Data Sources & Tools Relevant to Rural Health

Topics:

• Demographic
• Age and sex
• Ancestry
• Disability
• Commuting to work
• Education
• Employment
• Family/relationships
• Health insurance
• Income and earnings
• Language
• Origins
• Population change
• Poverty
• Veterans
• Housing - financial and physical characteristics

Ease of Use:

• A variety of tools are available, for varying levels of expertise and purpose

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Community
• Rural-specific
• Public Use Microdata Area
• ZIP Code Tabulation Area
• Full list of geographic areas

Frequency Updated:

• Data estimates are released every year
• 1-year estimates for areas with population of 65,000 or more
• 5-year estimates for areas with population below 65,000

Topics:

Data on people with disabilities including:

• Demographics
• Employment
• Poverty
• Health insurance
• Education

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Data from many sources on the following topics:

• Healthcare facilities
• Healthcare utilization
• Healthcare workforce
• Health professions training
• Demographics
• Social determinants of health
• Rural classifications

Ease of Use:

• Available via a straightforward online dashboard. Data also available for download in SAS and ASCII format.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• See AHRF Data Download Documentation for years of data available.

Topics:

• Population change overall and by demographic group
• ACS data
• BLS data
• 60 socioeconomic indicators

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface

Geographic Level of Data:

• County

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available

Topics:

• Employment
• Per capita income
• Income by industry (including healthcare)

Ease of Use:

• Somewhat complex and powerful web-based tool and county-level customizable mapping
• Easy printable fact sheets for income data

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• Metropolitan/Nonmetro

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Health behaviors of adults, including:

• Chronic diseases and conditions
• Health-risk behaviors
• Use of preventive health services

Ease of Use:

• Accessing BRFSS county-level data directly requires data analysis expertise.
• Comparing counties within a state is considered appropriate by the CDC. Comparing individual counties across state lines is not considered appropriate due to the methodological constraints of the sample.
• CDC web-based tools do not provide county-level details.
• Easier-to-use tools that include BRFSS data:
  • County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, which offers information based on BRFSS data, aggregated, analyzed, and summarized for use in County Health Rankings.
  • PLACES: Local Data for Better Health offers an interactive map with access to BRFSS data.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County (Public release data not available for any county with fewer than 10,000 residents)

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Public health
• Births
• Mortality

Ease of Use:

• A complex but fairly user-friendly web-based system that offers many options to narrow results.
• Results may vary depending on how and when different fields are selected.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County (births)
• Rural (mortality)

Frequency Updated:

• Most data collected annually
• Selected data monthly or weekly

Topics:

Data for regional planning from a variety of sources covering:

• Businesses
• Demographics
• Socioeconomic data
• Housing

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• City
• ZIP code

Frequency Updated:

• Annual and every 5 years, depending on source

Topics:

Access to the data sets used on the Medicare Care Compare website, covering:

• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Physicians and clinicians
• Home health
• Hospice
• Other providers

Ease of Use:

• Datasets available for download. Statistical expertise required.

Geographic Level of Data:

• Varies by data set

Frequency Updated:

• Each data set includes documentation on updates by date.

Topics:

• Risk factor score based on individual and household factors that may impact the ability to deal with and recover from disaster.

Ease of Use:

• Interactive, web-based interface

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• Census tract

Topics:

• Demographics
• Economics
• Education
• Infrastructure
• Healthcare access

Ease of Use:

• Files available for download, requires data expertise

Geographic Level of Data:

• County
• ZIP Code
• Census Tracts
• Census Block Groups

Frequency Updated:

• 2009-2023

Topics:

Compiles and standardizes data from a variety of national sources on topics including:

• Length of life
• Quality of life
• Health infrastructure
• Physical environment
• Social and economic factors
• Policy

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface
• Can download ranking data as Excel file

Geographic Level of Data:

• County
  (Some data may not be available for all counties)

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Labor force statistics, including:

• Unemployment rate
• Earnings
• Demographics
• Health insurance
• Disability status

Ease of Use:

• Web-based tools are complex and require expertise to use effectively and appropriately.
• To access rural-specific data via IPUMS-CPS, in the Household variables menu select "Core" and then "Geographic." Choose "Metro" from the list. For guidance in using this tool, see the IPUMS-CPS Frequently Asked Questions.

