On this page
This page contains sites available through the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that contain data. Not all are listed here but visiting the CDC main page will show all options.
On geographic impact:
- PLACES: Local Data for Better Healtha collaboration between CDC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the CDC Foundation. PLACES provides health data for small areas across the country. This allows local health departments and jurisdictions, regardless of population size and rurality, to better understand the burden and geographic distribution of health measures in their areas and assist them in planning public health interventions.
CDC Data Portal and Raw Data
If you are looking for raw data there are few different areas of the CDC website to check in.
CDC Data Portal
For raw data that can be shared publicly (i.e. it does not have sensitive private information) you can try the CDC data portal (link below). There are a number of preset categories displayed in boxes on the data portal’s homepage or you can click on ‘Browse all’ to search them all.
The results may include files like maps, stories, calendars and other things, so if you are only looking for datasets, select that option from the View Types filter on the left.
- Browse CDC PortalFrom Browse, you can search with keywords in the search bar at the top and filter your searchers using the options to the left, including Categories, Type, Tags and Domain.
De-Identified Vital Statistics
- Vital Statistics Online Data PortalFor raw vital statistics data (births, deaths, and related data) the Vital Statistics Online Data Portal has US data files, US Territories data files, and user guides all organized by year. While these datasets are deidentified, make sure to read the Data Use Agreement and Data Use Policy before using these data files.
Sensitive Raw Data
For raw data that may include sensitive information there are a few different sources. The CDC’s Research Data Center allows researchers to access restricted data through a mediated application process.
- Research Data Center (RDC)The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) operates the Research Data Center (RDC) to allow researchers access to restricted-use data. The RDC is responsible for protecting the confidentiality of survey respondents, study subjects, or institutions while providing access to restricted-use data for statistical purposes. Researchers must submit an application outlining the need for access to restricted-use data. The application provides a framework for NCHS to identify potential disclosure risks and how the data will be used.
CDC WONDER
If you are not sure where to look for specific CDC statistics or want to browse the datasets available, start with CDC WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) -link below.
CDC WONDER provides a menu of different databases under three tabs. The first tab, WONDER systems, highlights some databases things like AIDS data, birth and death data, environmental data, and population data. Under the second tab, Topics, you will find a long list of specific databases across a variety of health-related subjects. The third tab, A-Z index, provides an alphabetical list of databases.
- CDC WonderTo find data check the Topics list provided by WONDER, and keep in mind that navigating other portals may be different from WISQARS.
WISQARS and other CDC Databases
In addition to WONDER, the CDC also operates other data portals for statistics, like WISQARS which allows users to query databases of specific data that are not covered by WONDER. WISQARS provides data on injuries in the US, broken up by fatal and nonfatal injuries, and the cost of injuries. There are additional subcategories, for instance Fatal Injuries has a separate portal for violent fatal injuries.
There are other portals than WISQARS, examples below.
- Web-based Injury Statistics and Query System (WISQARS)interactive, online collection of modules that provides fatal, nonfatal, and cost of injury data.
Create reports and visualizations. - WISQARS Fatal TrendsExample page
Example Topic Pages
- Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and StrokeInteractive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke is an online mapping tool that allows users to create and customize county-level maps of heart disease and stroke by race and ethnicity, gender, age group, and more
- Chronic Disease Indicatorsnational and state estimates for a set of key surveillance indicators of chronic diseases and their risk factors. Where applicable, estimates are broken down by sex, race and ethnicity, and age group.
Drug Prevention and Overdose CDC resources
- Overdose PreventionProvides links to maps, and data sources SUDOR and DOSE
- State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS)Dashboard
collects data on unintentional and undetermined intent drug overdose deaths from death certificates, medical examiner or coroner reports, and postmortem toxicology results. - Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE)captures electronic health record information. Currently, 42 states and the District of Columbia share syndromic surveillance data with DOSE.
BRFSS
- Behavioral Risk Surveillance SystemBehavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collects data in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories. BRFSS completes more than 400,000 adult interviews each year, making it the largest continuously conducted health survey system in the world.