Scientific Data Documentation
Linked Birth/Infant Death File, 1996
1996 Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set Names (DSNs):
CC36.NATAL96.LINK
CC36.NATAL96.DENOM
CC36.NATAL96.UNLINK
CC36.NATAL96.LINK.PS
CC36.NATAL96.DENOM.PS
CC36.NATAL96.UNLINK.PS
Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set: 1996 Period Data
Data File Characteristics:
The data were processed using the SAS language on an IBM 9672.
The data are recorded in IBM/EBCDIC 8-bit code for each character.
Codes may be numeric, alphabets, or blank.
The record type is blocked, fixed format.
The last block for the data year may be a short block.
I. Denominator File:
United States Data Set
A. File Organization: One file, multiple tapes
B. Record count: 3,894,874
C. Record length: 210
D. Blocksize: 32130
E. Data counts:
a. By occurrence: 3,894,874
b. By residence: 3,891,494
c. To foreign residents: 3,380
Possessions Data Set
A. File Organization: One file, one tape
B. Record count: 69,519
C. Record length: 210
D. Blocksize: 32130
Puerto Rico
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 63,255
b. By occurrence and residence: 63,141
c. To foreign residents: 114
Virgin Islands
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 2,001
b. By occurrence and residence: 1,905
c. To foreign residents: 96
Guam
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 4,263
b. By occurrence and residence 4,254
c. To foreign residents: 9
Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set: 1996 Period Data
II. Numerator File:
United States Data Set
A. File Organization: One of multiple files on a tape
B. Record count: 27,809
C. Record length: 535
D. Blocksize: 32635
E. Data counts: a. By occurrence: 27,809
b. By residence: 27,796
c. To foreign residents: 13
Possessions Data Set
A. File Organization: one of multiple files on a tape
B. Record count: 713
C. Record length: 535
D. Blocksize: 32635
Puerto Rico
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 656
b. By occurrence and residence: 656
c. To foreign residents: 0
Virgin Islands
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 20
b. By occurrence and residence: 20
c. To foreign residents: 0
Guam
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 37
b. By occurrence and residence: 37
c. To foreign residents: 0
Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set: 1996 Period Data
III. Unlinked File:
United States Data Set
A. File Organization: one file of multiple files on a tape
B. Record count: 623
C. Record length: 535
D. Blocksize: 32635
E. Data counts: a. By occurrence: 623
b. By residence: 618
c. To foreign residents: 5
Possessions Data Set
A. File Organization: one file of multiple files on a tape
B. Record count: 6
C. Record length: 535
D. Blocksize: 32635
Puerto Rico
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 5
b. By occurrence and residence: 1
c. To foreign residents: 4
Virgin Islands
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 0
b. By occurrence and residence: 0
c. To foreign residents: 0
Guam
Data counts: a. By occurrence: 1
b. By occurrence and residence: 0
c. To foreign residents: 1
1996 Denominator Record and Natality Section of Numerator (Linked) Record
Locations 7-210 of the linked file contain data from the Birth Certificate.
Locations 211-535 of linked file contain data from the Death Certificate.
Residence items in the Denominator Record and in the natality section of the
Numerator (linked) Record refer to the usual place of residence of the Mother;
whereas in the mortality section of the Numerator (Linked) Record, these items
refer to the residence of the Decedent.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
1-6 6 R0
Reserved Positions
7-10 4 BIRYR
Year of Birth
1995 ... Born in 1995 (This code valid for numerator
(linked) file only).
1996 ... Born in 1996
11 1 RESSTATB
Resident Status - Birth
United States Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: State and county of occurrence and
residence are the same.
2 ... INTRASTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence
and residence are the same, but county is different.
3 ... INTERSTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence
and residence are different, but both are in the 50 States
and D.C.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: State of occurrence is one of
the 50 States or the District of Columbia, but place of
residence of mother is outside of the 50 States and D.C.
Puerto Rico Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: State and county of occurrence
and residence are the same.
2 ... INTRASTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence
and residence are the same, but county is different.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: Occurred in Puerto Rico to a
resident of any other place.
Virgin Islands Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: State and county of occurrence and
residence are the same.
2 ... INTRASTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence
and residence are the same, but county is different.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: Occurred in the Virgin Islands
to a resident of any other place.
Guam Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: Occurred in Guam to a resident of Guam or
to a resident of the U.S.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: Occurred in Guam to a resident
of any place other than Guam or the U.S.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
12-13 2 BRSTATE
Expanded State of Residence - NCHS Codes - Birth
This item is designed to separately identify
New York City records from other New York State records.
United States Occurrence
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
03 ... Arizona
04 ... Arkansas
05 ... California
06 ... Colorado
07 ... Connecticut
08 ... Delaware
09 ... District of Columbia
10 ... Florida
11 ... Georgia
12 ... Hawaii
13 ... Idaho
14 ... Illinois
15 ... Indiana
16 ... Iowa
17 ... Kansas
18 ... Kentucky
19 ... Louisiana
20 ... Maine
21 ... Maryland
22 ... Massachusetts
23 ... Michigan
24 ... Minnesota
25 ... Mississippi
26 ... Missouri
27 ... Montana
28 ... Nebraska
29 ... Nevada
30 ... New Hampshire
31 ... New Jersey
32 ... New Mexico
33 ... New York
34 ... New York city
35 ... North Carolina
36 ... North Dakota
37 ... Ohio
38 ... Oklahoma
39 ... Oregon
40 ... Pennsylvania
41 ... Rhode Island
42 ... South Carolina
43 ... South Dakota
44 ... Tennessee
45 ... Texas
46 ... Utah
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
12-13 2 BRSTATE
Expanded State of Residence - NCHS Codes - Birth (Cond't)
This item is designed to separately identify New York
City records from other New York State records.
United States Occurrence
47 ... Vermont
48 ... Virginia
49 ... Washington
50 ... West Virginia
51 ... Wisconsin
52 ... Wyoming
53-58,60... Foreign Residents
53 ... Puerto Rico
54 ... Virgin Islands
55 ... Guam
56 ... Canada
57 ... Cuba
58 ... Mexico
60 ... Remainder of the World
Puerto Rico Occurrence
53 ... Puerto Rico
01-52,54-58,60 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for
specific code structure.
Virgin Islands Occurrence
54 ... Virgin Islands
01-53,55-58,60 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for
specific code structure.
Guam Occurrence
55 ... Guam
01-52 ... U.S. resident is also considered a resident of Guam.
53,54,58,60 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for specific code
structure.
FIPSOCCB
Federal Information Processing Standards
(FIPS) Geographic Codes (Occurrence) - Birth
Refer to the Geographic Code Outline further back in this document
for a detailed list of areas and codes. For an explanation of FIPS
codes, reference should be made to various National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) publications.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
14-15 2 STOCCFIPB
State of Occurrence (FIPS) - Birth
United States
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
04 ... Arizona
05 ... Arkansas
06 ... California
08 ... Colorado
09 ... Connecticut
10 ... Delaware
11 ... District of Columbia
12 ... Florida
13 ... Georgia
15 ... Hawaii
16 ... Idaho
17 ... Illinois
18 ... Indiana
19 ... Iowa
20 ... Kansas
21 ... Kentucky
22 ... Louisiana
23 ... Maine
24 ... Maryland
25 ... Massachusetts
26 ... Michigan
27 ... Minnesota
28 ... Mississippi
29 ... Missouri
30 ... Montana
31 ... Nebraska
32 ... Nevada
33 ... New Hampshire
34 ... New Jersey
35 ... New Mexico
36 ... New York
37 ... North Carolina
38 ... North Dakota
39 ... Ohio
40 ... Oklahoma
41 ... Oregon
42 ... Pennsylvania
44 ... Rhode Island
45 ... South Carolina
46 ... South Dakota
47 ... Tennessee
48 ... Texas
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
14-15 2 STOCCFIPB
State of Occurrence (FIPS) - Birth (Cond't)
United States
49 ... Utah
50 ... Vermont
51 ... Virginia
53 ... Washington
54 ... West Virginia
55 ... Wisconsin
56 ... Wyoming
Puerto Rico
72 ... Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
78 ... Virgin Islands
Guam
66 ... Guam
16-18 3 CNTOCFIPB
County of Occurrence (FIPS) - Birth
001-nnn ... Counties and county equivalents (independent and
coextensive cities) are numbered alphabetically
within each State. (Note: To uniquely identify a
county, both the State and county codes must be
used.)
