This page is a portal to the online data dissemination activities of the Division of Vital Statistics, including both interactive online data access tools and downloadable public use data files.

Downloadable Data Files

Public use Birth, Period Linked Birth – Infant Death, Birth Cohort Linked Birth – Infant Death, Mortality Multiple Cause, and Fetal Death data files are available for independent research and analyses.

NOTE: Restricted use birth files for selected years in 1960s are available in the NCHS Research Data Center upon special request and approval. For details, see Vital Statistics Data Release Policy.

User’s Guide

NOTE: A corrected 2009 U.S. file was posted on April 5, 2012. This replaces the file posted in December 2011. The correction changed the 130 cause recode value from ‘062’ to ‘056’ for 17 records.

Notice of Error in the 2003 and 2004 Fetal Death Data Files and Reports pdf icon[PDF – 131 KB]

The 2014 public use fetal death data file has been updated to include cause of fetal death. No change has been made to other data items. A new 2014 Fetal Death Public Use Record Layout including the cause of fetal death items can now be found at the end of the User Guide.

* Between 2002 and 2003 the uncompressed file size increased greatly. This increase is a result of the phased implementation of the newly revised U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth and a consequent need for a much longer record length. If you have difficulty unzipping these files, you may need to use different compression software such as the newest versions of WinZipexternal icon or WinRARexternal icon.

Please be advised that the births files are massive flatfiles that cannot be opened using, for example, a text editor or spreadsheet application. Using some type of statistical software, such as SAS, SPSS, and STATA, is your best choice to open and run the files. Since the birth files are flatfiles, you will need input code files. See the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) websiteexternal icon for SAS/SPSS/STATA input code files for the birth files, which are available (free of charge).

Data Access Tools

A collection of vital statistics products including tables, data files, and reports that allow users to access and examine vital statistics and population data interactively.