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• Rural

Frequency Updated:

• Monthly (March data serves as national benchmark for various indicators)
• IPUMS-CPS: Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) data each September; Basic monthly survey data

Topics:

Data from the National Survey of Children's Health and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs on:

• Child health indicators
• Family life indicators

Ease of Use:

• Most useful for researchers. State-level rural data is available for some states, but only in the public use files, not via the web interface. Analyzing requires the ability to statistically account for the weighted nature of the survey.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Centralized access to a variety of U.S. Census Bureau data

Ease of Use:

• Both guided and advanced search options are available

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Community
• Rural-specific

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available

Topics:

• Central data portal for information on a wide range of CMS programs and providers.

Ease of Use:

• Web-based interface with a variety of controls and options

Geographic Level of Data:

• Varies by data set

Topics:

Data from ERS, Census, BLS, BEA on:

• Population
• Food security
• Income
• Poverty
• Education
• Employment

Ease of Use:

• Easy, printable list of relevant information

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• Rural-specific

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available

Topics:

Data from a range of sources on:

• Food access indicators

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface
• Downloadable data that can be merged into GIS software at the 2010 Census Tract level for use with other spatial layers

Geographic Level of Data:

• Census tracts

Frequency Updated:

• 2015
• 2019

Topics:

Data from a range of sources on:

• Access to healthy food
• Food security
• Obesity rates
• Physical activity
• Demographics

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface
• Data can also be downloaded and merged into GIS software

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County [not available for all data]

Frequency Updated:

• Varies by data source

Topics:

• Food items and prices for households and individuals
• Food and nutrition assistance program benefits
• Local food environments

Ease of Use:

• Restricted-use data files
• Requires statistical expertise

Geographic Level of Data:

• County
• Census tract
• Census block group

Frequency Updated:

• Infrequent
• FoodAPS-1 released in 2016 based on 2012-2013 survey

Topics:

Health disparities data from federal sources on the following topics:

• Mortality
• Health insurance
• Socio-demographics
• Health screening
• Risk factors

Ease of Use:

• Easy-to-use web-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Data from a range of sources on:

• Health status and determinants
• Healthcare utilization
• Access
• Expenditures

Ease of Use:

• Publication with charts/tables
• Supporting Excel files available on the website

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• Rural-specific

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Hospital care data from a set of databases on:

• Inpatient utilization
• Emergency department utilization
• Access
• Cost
• Quality
• Outcomes
• Opioids
• Maternal health

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based access
• Public-use and fee-based versions

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State & County (for participating states, some providing estimates only)
• Rural (location of patient residence)
• Sets/groups of hospitals, including rural hospitals

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available

Topics:

HRSA program data, including:

• Rural health
• Loans and scholarships
• Shortage areas
• Health centers

External data on:

• Demographics (ACS)
• Healthcare facilities (CMS)

Ease of Use:

• Powerful, complex web-based data portal and map tool for creating custom data views and maps
• Variety of other tools and publications

Geographic Level of Data:

• Varies by data set

Frequency Updated:

• Shortage areas as frequently as daily
• CMS facilities updated quarterly

Topics:

Data from a variety of federal sources on:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Social determinants of health
• Health services
• Healthcare costs
• Healthcare facilities

Ease of Use:

• Fairly straightforward web-based mapping system

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Census tract

Topics:

• Historical Census data
• GIS-compatible boundary files

Ease of Use:

• Free, but registration required to view data.
• A somewhat complex system for selecting file. A video tutorial is available.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Place
• Census tract
• Rural

Frequency Updated:

• Census Data from 1790-present

Topics:

Data from a variety of public and private sources on:

• Demographics
• Healthcare costs
• Health insurance
• Health status
• Women's health
• Medicaid and Medicare
• Healthcare providers

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based access

Geographic Level of Data:

• State

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available
• Focuses on issues of current concern, so may have limited trending data for a given topic

Topics:

Data on children's health and well-being, from a variety of national and state sources, covering:

• Demographics
• Economic well-being
• Education
• Family and community
• Health
• Safety and risk behaviors