999 ... County with less than 250,000 population
19-23 5 FIPSRESB
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Geographic Codes
(Residence) - Birth
Refer to the Geographic Code Outline further back in this document
for a detailed list of areas and codes. For an explanation of FIPS
codes, reference should be made to various National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) publications.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
19-20 2 STRESFIPB
State of Residence (FIPS) - Birth
United States Occurrence
00 ... Foreign residents
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
04 ... Arizona
05 ... Arkansas
06 ... California
08 ... Colorado
09 ... Connecticut
10 ... Delaware
11 ... District of Columbia
12 ... Florida
13 ... Georgia
15 ... Hawaii
16 ... Idaho
17 ... Illinois
18 ... Indiana
19 ... Iowa
20 ... Kansas
21 ... Kentucky
22 ... Louisiana
23 ... Maine
24 ... Maryland
25 ... Massachusetts
26 ... Michigan
27 ... Minnesota
28 ... Mississippi
29 ... Missouri
30 ... Montana
31 ... Nebraska
32 ... Nevada
33 ... New Hampshire
34 ... New Jersey
35 ... New Mexico
36 ... New York
37 ... North Carolina
38 ... North Dakota
39 ... Ohio
40 ... Oklahoma
41 ... Oregon
42 ... Pennsylvania
44 ... Rhode Island
45 ... South Carolina
46 ... South Dakota
47 ... Tennessee
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
19-20 2 STRESFIPB
State of Residence (FIPS) - Birth Cond't)
United States Occurrence
48 ... Texas
49 ... Utah
50 ... Vermont
51 ... Virginia
53 ... Washington
54 ... West Virginia
55 ... Wisconsin
56 ... Wyoming
Puerto Rico Occurrence
00-56,66,78 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for
specific code structure
72 ... Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands Occurrence
00-56,66,72 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for
specific code structure
78 ... Virgin Islands
Guam Occurrence
00,72,78 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for
specific code structure
01-56 ... U.S. Resident is also considered a resident of
Guam. Refer to U.S. for specific code structure
66 ... Guam
21-23 3 CNTYRFPB
County of Residence (FIPS) - Birth
000 ... Foreign residents
001-nnn ... Counties and county equivalents (independent and
coextensive cities) are numbered alphabetically
within each State (Note: To uniquely identify a
county, both the State and county codes must be
used.)
999 ... County with less than 250,000 population
24-28 5 PLRES
Place (City) of Residence (FIPS)
A complete list of cities is shown in the Geographic
Code Outline further back in this document.
00000 ... Foreign residents
00001-nnnnn ... Code range
99999 ... Balance of county; or city less than
250,000 population
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
29 1 MAGEFLG
Age of Mother Flag
This position is flagged whenever age is imputed or the
mother's reported age is used. The reported age is used,
if valid, when computed age derived from the date of birth
is not available or when it is outside the 10-49 code range.
Blank ... Not imputed and reported age is not used
1 ... Reported age is used
2 ... Age is imputed
30-31 2 DMAGE
Age of Mother
This item is: a) computed using dates of birth of mother and
of delivery; b) reported; or c) imputed.
This is the age item used in NCHS publications.
10-49 ... Age in single years
32 1 MAGER8
Age of Mother Recode 8
1 ... Under 15 years
2 ... 15 - 19 years
3 ... 20 - 24 years
4 ... 25 - 29 years
5 ... 30 - 34 years
6 ... 35 - 39 years
7 ... 40 - 44 years
8 ... 45 - 49 years
33 1 ORMOTH
Hispanic Origin of Mother
Hispanic origin is reported for all areas except Puerto Rico.
0 ... Non-Hispanic
1 ... Mexican
2 ... Puerto Rican
3 ... Cuban
4 ... Central or South American
5 ... Other and unknown Hispanic
9 ... Origin unknown or not stated
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
34 1 ORRACEM
Hispanic Origin and Race of Mother Recode
Hispanic origin is reported for all areas except Puerto Rico.
1 ... Mexican
2 ... Puerto Rican
3 ... Cuban
4 ... Central or South American
5 ... Other and unknown Hispanic
6 ... Non-Hispanic White
7 ... Non-Hispanic Black
8 ... Non-Hispanic other races
9 ... Origin unknown or not stated
35 1 MRACEIMP
Race of Mother Imputation Flag
Blank ... Race is not imputed
1 ... Race is imputed
2 ... All other races, formerly code 09, is imputed
36-37 2 MRACE
Race of Mother - Birth Record or for Unlinked Records Race of
Decedent from Death Record
Beginning with 1992 data, some areas started reporting additional
Asian or Pacific Islander codes for race. Codes 18-68 replace old
code 08 for these areas. Code 78 replaces old code 08 for all other
areas. For consistency with Census race code 09 (all other races)
used prior to 1992 has been imputed.
United States Occurrence
01 ... White
02 ... Black
03 ... American Indian (includes Aleuts and Eskimos)
04 ... Chinese
05 ... Japanese
06 ... Hawaiian (includes part-Hawaiian)
07 ... Filipino
18 ... Asian Indian
28 ... Korean
38 ... Samoan
48 ... Vietnamese
58 ... Guamanian
68 ... Other Asian or Pacific Islander in areas reporting
codes 18-58
78 ... Combined other Asian or Pacific Islander, includes
codes 18-68 for areas that do not report them
separately
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
36-37 2 MRACE
Race of Mother - Birth Record or for Unlinked Records Race of
Decedent from Death Record (Cond't)
Puerto Rico Occurrence
00 ... Other races
01 ... White
02 ... Black
Virgin Islands Occurrence
01 ... White
02 ... Black
03 ... American Indian (includes Aleuts and Eskimos)
04 ... Chinese
05 ... Japanese
06 ... Hawaiian (includes part-Hawaiian)
07 ... Filipino
08 ... Other Asian or Pacific Islander
Guam Occurrence
01 ... White
02 ... Black
03 ... American Indian (includes Aleuts and Eskimos)
04 ... Chinese
05 ... Japanese
06 ... Hawaiian (includes part-Hawaiian)
07 ... Filipino
08 ... Other Asian or Pacific Islander
58 ... Guamanian
38 1 MRACE3
Race of Mother Recode
1 ... White
2 ... Races other than White or Black
3 ... Black
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
39-40 2 DMEDUC
Education of Mother Detail
All areas report education of mother.
