Overview
This page contains world, U.S. national, and U.S. state and county data and statistics.
World Statistics & Data
- The World BankThe World Bank Group provides free online access to its comprehensive set of data on living standards around the globe--some 2,000 indicators, including hundreds that go back 50 years.
- UNdata - United NationsUsers can search and download a variety of statistical resources compiled by the United Nations (UN) statistical system and other international agencies. The numerous databases or tables collectively known as "datamarts" contain over 60 million data points and cover a wide range of statistical themes including agriculture, crime, communication, development assistance, education, energy, environment, finance, gender, health, labour market, manufacturing, national accounts, population and migration, science and technology, tourism, transport and trade.
- OECD Data ExplorerThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation that works to build better policies for better lives. The site contains data relating to a variety of topics from several countries.
- World Health Organization Data CollectionsThe World Health Organization manages and maintains a wide range of data collections related to global health and well-being as mandated by Member States.
U.S. National Statistics
- Guide to HHS Surveys and Data ResourcesThe Guide to HHS Surveys and Data Resources is a compilation of information about all major data collection systems sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Provides a list of surveys and data sources with descriptions of what they cover.
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance SystemsThe Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services. BRFSS completes more than 400,000 adult interviews each year, making it the largest continuously conducted health survey system in the world.
- CDC Data & StatisticsData and statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- CDC WonderCDC WONDER manages nearly 20 collections of public-use data for U.S. births, deaths, cancer diagnoses, tuberculosis cases, vaccinations, environmental exposures, and population estimates, among many other topics. These data collections are available as online databases, which provide public access to ad-hoc queries, summary statistics, maps, charts, and data extracts. Most of the data are updated annually; some collections are updated monthly or weekly.
- data.HRSA.govThe Health and Medical Care Archive (HMCA) is the data archive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Primarily includes large-scale surveys of the American public about public health, attitudes towards health reform, and access to medical care; surveys of health care professionals and organizations, public health professionals, and nurses; evaluations of innovative programs for the delivery of health care, and many other topics and populations of interest.
- FastStats (CDC)FastStats provides quick and easy access to selected statistics on a variety of health topics; the latest data in reports, databases, and other resources; and additional data and tools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- HealthData.govOn this site, you can find data on a wide range of topics, including environmental health, medical devices, Medicare & Medicaid, social services, community health, mental health, and substance abuse. The data is collected and supplied from agencies from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as state partners.
- Health System DashboardHealth System Dashboard includes more than 50 indicators across four domains: health spending, quality of care, access & affordability, and health & wellbeing. The dashboard examines trends in the U.S. health system, compares the U.S. to a group of other similarly large and wealthy countries (identified based on median GDP and median GDP per capita), and highlights differences across demographic characteristics.
- ICPSRAn international consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) maintains a data archive of more than 250,000 files of research in the social and behavioral sciences. It hosts 21 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
- MMWRThe Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The MMWR series is the agency’s primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations.
- National Center for Health StatisticsThe mission of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is to provide statistical information that will guide actions and policies to improve the health of the American people. As the Nation’s principal health statistics agency, NCHS leads the way with accurate, relevant, and timely data.
- NLM Dataset CatalogThe National Library of Medicine's (NLM's) Dataset Catalog is a freely available catalog of biomedical datasets available from various repositories. Note that the Dataset Catalog is currently in beta.
- Statistical Abstract of the United StatesThe ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau terminated collection of the data for the Statistical Compendia program effective October 1, 2011.
- United States Census Bureau DataIncludes data from the United States Census Bureau, including interactive data visualizations, tables, data profiles, and additional data resources.
- Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)"Established in 1990, VAERS is a national early warning system to detect possible safety problems in U.S.-licensed vaccines. VAERS is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VAERS accepts and analyzes reports of adverse events (possible side effects) after a person has received a vaccination."
U.S. State and County Statistics
- 500 Cities ProjectThe 500 Cities project is a collaboration between CDC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the CDC Foundation. The purpose of the 500 Cities Project is to provide city- and census tract-level small area estimates for chronic disease risk factors, health outcomes, and clinical preventive service use for the largest 500 cities in the United States
- America's Health RankingsFor three decades, America’s Health Rankings has provided an analysis of national health on a state-by-state basis by evaluating a historical and comprehensive set of health, environmental and socioeconomic data to determine national health benchmarks and state rankings.
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsThe annual Rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work, and play. They provide a starting point for change in communities.
- Neighborhood AtlasThe Neighborhood Atlas website was created in order to freely share measures of neighborhood disadvantage with the public, including educational institutions, health systems, not-for-profit organizations, and government agencies, in order to make these metrics available for use in research, program planning, and policy development. The 2015 and 2019 ADI are available through the Download section.
- State Health FactsState Health Facts is a project of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the United States. State Health Facts is comprised of more than 800 health indicators and provides users with the ability to map, rank, trend, and download data. Data come from a variety of public and private sources, including Kaiser Family Foundation reports, public websites, government surveys and reports, and private organizations
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Wisconsin Data
For Wisconsin-specific data and resources, see the Wisconsin tab of this guide.
Additional Data Sources
For additional data sources, see the Health Data and Statistics Guide. This guide, created by the Ebling Library, provides links to selected sources of data and statistics collected and provided by numerous organizations and agencies.
Need help sharing or managing your research data?
Reach out to the Research Data Services (RDS) team! RDS is a free resource for UW-Madison affiliates that provides consultations, best practice information, and education and training on research data management and sharing. Click here to visit the RDS website.