Ease of Use:

• Easy to navigate website

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• Congressional District

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Employment
• Unemployment

Ease of Use:

• Basic tables available on website
• Easy-to-use maps
• Somewhat complex web-based search tool

Geographic Level of Data:

• County

Frequency Updated:

• Monthly

Topics:

• 1970-2010 Census and recent American Community Survey data with standardized tract boundaries

Ease of Use:

• Files available for download, requires data expertise

Geographic Level of Data:

• Census tract

Topics:

Provides data on Medicare beneficiaries on:

• Health disparities
• Chronic conditions
• Health outcomes
• Healthcare utilization
• Cost
• Patient safety

Ease of Use:

• Easy-to-use web-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• Hospital (with option to compare hospitals)

Frequency Updated:

• Medicare Fee-For-Service data for 2012-2023 and Medicare Advantage data for 2018-2019

Topics:

Medicare provider services and utilization for:

• Ambulance
• Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
• Home health
• Hospice
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Skilled nursing facilities
• More

Ease of Use:

• Data can be viewed online, downloaded, or accessed via API

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA)

Frequency Updated:

• Selected date ranges available

Topics:

Data from a variety of sources on topics related to:

• Health
• Education
• Income

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based map tool. Zoom in or enter ZIP code for a county profile.
• County data can be downloaded by submitting a download agreement.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National maps with county-level data
• County profiles

Frequency Updated:

• Varies by data source

Topics:

• Healthcare access
• Health services utilization
• Healthcare costs and payment methods
• Healthcare quality
• Health insurance coverage and cost

Ease of Use:

• Easy to access summary tables
• Somewhat complex web-based system
• Downloadable files require advanced data skills and contain no metropolitan/nonmetropolitan identifiers
• More granular data available through the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• Metropolitan/Nonmetropolitan

Topics:

• Medicare fee-for-service per capita costs
• Medicare Advantage facility utilization

Ease of Use:

• Fairly straightforward, web-based tool
• In the county dashboard, select a state by clicking the map

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Opioid prescribing rates based on Medicare Part D claims

Ease of Use:

• Straightforward map-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• ZIP code
• Rural/Urban

Frequency Updated:

• 2023 data, plus change since 2018

Topics:

Wide range of topics, including:

• Health status
• Local health departments
• Healthcare access
• Social determinants of health

Ease of Use:

• Easy-to-use web-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

• County

Topics:

• Data on ambulatory medical care services, including services provided by office-based physicians, hospital emergency and outpatient departments, and ambulatory surgery centers

Ease of Use:

• Data is available in reports and tables on specific topics.
• Data is only to be used on one stratification level at a time. drilling down beyond the presented stratifications breaks the sampling scheme.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• Rural/Urban based on patient ZIP code

Frequency Updated:

• Reports issued throughout the year

Topics:

• Veteran population
• VA benefit utilization

Ease of Use:

• Downloadable files
• Static maps

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Topics:

Environmental health topics and related health effects:

• Air quality
• Heat exposure
• Pesticide exposure
• Asthma
• Cancer
• COPD
• Heart disease

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Health status
• Health behaviors
• Health insurance coverage

Ease of Use:

• Easy to access summary tables and online dynamic report of quarterly key health indicators

Geographic Level of Data:

• Metropolitan/Nonmetropolitan
• Large MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), small MSA, not in an MSA

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Mental health conditions and services
• Substance use incidence and treatment

Ease of Use:

• Detailed tables available on website. For rural data, look for tables that list "Geographic Characteristics".

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• Regions within states
• Rural-specific

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• HIV/AIDS
• Viral hepatitis
• Tuberculosis
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
• Social determinants of health

Ease of Use:

• Somewhat complex web-based system that offers various narrowing options depending on the data

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Topics:

Wide range of topics, including:

• Healthcare access
• Behavioral health
• Disability status
• Health conditions
• Health insurance status
• Mortality
• Oral Health

Ease of Use:

• Easy-to-use web-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

Varies by visualization, may include:

• National
• State
• Metropolitan/Nonmetropolitan

Frequency Updated:

• Data from a variety of sources. Year ranges available vary.