00 ... No formal education
01-08 ... Years of elementary school
09 ... 1 year of high school
10 ... 2 years of high school
11 ... 3 years of high school
12 ... 4 years of high school
13 ... 1 year of college
14 ... 2 years of college
15 ... 3 years of college
16 ... 4 years of college
17 ... 5 or more years of college
99 ... Not stated
41 1 MEDUC6
Education of Mother Recode
1 ... 0 - 8 years
2 ... 9 - 11 years
3 ... 12 years
4 ... 13 - 15 years
5 ... 16 years and over
6 ... Not stated
42 1 DMARIMP
Marital Status of Mother Imputation Flag
Blank ... Marital status is not imputed
1 ... Marital status is imputed
43 1 DMAR
Marital Status of Mother
Marital status is not reported by all areas.
See reporting flags.
United States/Virgin Islands/Guam Occurrence
1 ... Married
2 ... Unmarried
9 ... Unknown or not stated
Puerto Rico Occurrence
1 ... Married
2 ... Unmarried parents living together
3 ... Unmarried parents not living together
9 ... Unknown or not stated
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
44-45 2 MPLBIR
Place of Birth of Mother
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
03 ... Arizona
04 ... Arkansas
05 ... California
06 ... Colorado
07 ... Connecticut
08 ... Delaware
09 ... District of Columbia
10 ... Florida
11 ... Georgia
12 ... Hawaii
13 ... Idaho
14 ... Illinois
15 ... Indiana
16 ... Iowa
17 ... Kansas
18 ... Kentucky
19 ... Louisiana
20 ... Maine
21 ... Maryland
22 ... Massachusetts
23 ... Michigan
24 ... Minnesota
25 ... Mississippi
26 ... Missouri
27 ... Montana
28 ... Nebraska
29 ... Nevada
30 ... New Hampshire
31 ... New Jersey
32 ... New Mexico
33 ... New York
34 ... North Carolina
35 ... North Dakota
36 ... Ohio
37 ... Oklahoma
38 ... Oregon
39 ... Pennsylvania
40 ... Rhode Island
41 ... South Carolina
42 ... South Dakota
43 ... Tennessee
44 ... Texas
45 ... Utah
46 ... Vermont
47 ... Virginia
48 ... Washington
49 ... West Virginia
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
44-45 2 MPLBIR
Place of Birth of Mother (Cond't)
50 ... Wisconsin
51 ... Wyoming
52 ... Puerto Rico
53 ... Virgin Islands
54 ... Guam
55 ... Canada
56 ... Cuba
57 ... Mexico
59 ... Remainder of the World
99 ... Not Classifiable
46 1 MPLBIRR
Place of Birth of Mother Recode
United States Occurrence
1 ... Born in the 50 States and D.C.
2 ... Born outside the 50 States and DC
3 ... Unknown or not stated
Puerto Rico/Virgin Island/ Guam Occurrence
Blank ... This item not recorded
47-48 2 DTOTORD
Detail Total Birth Order
Sum of live birth order and other terminations of pregnancy.
If either item is unknown, this item is made unknown.
01-40 ... Total number of live births and other terminations
of pregnancy
99 ... Unknown
49-50 2 DLIVORD
Detail Live Birth Order
Sum of live births now living and now dead plus one.
If either item is unknown, this item is made unknown.
00-31 ... Number of children born alive to mother
99 ... Unknown
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
51-52 2 MONPRE
Detail Month of Pregnancy Prenatal Care Began
00 ... No prenatal care
01 ... 1st month
02 ... 2nd month
03 ... 3rd month
04 ... 4th month
05 ... 5th month
06 ... 6th month
07 ... 7th month
08 ... 8th month
09 ... 9th month
99 ... Unknown or not stated
53 1 MPRE5
Month Prenatal Care Began Recode 5
1 ... 1st Trimester (1st-3rd month)
2 ... 2nd Trimester (4th-6th month)
3 ... 3rd Trimester (7th-9th month)
4 ... No prenatal care
5 ... Unknown or not stated
54-55 2 NPREVIST
Total Number of Prenatal Visits
00 ... No prenatal visits
01-48 ... Stated number of visits
49 ... 49 or more visits
99 ... Unknown or not stated
56 1 ADEQUACY
Adequacy of Care Recode (Kessner Index)
This code is based on a modified Kessner criterion. Month Prenatal Care
Began, Number of Prenatal Visits, and Gestation are the items used to
generate this recode.
1 ... Adequate
2 ... Intermediate
3 ... Inadequate
4 ... Unknown
57-59 3 R1
Reserved Positions
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
60 1 FAGERFLG
Reported Age of Father Used Flag
This position is flagged whenever the Father's reported age
in years is used. The reported age is used, if valid,
when age derived from date of birth is not
available or when it is less than 10.
Blank ... Reported age is not used
1 ... Reported age is used
61-62 2 DFAGE
Age of Father
This item is either computed from date of birth of father
and of child or is the reported age. This is the age item
used in NCHS publications.
10-98 ... Age in single years
99 ... Unknown or not stated
63 1 ORFATH
Hispanic Origin of Father
Hispanic origin is reported for all areas except Puerto Rico.
0 ... Non-Hispanic
1 ... Mexican
2 ... Puerto Rican
3 ... Cuban
4 ... Central or South American
5 ... Other and unknown Hispanic
9 ... Origin unknown or not stated
64 1 ORRACEF
Hispanic Origin and Race of Father Recode
Hispanic origin is reported for all areas except Puerto Rico.
1 ... Mexican
2 ... Puerto Rican
3 ... Cuban
4 ... Central or South American
5 ... Other and unknown Hispanic
6 ... Non-Hispanic White
7 ... Non-Hispanic Black
8 ... Non-Hispanic other or unknown
race
9 ... Origin unknown or not stated
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
65-66 2 FRACE
Race of Father
Beginning with 1992 data, some areas started reporting additional
Asian or Pacific Islander codes for race. Codes 18-68 replace old
code 08 for these areas. Code 78 replaces old code 08 for all other
areas. For consistency with Census race code 09 (all other races)
used prior to 1992 has been imputed.
United States Occurrence
01 ... White
02 ... Black
03 ... American Indian (includes Aleuts
and Eskimos)
04 ... Chinese
05 ... Japanese
06 ... Hawaiian (includes part-Hawaiian)
07 ... Filipino
18 ... Asian Indian
28 ... Korean
38 ... Samoan
48 ... Vietnamese
58 ... Guamanian
68 ... Other Asian or Pacific Islander
in areas reporting codes 18-58
78 ... Combined other Asian or Pacific Islander, includes
codes 18-68 for areas that do not report them
separately
99 ... Unknown or not stated
Puerto Rico Occurrence
00 ... Other races
01 ... White
02 ... Black
99 ... Unknown or not stated
Virgin Islands Occurrence
01 ... White
02 ... Black
03 ... American Indian (includes Aleuts and Eskimos)
04 ... Chinese
05 ... Japanese
06 ... Hawaiian (includes part-Hawaiian)
07 ... Filipino
08 ... Other Asian or Pacific Islander
99 ... Unknown or not stated
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
65-66 2 FRACE
Race of Father (Cond't)
Guam Occurrence
01 ... White
02 ... Black
03 ... American Indian (includes Aleuts and Eskimos)
04 ... Chinese
05 ... Japanese
06 ... Hawaiian (includes part-Hawaiian)
07 ... Filipino
08 ... Other Asian or Pacific Islander
58 ... Guamanian
99 ... Unknown or not stated
67 1 PLDEL
Place or Facility of Delivery
1 ... Hospital
2 ... Freestanding Birthing Center
3 ... Clinic or Doctor's Office
4 ... A Residence
5 ... Other
9 ... Unknown or Not Stated
68 1 BIRATTND
Attendant at Delivery
1 ... Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
2 ... Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.)
