This page lists data sets recommended by Academy librarians that can be used in your research. Please also see our databases and recommended resources pages for other information. Questions? Ask a librarian.
Materials obtained through the New York Academy of Medicine Library are for general information purposes only and cannot replace the care of a medical professional. Please consult your physician on specific medical questions.
Big Cities Health Inventory Data
Platform from the Big Cities Health Coalition, a forum for the leaders of America’s largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies and jointly address health issues, that features almost 30,000 data points across 30 large cities, allowing users to examine a number of pressing health issues impacting urban communities across the country.
Free? Yes
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject
Data by subject about various labor-related indicators, including benefits, employment, workplace injuries, and more.
Free? Mostly; some data sets are restricted and come with a fee for use
Child Health and Development Studies
CHDS is a project of the Public Health Institute, an independent nonprofit dedicated to improving health and wellness; studies investigate the relationships between biologic, behavioral, genetic, and environmental factors in early family life to health outcomes in adults. Cohorts have been studied since 1959.
Free? Yes, but must sign an agreement
Data.gov
Data.gov is the home of the U.S. Government’s open data, hosted and managed by the U.S. General Services Administration. Provides data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations and more.
Free? Yes
Data Discovery
Provides access to data sets from selected National Library of Medicine resources. Users can explore, filter, visualize, and export data in a variety of formats.
Free? Yes
Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health
Includes national and state-level data on hundreds of child health indicators from the National Survey of Children’s Health, National Health Interview Survey Child Component, Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Services, and National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. A project coming out of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
Free? Yes
Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)
HINTS, from the National Cancer Institute, collects data about the use of cancer-related information by the American public. Data sets are available for download and secondary analysis.
Free? Yes
Health and Medical Care Archive
The data archive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Topics include information on health care providers, health care costs and access, substance abuse and health, chronic health conditions, and more.
Free? Yes
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
Databases, created through a Federal-State-Industry partnership and sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), that include the largest collection of longitudinal hospital care data in the United States. They contain information on inpatient stays, emergency department visits, and ambulatory care.
Free? No; data can be purchased
HealthData.gov
Site managed by the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services that contains data on a wide range of topics, including environmental health, medical devices, Medicare & Medicaid, social services, community health, mental health, and substance abuse.
Free? Mostly; some restricted data sets
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
Data and information from a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers, (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.), and employers across the United States. From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Free? Yes
Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data
The U. S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a series of publicly available data files that summarize the utilization and payments for procedures, services, and prescription drugs provided to Medicare beneficiaries by specific inpatient and outpatient hospitals, physicians, and other suppliers.
Free? Yes; some data files are restricted and require approval for access
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Public-Use Data Files and Documentation
Offers downloadable public-use data files through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) FTP file server. Users of this service have access to data sets, documentation, and questionnaires from NCHS surveys and data collection systems.
Free? Yes
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
A survey in which about 3,000 households containing one or more NHPI residents were surveyed from all 50 states. The survey instrument and data files are available. From the National Center for Health Statistics in the Centers for Disease Control.
Free? Yes
ResDAC (Research Data Assistance Center)
Provides free assistance to researchers interested in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data. CMS data files are categorized by data category and CMS program. Managed by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Health Policy and Management.
Free? Yes
School Health Policies and Practices Study
SHPPS is a national survey from the Centers for Disease Control periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. Questionnaires, data and documentation and results are available. The CDC Vending Machine Study from 2014 is also available.
Free? Yes
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive
Offers easy access to substance use and mental health data for analyses. From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Free? Yes
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute
Includes SEER incidence and population data associated by age, sex, race, year of diagnosis, and geographic areas (including SEER registry and county).
Free? Yes, but must request access
USA Counties Data Files
Includes data on health, housing, poverty, and vital statistics. From the U. S. Census Bureau.
Free? Yes
Demographic and Health Surveys Datasets
Nationally representative surveys that are designed to collect data on monitoring and impact evaluation indicators important for individual countries and for cross-country comparisons. Survey types include demographic and health surveys, service provision assessments, HIV/AIDS indicators, and malaria indicators. Funded by USAID and implemented by ICF International, a global consulting organization.