Topics:

• Natality, including teen births
• Mortality, including drug overdose mortality with urban-rural trends by state

Ease of Use:

• Interactive data visualization tools and downloadable accompanying data sets

Geographic Level of Data:

Varies by visualization, may include:

• National
• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Varies by visualization

Topics:

• Area Deprivation Index (ADI) state and national rankings, factoring in income, education, employment, and housing quality

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface
• Data available for download

Geographic Level of Data:

• Census Block Groups

Frequency Updated:

• Currently offers 2023 ADI data, which is based on the ACS 2019-2023 data.
• 2015 and 2020 ADI are also available for download.

Topics:

• Population
• Age
• Sex

Ease of Use:

• Easy web-based interface

Geographic Level of Data:

• County

Frequency Updated:

• 1950-2020

Topics:

Chronic disease related data covering:

• Health status
• Health outcomes
• Prevention
• Health-risk behaviors
• Social determinants of health

Ease of Use:

• Easy, web-based interface
• Data available for download

Geographic Level of Data:

• County
• Place
• Census tract
• ZIP code

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Age
• Sex

Ease of Use:

• Excel downloads available

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Cities and towns

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Poverty area measures for:

• High poverty
• Extreme poverty
• Persistent poverty
• Enduring poverty

Ease of Use:

• Excel and CSV downloads available

Geographic Level of Data:

• County
• Census tract

Frequency Updated:

• Decennial Census data for 1960 (county) or 1970 (census tract) through 2000 and American Community Survey 5-year periods for 2007-11, 2017-21, 2018-22, and 2019-23.

Topics:

Data from multiple Census Bureau censuses, surveys, and programs on the following topics:

• Demographics
• Housing
• Education
• Economy
• Income and Poverty
• Businesses

Ease of Use:

• Easy-to-use
• Good starting place for beginner data users
• Easy to compare multiple geographies
• Includes tables, maps, charts

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County
• Cities and towns with population of 5,000 or more
• ZIP code

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available

Topics:

Data from multiple federal sources covering:

• Mortality
• Health conditions
• Healthcare access
• COVID-19
• Social determinants of health

Ease of Use:

• Straightforward map-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

• Rural-urban
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Data from a variety of sources. Year ranges available vary.

Topics:

• Health insurance coverage by age, sex, and income

Ease of Use:

• Straightforward web-based tool
• Easy-to-find national maps showing county-level data

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Updated annually, but base data may not be as current for all rural areas, because it uses ACS data.

Topics:

• Annual model-based estimates for poverty (including children in poverty)
• Median household income

Ease of Use:

• Straightforward web-based tool
• Easy-to-find national maps showing county-level data

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County
• School District

Frequency Updated:

• Updated annually, but base data may not be as current for all rural areas, because it uses ACS data.

Topics:

• Cancer burden
• Screening and risk factors
• Demographic data

Ease of Use:

• Easy-to-use web-based system, including mapping

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Data comes from state public health surveillance systems, so it is updated as complete national data is available. State websites may offer more detailed and more current data.

Topics:

Diabetes and related health concerns, including:

• Burden of diabetes
• Preventive care
• Health status and disability
• Risk factors
• End-stage renal disease
• Social determinants of health

Ease of Use:

• Interactive, customizable map and charts for accessing data.
• Select "indicators" to view the data options.

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

• Retail opioid, naloxone, and buprenorphine prescription dispensing

Ease of Use:

• Straightforward map-based system

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• County

Frequency Updated:

• Annual

Topics:

Data from a range of sources on:

• Quality
• Patient experience
• Outcomes
• Health status

Ease of Use:

• Easy system for comparing regions and hospitals

Geographic Level of Data:

• State
• Hospital Referral
• Region
• County
• Hospital
• Groups of hospitals, including "average rural" and by bed size

Frequency Updated:

• Ongoing, as new data is available

Topics:

• Fatal and nonfatal injury
• Violent death
• Cost of injury
• Social determinants of health

Ease of Use:

• Web-based system with a variety of search options

Geographic Level of Data:

• National
• Region
• State
• County
• Metropolitan/Nonmetropolitan

Frequency Updated:

• Data from a variety of sources. Year ranges available vary.