3 ... Certified Nurse Midwife (C.N.M.)
4 ... Other Midwife
5 ... Other
9 ... Unknown or not stated
69 1 R2
Reserved position
70 1 GESTESTM
Clinical Estimate of Gestation Used Flag
This position is flagged whenever the clinical estimate of
gestation is used. It is used when gestation could not be
computed or when the computed gestation is outside the 17-47
code range.
Blank ... Clinical Estimate is not used
1 ... Clinical Estimate is used
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
71-72 2 CLINGEST
Clinical Estimate of Gestation
Clinical estimate is not reported by all areas.
See reporting flags.
17-47 ... Estimated gestation in weeks
99 ... Unknown or not stated
73 1 GESTIMP
Gestation Imputation Flag
Blank ... Gestation is not imputed
1 ... Gestation is imputed
74-75 2 GESTAT
Gestation - Detail in Weeks
This item is: a) computed using dates of birth of child and last
normal menses; b) imputed from LMP date; c) the clinical estimate;
or d) unknown when there is insufficient data to impute or no valid
clinical estimate. This is the gestation item used in NCHS
publications.
17-47 ... 17th through 47th week of gestation
99 ... Unknown
76-77 2 GESTAT 10
GESTATION RECODE 10
01 ... Under 20 weeks
02 ... 20 - 27 weeks
03 ... 28 - 31 weeks
04 ... 32 - 35 weeks
05 ... 36 weeks
06 ... 37 - 39 weeks
07 ... 40 weeks
08 ... 41 weeks
09 ... 42 weeks and over
10 ... Not stated
78 1 CSEXIMP
Sex Imputation Flag
Blank ... Sex is not imputed
1 ... Sex is imputed
79 1 CSEX
Sex
1 ... Male
2 ... Female
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
80-87 8 BIRTHWEIGHT
Beginning in 1995, an imputation for not-stated birthweight
was added to reduce potential bias in the data (see section
on Changes beginning with the 1995 data year in the introductory
text to this documentation). The following imputation flag can
be used to delete imputed values for those researchers
wishing to use only reported birthweight data.
80 1 BWIF
Birth Weight Imputation Flag
Blank ... Birthweight is not imputed
1 ... Birthweight is imputed
81-84 4 DBIRWT
Birth Weight Detail in Grams (Imputed)
0227-8165 ... Number of grams
9999 ... Not stated birth weight
85-86 2 BIRWT12
Birth Weight Recode 12 (Imputed)
01 ... 499 grams or less
02 ... 500-999 grams
03 ... 1000-1499 grams
04 ... 1500-1999 grams
05 ... 2000-2499 grams
06 ... 2500-2999 grams
07 ... 3000-3499 grams
08 ... 3500-3999 grams
09 ... 4000-4499 grams
10 ... 4500-4999 grams
11 ... 5000-8165 grams
12 ... Unknown or not stated
87 1 BIRWT4
Birth Weight Recode 4 (Imputed)
1 ... 1499 grams or less
2 ... 1500-2499 grams
3 ... 2500 grams or more
4 ... Unknown or not stated
88 1 PLURIMP
Plurality Imputation Flag
Blank ... Plurality is not imputed
1 ... Plurality is imputed
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
89 1 DPLURAL
Plurality
1 ... Single
2 ... Twin
3 ... Triplet
4 ... Quadruplet
5 ... Quintuplet or higher
90-91 2 FMAPS
Five-Minute Apgar Score
Apgar score is not reported by all areas. See reporting flags.
00-10 ... A score of 0-10
99 ... Unknown or not stated
92-186 95 MEDINFO
Medical and Health Data
Some States do not report an entire item while other States do not
report all of the categories within an item. If an item is not
reported, it is indicated by code zero in the appropriate reporting
flag. If a category within an item is not reported it is indicated
by code 8 in the position for that category.
92-99 8 DELMETH
Method of Delivery
Each method is assigned a separate position, and the code structure
for each method (position) is:
1 ... The method was used
2 ... The method was not used
8 ... Method not on certificate
9 ... Method unknown or not stated
92 1 VAGINAL
Vaginal
93 1 VBAC
Vaginal Birth After Previous C-Section
94 1 PRIMAC
Primary C-Section
95 1 REPEAC
Repeat C-Section
96 1 FORCEP
Forceps
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
97 1 VACUUM
Vacuum
98 1 R3
Reserved Position
99 1 DELMETH5
Method of Delivery Recode
1 ... Vaginal (excludes Vaginal after previous
C-section)
2 ... Vaginal birth after previous C section
3 ... Primary C-section
4 ... Repeat C-Section
5 ... Not stated
100-117 18 MEDRISK
Medical Risk Factors
Each risk factor is assigned a separate position, and the code
structure for each risk factor (position) is:
1 ... Factor reported
2 ... Factor not reported
8 ... Factor not on certificate
9 ... Factor not classifiable
100 1 MRFLAG
No Medical Risk Factors Reported Flag
Blank ... One or more medical risk factors coded, one, eight,
or nine
2 ... No medical risk factors reported. Each factor is
coded a two.
101 1 ANEMIA
Anemia (Hct.<30/Hgb.<10)
102 1 CARDIAC
Cardiac disease
103 1 LUNG
Acute or chronic lung disease
104 1 DIABETES
Diabetes
105 1 HERPES
Genital herpes
106 1 HYDRA
Hydramnios/Oligohydramnios
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
107 1 HEMO
Hemoglobinopathy
108 1 CHYPER
Hypertension, chronic
109 1 PHYPER
Hypertension, pregnancy-associated
110 1 ECLAMP
Eclampsia
111 1 INCERVIX
Incompetent cervix
112 1 PRE4000
Previous infant 4000+ grams
113 1 PRETERM
Previous preterm or small-for-gestational-age infant
114 1 RENAL
Renal disease
115 1 RH
Rh sensitization
116 1 UTERINE
Uterine bleeding
117 1 OTHERMR
Other Medical Risk Factors
118-128 11 OTHERRSK
Other Risk Factors for this Pregnancy
118-121 4 TOBACRSK
Tobacco Risks
118 1 TOBACCO
Tobacco Use During Pregnancy
1 ... Yes
2 ... No
9 ... Unknown or not stated
119-120 2 CIGAR
Average Number of Cigarettes Per Day
00-97 ... As stated
98 ... 98 or more cigarettes per day
99 ... Unknown or not stated
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
121 1 CIGAR6
Average Number of Cigarettes Per Day Recode
0 ... Nonsmoker
1 ... 1-5 cigarettes per day
2 ... 6-10 cigarettes per day
3 ... 11-20 cigarettes per day
4 ... 21-40 cigarettes per day
5 ... 41 or more cigarettes per day
6 ... Unknown or not stated
122-125 4 ALCOHRSK
Alcohol
122 1 ALCOHOL
Alcohol Use During Pregnancy
1 ... Yes
2 ... No
9 ... Unknown or not stated
123-124 2 DRINK
Average Number of Drinks Per Week
00-97 ... As stated
98 ... 98 or more drinks per week
99 ... Unknown or not stated
125 1 DRINK5
Average Number of Drinks Per Week Recode
0 ... Non drinker
1 ... 1 drink per week
2 ... 2 drinks per week
3 ... 3-4 drinks per week
4 ... 5 or more drinks per week
5 ... Unknown or not stated
126-128 3 WTGANRSK
Weight Gain During Pregnancy
126-127 2 WTGAIN
Weight Gain
00-97 ... Stated number of pounds
98 ... 98 pounds or more
99 ... Unknown or not stated
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
128 1 WTGAIN9
Weight Gain Recode
1 ... Less than 16 pounds
2 ... 16-20 pounds
3 ... 21-25 pounds
4 ... 26-30 pounds
5 ... 31-35 pounds
6 ... 36-40 pounds
7 ... 41-45 pounds
8 ... 46 or more pounds
9 ... Unknown or not stated
129-136 8 OBSTETRC
Obstetric Procedures
Each procedure is assigned a separate position,
and the code structure for
each procedure (position) is:
1 ... Procedure reported
2 ... Procedure not reported
8 ... Procedure not on certificate
9 ... Procedure not classifiable
129 1 OBFLAG
Obstetric Flag
Blank ... One or more obstetric procedures coded, one, eight,
or nine
2 ... No obstetric procedures reported. Each factor is
coded a two.