Free? Yes; registration required for access
Environmental Data Explorer (UN)
Source for data sets used by UNEP and its partners in the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) report and other integrated environment assessments. Allows users to display over 500 variables as maps, graphs, tables or to download the data.
Free? Yes
Global Health Data Exchange
Data catalog created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. Data sets about global health and demography.
Free? Yes, for non-commercial use; governed by the Open Data Commons Attribution license
Google Public Data Sets
A tool for visualizing and sharing publicly available data sets.
Free? Yes
Human Life-Table Database
A collection of population life tables for a multitude of countries covering many years. Part of the Human Mortality Database project. Maintained by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.
Free? Yes, with registration
Human Mortality Database
Provides detailed mortality and population data to researchers, students, journalists, policy analysts, and others interested in the history of human longevity. Currently contains data for 41 countries. Sponsored by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and the University of California, Berkeley.
Free? Yes, with registration
ICPSR Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
A data archive of more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences from the University of Michigan.
Free? Mostly; some restricted data sets have fees
IPUMS Data Sets
Provides census and survey data from across the USA and around the world. Includes almost a billion records from U.S. censuses from 1790 to the present and over a billion records from the international censuses of over 100 countries. Maintained by the University of Minnesota.
Free? Yes, but registration is required for access
OECD.Stat
Data on different determinants of health around the world from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Free? Yes
United Nations Demographic Yearbook System Censuses’ Datasets
Disseminates statistics on population size and composition, births, deaths, marriage and divorce, as well as respective rates, on an annual basis. Census data sets cover a wide range of additional topics including economic activity, educational attainment, household characteristics, housing characteristics, ethnicity, language, foreign-born and foreign population.
Free? Yes
UN Data
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) offer UN statistical databases through a single entry point.
Free? Yes
Community Health Profiles
Provides neighborhood-level health data, accompanied by data visualizations and narrative explanation. Allows selection and comparison of social, economic, housing and neighborhood data on 59 community districts along with maternal health, child health, and health behaviors, access and outcomes. From the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Free? Yes; restricted data sets may require permission
Environment and Health Data Portal
The portal features NYC environmental factors and provides downloadable data with data stories, visualizations and narrative explanation. It includes over 200 environmental health indicators across eight topics: outdoor air and weather, built environment, pests and pesticide use, food and drink, environmental sustainability, health outcomes, behavior and social factors. From the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Free? Yes; restricted data sets may require permission
EpiQuery: New York City Interactive Health Data
EpiQuery is a web-based, user-friendly system designed to provide users with health data from a variety of sources. EpiQuery Modules are based on health data sets with varying topics and indicators for different NYC populations and the system runs real-time analyses for users at the click of the mouse. EpiQuery offers prevalence estimates with confidence intervals, rates over time, bar charts and neighborhood maps, and much more. From the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Free? Yes; restricted data sets may require permission
InfoShare
Statistical database for New York City and New York State including population statistics, immigration trends, and socio-economic indicators.
Free? Yes, for individual subscribers; organizations pay a fee
NYC Health Data Catalog
Contains NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene data resources available to the public for research and other authorized uses.
Free? Yes; restricted data sets may require permission
Health and Retirement Study
The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal panel study that surveys a representative sample of approximately 20,000 people in America and provides multidisciplinary data that researchers can use to address important questions about the challenges and opportunities of aging.
Free? Yes, with registration. Restricted data sets require separate applications
National Study of Licensed Social Workers (2004)
This national study from the National Association of Social Workers provides baseline data that can guide policy and planning to assure an appropriately trained social work workforce will be in place to meet the current and future needs of older adults.
Free? No; contact to request access
SEER-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (SEER-MHOS) Linked Data Resource
The SEER-MHOS data resource links two large population-based sources of data that provide detailed information about elderly persons with cancer: the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) External Web Site Policy program of cancer registries and the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (MHOS) that provides information about the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Medicare Advantage Organization (MAO) enrollees. From the National Cancer Institute.
Free? Yes
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