Children’s Bureau each year. These reports measure state performance across indicators of child safety and well-being, incorporating data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System

and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.

Data are obtained from the Child Welfare Outcomes data site.

EDFacts

collects, analyzes and centralizes data from state education agencies and other data sources on district and school demographics, performance and participation for the U.S. Department of Education (ED)

. Data are obtained using the ED Data Express

tool.

The Environmental Protection Agency

performs various federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. National Safe Drinking Water Act

data are reported by states, compiled from the Safe Drinking Water Information System

database for public water systems and downloaded from the Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO)

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

Federally Available Data (FAD)

on measures of maternal and child health national outcomes and performance are collected and distributed by the Health Resources and Services Administration

’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau

. Data are from various sources, including the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project

, the National Vital Statistics System

and the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)

. All FAD data are available to download from the FAD resource documents.

The Household Food Security in the United States

report series provides national statistics on food security, household food spending and use of federal food and nutrition assistance by food-insecure households. Reports are produced annually by the Economic Research Service

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

using data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey

 Food Security Supplements.

.

The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)

program produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment and labor force data by place of residence for the U.S. Department of Labor

’s Bureau of Labor Statistics

. Data are obtained from LAUS Expanded State Employment Status Demographic Data

published on the bureau’s website.

March of Dimes

is a long-standing nonprofit advocacy organization for maternal and infant health. Their Perinatal Data Center

provides access to maternal and infant health data for the U.S. Data are obtained via a special request to the Perinatal Data Center.

Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC)

is a CDC-administered biennial survey of breastfeeding support and maternity care in U.S. hospitals. Data are obtained from the mPINC State Reports

website.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress

is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of student academic achievement and learning experiences in the U.S., administered by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

Results from the assessment, including reading proficiency data, are published in the Nation’s Report Card.

The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP) AtlasPlus

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 from the NCHHSTP AtlasPlus interactive website.

The National Immunization Surveys (NIS)

are a set of ongoing phone surveys conducted by the CDC that collect information on vaccinations among children ages 6 months to 17 years. Breastfeeding information is also collected from households with children ages 19-35 months. NIS-Child and NIS-Teen data are obtained from the VaxView

and Breastfeeding Rates

websites.

The 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- and State-Level Estimates of WIC Eligibility and Program Reach

reports are published annually by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration.

This report series provides statistical and visual information about the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The National Survey of Children’s Health

collects annual data on children’s health and access to health care based on responses from a parent or guardian who knows about the child’s health and health care needs. Data for this report are obtained from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, which funds and directs the survey. Survey data are also published annually on the Census Bureau

website.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health

collects data on the use of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco, as well as mental disorders, treatment and co-occurring substance use, at national, state and local levels. The survey is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

. Data are obtained from State Estimates of Mental Health and Substance Use

reports and the SAMHSA Data Analysis System.

The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS),

formerly sponsored by the CDC in collaboration with state agencies, collected state-specific population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during and shortly after pregnancy. In April 2025, the CDC PRAMS team received a reduction-in-force notice and the 2023 data were not published on the PRAMS Automated Research File (ARF) web portal as scheduled. The PRAMS data in this report were obtained directly from states or from FAD. The future of PRAMS is currently unknown.

The State Energy Data System (SEDS),

maintained by the U.S. Energy Information Administration,

produces comprehensive statistics on state energy consumption, prices and expenditures over time. Data are obtained from the SEDS website.

The Student Homelessness in America

report series uses data from the Department of Education’s EDFacts initiative to produce national and state-level information on the numbers of students experiencing homelessness each year and their characteristics and experiences. Report data are obtained from the National Center for Homeless Education.

Voting and Registration Supplement

data from the Current Population Survey are released by the Census Bureau every two years following national elections.

The Water Fluoridation Reporting System

monitors community water systems receiving optimally fluoridated drinking water across the U.S. National and state-level data are obtained from the CDC’s Fluoridation Statistics

website.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)

surveys students in grades nine through 12 every two years about health-related behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S. Data are accessed via the CDC’s YRBSS Youth Online

tool.