130 1 AMNIO
Amniocentesis
131 1 MONITOR
Electronic fetal monitoring
132 1 INDUCT
Induction of labor
133 1 STIMULA
Stimulation of labor
134 1 TOCOL
Tocolysis
135 1 ULTRAS
Ultrasound
136 1 OTHEROB
Other Obstetric Procedures
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
137-153 17 LABOR
Complications of Labor and/or Delivery
Each complication is assigned a separate position,
and the code structure for
each complication (position) is:
1 ... Complication reported
2 ... Complication not reported
8 ... Complication not on certificate
9 ... Complication not classifiable
137 1 FBFLAG
Labor Flag
Blank ... One or more labor and/or delivery complications
coded, one, eight, or nine
2 ... No labor and/or delivery complication reported.
Each factor is coded a two.
138 1 FEBRILE
Febrile (>100 degrees F. or 38 degrees C.)
139 1 MECONIUM
Meconium, moderate/heavy
140 1 RUPTURE
Premature rupture of membrane (>12 hours)
141 1 ABRUPTIO
Abruptio placenta
142 1 PREPLACE
Placenta previa
143 1 EXCEBLD
Other excessive bleeding
144 1 SEIZURE
Seizures during labor
145 1 PRECIP
Precipitous labor (<3 hours)
146 1 PROLONG
Prolonged labor (>20 hours)
147 1 DYSFUNC
Dysfunctional labor
148 1 BREECH
Breech/Malpresentation
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
149 1 CEPHALO
Cephalopelvic disproportion
150 1 CORD
Cord prolapse
151 1 ANESTHE
Anesthetic complications
152 1 DISTRESS
Fetal distress
153 1 OTHERLB
Other Complications of Labor and/or Delivery
154-163 10 NEWBORN
Abnormal conditions of the Newborn
Each condition is assigned a separate position, and
the code structure for each condition (position)is:
1 ... Condition reported
2 ... Condition not reported
8 ... Condition not on certificate
9 ... Condition not classifiable
154 1 NBFLAG
Newborn Flag
Blank ... One or more abnormal conditions of the newborn
coded, one, eight, or nine
2 ... No abnormal condition of the newborn reported.
Each factor is coded a two.
155 1 NANEMIA
Anemia Hct.>39/Hgb.<13)
156 1 INJURY
Birth injury
157 1 ALCOSYN
Fetal alcohol syndrome
158 1 HYALINE
Hyaline membrane disease
159 1 MECONSYN
Meconium aspiration syndrome
160 1 VENL30
Assisted ventilation, less than 30 minutes
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
161 1 VEN30M
Assisted ventilation, 30 minutes or more
162 1 NSEIZ
Seizures
163 1 OTHERAB
Other Abnormal Conditions of the Newborn
164-186 23 CONGENIT
Congenital Anomalies
Each anomaly is assigned a separate position,
and the code structure for
each anomaly (position) is:
1 ... Anomaly reported
2 ... Anomaly not reported
8 ... Anomaly not on certificate
9 ... Anomaly not classifiable
164 1 CGFLAG
Congenital Flag
Blank ... One or more congenital anomalies coded, one,
eight, or nine
2 ... No congenital anomaly is reported. Each factor is
coded a two.
165 1 ANEN
Anencephalus
166 1 SPINA
Spina bifida/Meningocele
167 1 HYDRO
Hydrocephalus
168 1 MICROCE
Microcephalus
169 1 NERVOUS
Other central nervous system anomalies
170 1 HEART
Heart malformations
171 1 CIRCUL
Other circulatory/respiratory anomalies
172 1 RECTAL
Rectal atresia/stenosis
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
173 1 TRACHEO
Tracheo-esophageal fistula/Esophageal atresia
174 1 OMPHALO
Omphalocele/Gastroschisis
175 1 GASTRO
Other gastrointestinal anomalies
176 1 GENITAL
Malformed genitalia
177 1 RENALAGE
Renal agenesis
178 1 UROGEN
Other urogenital anomalies
179 1 CLEFTLP
Cleft lip/palate
180 1 ADACTYLY
Polydactyly/Syndactyly/Adactyly
181 1 CLUBFOOT
Club foot
182 1 HERNIA
Diaphragmatic hernia
183 1 MUSCULO
Other musculoskeletal/integumental anomalies
184 1 DOWNS
Down's syndrome
185 1 CHROMO
Other chromosomal anomalies
186 1 OTHERCON
Other congenital anomalies
187-203 17 FLRES
Reporting Flags for Place of Residence
These positions contain flags to indicate whether or not the
specified item is included on the birth certificate of the
State of residence or of the SMSA of residence.
The code structure of each flag (position) is:
0 ... The item is not reported
1 ... The item is reported or partially reported.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
187 1 ORIGM
Origin of mother
188 1 ORIGF
Origin of father
189 1 EDUCM
Education of mother
190 1 R4
Reserved Position
191 1 GESTE
Clinical estimate of gestation
192 1 R5
Reserved position
193 1 FMAPSRF
5-minute Apgar score
194 1 DELMETRF
Method of delivery
195 1 MEDRSK
Medical risk factors
196 1 TOBUSE
Tobacco use
197 1 ALCUSE
Alcohol use
198 1 WTGN
Weight gain
199 1 OBSTRC
Obstetric procedures
200 1 CLABOR
Complications of labor and/or delivery
201 1 ABNML
Abnormal conditions of newborn
202 1 CONGAN
Congenital anomalies
203 1 API flag
Race codes 18-68 reported (beginning with 1992 data)
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
204 1 CDOBMIMP
Month of Birth of Child Imputation Flag
Blank ... Month is not imputed
1 ... Month is imputed
205-206 2 BIRMON
Month of Birth
01 ... January
02 ... February
03 ... March
04 ... April
05 ... May
06 ... June
07 ... July
08 ... August
09 ... September
10 ... October
11 ... November
12 ... December
207-208 2 R6
Reserved Position
209 1 WEEKDAYB
Day of Week Child Born
1 ... Sunday
2 ... Monday
3 ... Tuesday
4 ... Wednesday
5 ... Thursday
6 ... Friday
7 ... Saturday
210 1 FLGND
Flag Indicating Records Included in Both Numerator and Denominator
Files
This variable is included in the denominator file only, and identifies
a record which is also included in the numerator file. Please note
that not all infant deaths in the numerator file are represented in
the denominator file, because some of the infants who died in 1996
were born in 1995.
1 ... Record also included in numerator file
Blank ... Record not included in numerator file
Here ends the Denominator file. Documentation for the Mortality Section of the Numerator
(Linked) file begins on the next page.
Locations 211-535 contain data from the Death Certificate. Residence items in the Denominator
Record and in the natality section of the Numerator (Linked) Record refer to the usual place
of residence of the Mother; whereas in the mortality section of the Numerator (Linked) Record,
these items refer to the place of residence of the
Decedent.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
211-213 3 AGED
Age at Death in Days
The generated age at death in days is calculated from the date of
death on the death certificate minus the date of birth on the
birth certificate unless the reported age of death is less than
2 days, then the reported age is used. If the exact date of
birth and/or death is unknown, the age is imputed.
000-364 ... Number of days
214 1 AGER5
Infant Age Recode 5
1 ... Under 1 hour
2 ... 1-23 hours
3 ... 1-6 days
4 ... 7-27 days (late neonatal)
5 ... 28 days and over (postneonatal)
215 1 ACCIDPL
Place of Accident for Causes E850-E869 and E880-E928
Blank ... Causes other than E850-E869 and E880-E928
0 ... Home
1 ... Farm
2 ... Mine and quarry
3 ... Industrial place and premises
4 ... Place for recreation and sport
5 ... Street and highway
6 ... Public building
7 ... Resident institution
8 ... Other specified places
9 ... Place of accident not specified
216-219 4 UCOD
ICD Code (9th Revision)
See the International Classification of Diseases, 1975 Revision,
Volume 1. For injuries and poisoning, the external cause is
coded (E800-E999) rather than the Nature of Injury (800-999).
These positions do not include the letter E for the external
cause of injury. For those causes that do not have a 4th
digit, location 219 is blank.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
220-222 3 UCODR61
61 Infant Cause Recode
A recode of the ICD cause code into 61 groups for NCHS publications.
Further back in this document is a complete list of recodes and the
causes included.
010-680 ... Code range (not inclusive)
223-230 8 RECWT
Record weight
Beginning in 1995, a record weight was added to the linked file
to adjust for the approximately 2-3% of records each year which
cannot be linked to their corresponding birth certificates (see
introduction to this tape documentation for further details).
These weights are used to produce all NCHS linked file tables,
including Documentation tables 1-5 included in this tape documen-
tation. The general format for this record weight is the number one
followed by a decimal point and six decimal places as follows:
1.XXXXXX
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
261-504 244 MULTCOND
Multiple Conditions
See the "International Classification of Diseases",
1975 Revision, Volume 1.
Both the entity-axis and record-axis conditions are coded
according to this revision (9th).
261-262 2 EANUM
Number of Entity-Axis Conditions
00-20 ... Code range
263-402 140 ENTITY
ENTITY - AXIS CONDITIONS
Space has been provided for a maximum of 20 conditions.
Each condition takes 7 positions in the record.
Records that do not have 20 conditions are
blank in the unused area.
Position 1: Part/line number on certificate
1 ... Part I, line 1 (a)
2 ... Part I, line 2 (b)
3 ... Part I, line 3 (c)
4 ... Part I, line 4 (d)
5 ... Part I, line 5 (e)
6 ... Part II,
Position 2: Sequence of condition within part/line
1-7 ... Code range
Position 3 - 6: Condition code (ICD 9th Revision)
Position 7: Nature of Injury Flag
1 ... Indicates that the code in positions 3-6 is a Nature
of Injury code
0 ... All other codes
263-269 7 1st Condition
270-276 7 2nd Condition
277-283 7 3rd Condition
284-290 7 4th Condition
291-297 7 5th Condition
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
298-304 7 6th Condition
305-311 7 7th Condition
312-318 7 8th Condition
319-325 7 9th Condition
326-332 7 10th Condition
333-339 7 11th Condition
340-346 7 12th Condition
347-353 7 13th Condition
354-360 7 14th Condition
361-367 7 15th Condition
368-374 7 16th Condition
375-381 7 17th Condition
382-388 7 18th Condition
389-395 7 19th Condition
396-402 7 20th Condition
RANUM
403-404 2 Number of Record-Axis Conditions
00-20 ... Code range
405-504 100 RECORD
RECORD - AXIS CONDITIONS
Space has been provided for a maximum of 20 conditions.
Each condition takes 5 positions in the record.
Records that do not have 20 conditions are
blank in the unused area.
Positions 1-4: Condition code (ICD 9th Revision)
Position 5: Nature of Injury Flag
1 ... Indicates that the code in positions 1-4 is a Nature
of Injury code
0 ... All other codes
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
405-409 5 1st Condition
410-414 5 2nd Condition
415-419 5 3rd Condition
420-424 5 4th Condition
425-429 5 5th Condition
430-434 5 6th Condition
435-439 5 7th Condition
440-444 5 8th Condition
445-449 5 9th Condition
450-454 5 10th Condition
455-459 5 11th Condition
460-464 5 12th Condition
465-469 5 13th Condition
470-474 5 14th Condition
475-479 5 15th Condition
480-484 5 16th Condition
485-489 5 17th Condition
490-494 5 18th Condition
495-499 5 19th Condition
500-504 5 20th Condition
505 1 RESSTATD
Resident Status - Death
United States Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: State and county of occurrence and residence
are the same.
2 ... INTRASTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence and
residence are the same, but county is different.
3 ... INTERSTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence and
residence are different, but both are in the 50 States and
D.C.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: State of occurrence is one of the
50 States or the District of Columbia, but place of residence
is outside of the 50 States and D.C.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
505 1 RESSTATD
Resident Status - Death (Cond't)
Puerto Rico Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: State and county of occurrence and residence
are the same.
2 ... INTRASTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of occurrence and
residence are the same, but county is different.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: Occurred in Puerto Rico to a
resident of any other place.
Virgin Islands Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: State and county of occurrence and
residence are the same.
2 ... INTRASTATE NONRESIDENTS: State of
occurrence and residence are the same, but county
is different.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: Occurred in the Virgin
Islands to a resident of any other place.
Guam Occurrence
1 ... RESIDENTS: Occurred in Guam to a resident of
Guam or to a resident of the U.S.
4 ... FOREIGN RESIDENTS: Occurred in Guam to a
resident of any place other than Guam or the U.S.
506-507 2 DRSTATE
Expanded State of Residence - NCHS Codes - Deaths
This item is designed to separately identify New York
City records from other New York State records.
United States Occurrence
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
03 ... Arizona
04 ... Arkansas
05 ... California
06 ... Colorado
07 ... Connecticut
08 ... Delaware
09 ... District of Columbia
10 ... Florida
11 ... Georgia
12 ... Hawaii
13 ... Idaho
14 ... Illinois
15 ... Indiana
16 ... Iowa
17 ... Kansas
18 ... Kentucky
19 ... Louisiana
20 ... Maine
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
506-507 2 DRSTATE
Expanded State of Residence - NCHS Codes - Deaths (Cond't)
United States Occurrence
21 ... Maryland
22 ... Massachusetts
23 ... Michigan
24 ... Minnesota
25 ... Mississippi
26 ... Missouri
27 ... Montana
28 ... Nebraska
29 ... Nevada
30 ... New Hampshire
31 ... New Jersey
32 ... New Mexico
33 ... New York
34 ... New York City
35 ... North Carolina
36 ... North Dakota
37 ... Ohio
38 ... Oklahoma
39 ... Oregon
40 ... Pennsylvania
41 ... Rhode Island
42 ... South Carolina
43 ... South Dakota
44 ... Tennessee
45 ... Texas
46 .. Utah
47 ... Vermont
48 ... Virginia
49 ... Washington
50 ... West Virginia
51 ... Wisconsin
52 ... Wyoming
53-58,60 ... Foreign Residents
53 ... Puerto Rico
54 ... Virgin Islands
55 ... Guam
56 ... Canada
57 ... Cuba
58 ... Mexico
60 ... Remainder of the World
Puerto Rico Occurrence
53 ... Puerto Rico
01-52,54-58,60 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for specific
code structure.
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
506-507 2 DRSTATE
Expanded State of Residence - NCHS Codes - Deaths (Cond't)
Virgin Islands Occurrence
54 ... Virgin Islands
01-53,55-58,60 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for specific
code structure.
Guam Occurrence
55 ... Guam
01-52 ... U.S. resident is also considered a resident
of Guam.
53,54,58,60 ... Foreign Residents: Refer to U.S. for specific code
structure.
508-512 5 FIPSOCCD
Federal Information Processing Standards
(FIPS) Geographic Codes (Occurrence) - Death
Refer to the Geographic Code Outline further back in this
document for a detailed list of areas and codes. For an
explanation of FIPS codes, reference should be made to
various National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) publications.
508-509 2 STOCCFIPD
State of Occurrence (FIPS) - Death
United States
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
04 ... Arizona
05 ... Arkansas
06 ... California
08 ... Colorado
09 ... Connecticut
10 ... Delaware
11 ... District of Columbia
12 ... Florida
13 ... Georgia
15 ... Hawaii
16 ... Idaho
17 ... Illinois
18 ... Indiana
19 ... Iowa
20 ... Kansas
21 ... Kentucky
22 ... Louisiana
23 ... Maine
24 ... Maryland
25 ... Massachusetts
26 ... Michigan
27 ... Minnesota
28 ... Mississippi
29 ... Missouri
30 ... Montana
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
508-509 2 STOCCFIPD
State of Occurrence (FIPS) - Death (Cond't)
United States
31 ... Nebraska
32 ... Nevada
33 ... New Hampshire
34 ... New Jersey
35 ... New Mexico
36 ... New York
37 ... North Carolina
38 ... North Dakota
39 ... Ohio
40 ... Oklahoma
41 ... Oregon
42 ... Pennsylvania
44 ... Rhode Island
45 ... South Carolina
46 ... South Dakota
47 ... Tennessee
48 ... Texas
49 ... Utah
50 ... Vermont
51 ... Virginia
53 ... Washington
54 ... West Virginia
55 ... Wisconsin
56 ... Wyoming
Puerto Rico
72 ... Puerto Rico
Virgin Islands
78 ... Virgin Islands
Guam
66 ... Guam
510-512 3 CNTOCFIPD
County of Occurrence (FIPS) - Death
001-nnn ... Counties and county equivalents (independent and
coextensive cities) are numbered alphabetically
within each State. (Note: To uniquely identify a
county, both the State and county codes must be
used.)
999 ... County with less than 250,000 population
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
513-517 5 FIPSRESD
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Geographic Codes
(Residence) - Death
Refer to the Geographic Code Outline further back in this
document for a detailed list of areas and codes. For an
explanation of FIPS codes, reference should be made to various
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
publications.
513-514 2 STRESFIPD
State of Residence (FIPS) - Death
United States Occurrence
00 ... Foreign residents
01 ... Alabama
02 ... Alaska
04 ... Arizona
05 ... Arkansas
06 ... California
08 ... Colorado
09 ... Connecticut
10 ... Delaware
11 ... District of Columbia
12 ... Florida
13 ... Georgia
15 ... Hawaii
16 ... Idaho
17 ... Illinois
18 ... Indiana
19 ... Iowa
20 ... Kansas
21 ... Kentucky
22 ... Louisiana
23 ... Maine
24 ... Maryland
25 ... Massachusetts
26 ... Michigan
27 ... Minnesota
28 ... Mississippi
29 ... Missouri
30 ... Montana
31 ... Nebraska
32 ... Nevada
33 ... New Hampshire
34 ... New Jersey
35 ... New Mexico
36 ... New York
37 ... North Carolina
38 ... North Dakota
39 ... Ohio
40 ... Oklahoma
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
513-514 2 STRESFIPD
State of Residence (FIPS) - Death (Cond't)
United States Occurrence
41 ... Oregon
42 ... Pennsylvania
44 ... Rhode Island
45 ... South Carolina
46 ... South Dakota
47 ... Tennessee
48 ... Texas
49 ... Utah
50 ... Vermont
51 ... Virginia
53 ... Washington
54 ... West Virginia
55 ... Wisconsin
56 ... Wyoming
Puerto Rico Occurrence
72 ... Puerto Rico
00-56,
66,78 ... Foreign resident: Refer to U.S. for specific code
structure.
Virgin Islands Occurrence
78 ... Virgin Islands
00-56,
66,72 ... Foreign resident: Refer to U.S. for specific code
structure.
Guam Occurrence
66 ... Guam
01-56,
00,72,78 ... Foreign resident: Refer to U.S. for specific code
structure.
515-517 3 CNTYRFPD
County of Residence (FIPS) - Death
000 ... Foreign residents
001-nnn ... Counties and county equivalents (independent and
coextensive cities) are numbered alphabetically
within each State (Note: To uniquely identify a
county, both the State and county codes must be
used.) A complete list of counties is shown in the
Geographic Code Outline further back in this
document.
999 ... County with less than 250,000 population
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
518-522 5 PLRES
Place (City) of Residence (FIPS)
A complete list of cities is shown in the Geographic
code outline further back in this document.
00000 ... Foreign residents
00001-nnnnn ... Code range
99999 ... Balance of county; or city less than 250,000
population
523 1 HOSPD
Hospital and Patient Status
1 ... Hospital, Clinic or Medical Center - Inpatient
2 ... Hospital, Clinic or Medical Center - Outpatient or
admitted to Emergency Room
3 ... Hospital, Clinic or Medical Center - Dead on
arrival
4 ... Hospital, Clinic or Medical Center - Patient status
unknown
5 ... Nursing home
6 ... Residence
7 ... Other
9 ... Place of death unknown
524-527 4 DTHYR
Year of Death
1996 ... Death occurred in 1996
528-529 2 DTHMON
Month of Death
01 ... January
02 ... February
03 ... March
04 ... April
05 ... May
06 ... June
07 ... July
08 ... August
09 ... September
10 ... October
11 ... November
12 ... December
530-531 2 R9
Reserved Position
Item Item Variable Name,
Location Length Item and Code Outline
532 1 WEEKDAYD
Day of Week of Death
1 ... Sunday
2 ... Monday
3 ... Tuesday
4 ... Wednesday
5 ... Thursday
6 ... Friday
7 ... Saturday
9 ... Unknown
533-535 3 R10
Reserved positions
Geographic Code Outline
The following pages show the geographic codes used by the Division of Vital Statistics in the
processing of vital event data occurring in the United States. For the linked data set, counties and cities
with a population of 250,000 or more are identified.
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) State, County, and City/Place Codes: For the 1996
linked file, the county and city/place codes and the State code immediately preceding them are FIPS
codes. These codes were effective with the 1994 data year and are based on the results of the 1990
Census. County and county equivalents (independent and coextensive cities) are numbered
alphabetically within each State. When an event occurs to a nonresident of the United States, residence
data are coded only to the "State" level, or to the remainder of the world. For an explanation of FIPS
codes, reference should be made to various National Bureau of Standards (NBS) publications.
1996 ADDENDUM TO "TECHNICAL APPENDIX" OF VITAL STATISTICS OF THE
UNITED STATES: MORTALITY, 1994
To assist the users of the mortality public-use data tapes, attached is a copy of the "Technical
Appendix" of the Vital Statistics of the United States: Mortality, 1994. This technical appendix
provides certain qualifications that are essential to using, analyzing, and interpreting the data on those
tapes. Certain modifications to the technical appendix are essential to make it applicable to the
mortality file for the 1996 data year. Those modifications include the following:
I. Sources of data
State-coded medical data
1996 Utah
1995 New Mexico
For 1996, of the States in the VSCP, 42 States submitted precoded medical data for all
death certificates in the form of electronic data files. Of these 42 States, Maine, Montana, North
Dakota, and Wyoming contracted with a private company to provide NCHS with precoded
medical data. The remaining eight VSCP States, New York City, and the District of Columbia
submitted copies of the original certificates from which NCHS coded the medical data.
For 1996 approximately 29 percent of the Nation's death records were multiple-cause coded
using SuperMICAR and 71 percent using MICAR. This represents data from 22 States which
was coded by SuperMICAR and data from 28 States, the District of Columbia, and New York
City which was coded by MICAR.
All States submitted precoded demographic data for all death certificates in the form of
electronic data files in 1996.
Data for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam are included on the mortality public-
use data tapes. These data were included for the first time for 1994.
II. Classification of data
A. Hispanic origin
Data for 1996 were obtained from the District of Columbia and all States except Oklahoma,
which was excluded because the death certificates did not include an item to identify Hispanic
or ethnic origin.
Infant mortality--Infant mortality data by Hispanic origin are based on deaths to residents of
the same 49 states and the District of Columbia. In computing infant mortality rates, deaths
and live births of unknown origin are not distributed among the specified Hispanic and non-
Hispanic groups.
Infant mortality rates by Hispanic origin may be biased, because of inconsistencies in
reporting Hispanic or ethnic origin between the birth and death certificates for the same infant.
Estimates of reporting bias may be made by comparing rates based on the linked file of infant
deaths and live births (1) with those where the Hispanic or ethnic origin of infant death is
based on information from the death certificate (2). Because of these biases, it is preferable to
calculate Hispanic mortality rates for infants using the file of linked infant death and live birth
records (1).
In 1990 the 49 States and the District of Columbia accounted for about 99.6 percent of the
Hispanic population in the United States, including about 99.5 percent of the Mexican
population, 99.8 percent of the Puerto Rican population, 99.9 percent of the Cuban population,
and 99.7 percent of the "Other Hispanic" population (3).
B. Educational attainment
Deaths by educational attainment are included on the 1996 public use data tapes. These
data were included for the first time for 1989. It is recommended for 1996 that analyses of
educational attainment data include deaths to residents of 45 States and the District of
Columbia whose data were approximately 80 percent or more complete on a place-of-
occurrence basis. While data for Kentucky are included on the data tape, they would be
excluded from analyses because more than 20 percent of their death certificates were classified
to "unknown educational attainment." Data for Georgia, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and South
Dakota were excluded from the data tape because their death certificates did not include an
educational attainment item.
C. Occupation and industry
Deaths by occupation and industry are included on the 1996 public-use data tapes. These
data were included for the first time for 1985. These data were obtained from the following
items that appear on the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death:
o (Item 14a) USUAL OCCUPATION (Give kind of work done during most of working
life, even if retired.)
o (Item 14b) KIND OF BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY
For 1996, the occupation and industry mortality data were included for the following 19
reporting States:
Colorado New Mexico
Georgia North Carolina
Hawaii Ohio
Idaho Rhode Island
Kansas South Carolina
Kentucky Utah
Maine Vermont
Nevada West Virginia
New Hampshire Wisconsin
New Jersey
Data for 1993-96 were coded using the revised NCHS Part 19 instruction manual (4) and
the Bureau of the Census 1990 occupation and industry titles and three-digit codes, which are
shown in the 1990 Census of Population and Housing(5).
Occupation and industry mortality data for 1984-92 were based on the 1980 Bureau of the
Census occupation and industry classifications. For a listing of the changes between the 1980
and the 1990 classification systems, see Appendix D of the NCHS Part 19 instruction
manual(4).
In addition to the codes shown in the Bureau of the Census publication(5), the following
special codes were created:
Occupation Industry
913 Retired; with no 961 Own Home/At Home
other occupation 970 Retired: with no other
reported Industry reported
914 Housewife/ 990 Blank, Unknown, NA
Homemaker
915 Student
916 Volunteer
917 Unemployed, never
worked, disabled,
child, infant
999 Blank, Unknown, NA
D. Injury at work
Deaths for "Injury at work" were included on the 1993 public-use data tapes for the first
time. These data were obtained from the following item that appears on the U.S. Standard
Certificate of Death:
o (Item 30c) INJURY AT WORK? (Yes or No)
E. Report of autopsy
Beginning with the 1995 data year, mortality data on autopsy are no longer processed by
NCHS, because of resource constraints.
III. Population bases for computing rates
The population used for computing death rates (furnished by the U.S. Bureau of the Census)
represents the population residing in the specified area. Population estimates used for computing
rates by age, race, and sex for the United States for 1996 are based on population estimates as of
July 1, 1996 (6)(available upon request). The estimates are based on demographic analysis and,
therefore, are not subject to sampling variability.
Population estimates used for computing death rates by specified Hispanic origin, race for non-
Hispanic origin, age, and sex for the total of 49 States (excludes Oklahoma) and the District of
Columbia are as of July 1, 1996 (7)(available upon request). The estimates for Mexicans, Puerto
Ricans, Cubans, and Other Hispanics are based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) adjusted to
resident population control totals and, therefore, are subject to sampling error (see Technical
Appendix from Vital Statistics of the United States: Mortality, 1994).
Population estimates used for computing death rates by marital status, age, race, and sex for the
United States (7) are as of July 1, 1996 and are available upon request. Population estimates used
for computing death rates by marital status, age, Hispanic origin, race for non-Hispanic origin, and
sex for the total of 49 States (excludes Oklahoma) and the District of Columbia (7) are as of July 1,
1996 and are also available upon request. The population estimates for never married, married,
widowed, and divorced and for Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Other Hispanics are based on
the CPS adjusted to resident population control totals and, therefore, are subject to sampling error
(see Technical Appendix from Vital Statistics of the United States: Mortality, 1994).
Population estimates used for computing death rates by educational attainment, age, and sex for
the total of 45 States and the District of Columbia are presented in table IV of the Technical notes
of the "Report of Final Mortality Statistics" (8).
Population estimates for each State, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam, (9-12) (available
upon request) are based on demographic analysis, and therefore, are not subject to sampling
variability.
All population estimates for 1996 are based on the 1990 census level counts that were modified
by age, race, and sex to be consistent with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget categories
and historical categories for death data (13).
References
1. MacDorman, MF, Atkinson JO. Infant mortality statistics from the linked birth/infant death data
set - 1995 period data. Monthly vital statistics report; vol 46 no 6, supp 2. Hyattsville, Maryland:
National Center for Health Statistics. 1998.
2. Anderson RN, Kochanek, Murphy SL. Report of final mortality statistics, 1995, Monthly vital
statistics report; vol 45 no 11, supp 2. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics.
1997.
3. U.S. Bureau of the Census: Unpublished data from the 1990 census for persons of Spanish origin
by State.
4. National Center for Health Statistics: Industry and occupation coding for death certificates,
1993. NCHS instruction manual, Part 19. Hyattsville, Maryland: Public Health Service. 1992.
5. U.S. Bureau of the Census: Classified index of industries and occupations. 1990 Census of
Population and Housing. Washington: U.S. