Research Guides: Health Economics: Resources

Data Catalogs

HealthData.gov
Catalog maintained by the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
NCCOR Catalog of Surveillance Systems
Catalog of datasets related to childhood obesity.
Maternal and Child Health data sets
Catalog of datasets related to the health of mothers and their children.
Health Services and Sciences Research Resources
Catalog of health datasets and instruments.
Datasets for Measuring Children's Health
HSR Information Central
Food-Related Data Sources

SEER U.S. Population Data - 1969-2017
State and county-level population by race and age. Also available via NBER.
State Health Policy Research Dataset (SHEPRD): 1980-2010
Annual trends in policies affecting health behaviors, including seatbelt laws, alcohol and cigarette taxes, etc.

State Health Facts This link opens in a new window
Statistics on healthcare, health outcomes, and policy. Time period: Mostly current. Kaiser State Health Facts
National Survey of State Laws This link opens in a new window
Comparisons of state laws by topic.

County Health Rankings
State and county level data.
Area Health Resource Files
County and state level data on health care providers and facilities.
United States Physical Activity and Obesity Prevalence by County 2001-2011
State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System
Bridging the Gap
Datasets comparing state laws on health-related issues, including soda tax.
Neighborhood Life Expectancy Project
State Economic and Government Finance Data
Economic variables by state include 1) personal income (annual 1929-2014, quarterly; 1948q1-2015q1), 2) disposable income (annual 1948-2014), 3) gross state product (annual 1963-2014), 4) unemployment (annual 1960-2014, quarterly 1975q1-2015q3).
CDC Opioid Prescribing Rate Maps
By state or county, 2006-2017.
State Firearm Laws, 1991-2019
UDS Mapper
ZIP code level estimates of health indicators. Free registration required.
Mapping LGBTQ Equality: 2010 to 2020, United States (ICPSR 37877)

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) This link opens in a new window
Data on health behaviors in the United States, including smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Time period: 1984 to the present.
Microdata are downloadable as SAS Transport files. Online analysis is available 2004-2018 via the Web Enabled Analysis Tool. Find statistical tables in data.cdc.gov and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. Some state-specific questions are only in state-level datasets held by state public health departments.

IPUMS Health Surveys
Data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, harmonized across years. Publication dates: 1964 to the present.
National Center for Health Statistics Public Use Data
National health care surveys, National Vital Statistics System (mortality and fertility), and other survey data.
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers, and employers across the United States. MEPS is the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage. Publication dates: 1996 to the present.
HCUPnet
Data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). It provides access to health statistics and information on hospital inpatient and emergency department utilization.
Hospital Compare Datasets
These data allow you to compare the quality of care at over 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals across the country.
DEA Pain Pills Database
Via the Washington Post. 2006-2012.
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
Fatal injuries suffered in motor vehicle traffic crashes.