Key points
- CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is the nation's principal health statistics agency.
- Our data provide insights into the health of people across the United States and how their health changes over time.
- Our statistics guide programs and policies to improve the health of the nation.
What we do
The National Center for Health Statistics is the nation's source for official health statistics. We collect, analyze, and share data and statistics to guide programs and policies that improve the health of people across the United States.
NCHS collects data from many sources of health information.
- Birth and death records
- Medical records
- Interviews with people and healthcare providers
- Direct physical examinations
- Laboratory testing
NCHS shares data, statistics, and analysis in multiple ways, including reports, dashboards, and data files. Visit our Schedule of NCHS Statistical Products and Reports to find recent and upcoming releases.
Our impact
NCHS is a unique public resource for data and evidence to help improve health. We are a key part of the nation's public health infrastructure—the people, services, and systems needed to promote and protect health in every U.S. community. We provide important data and statistics to identify health problems. Policymakers, public health professionals, and others use our data and statistics to develop and manage policies and programs to address these problems.
Our health statistics—
- Measure the health of people across the country—the U.S. population—and smaller groups within our population
- Monitor trends in health characteristics
- Identify differences in health conditions and behaviors across groups
- Document access to and use of the healthcare system
- Support biomedical, public health, and health services research
- Provide data to guide public policies and programs
- Track the impact of major policy initiatives
Answering America's Health Questions
Our commitment to confidentiality
Our work depends on the trust of the people who provide health information to us. NCHS takes every possible step to protect the confidentiality of personal information given to us.
Learn more about How NCHS Protects Your Privacy.
Leadership
Dr. Moyer provides executive leadership and strategic direction for the center’s statistical programs and policies. Dr. Moyer serves as the statistical official for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and senior advisor to the CDC director and HHS secretary.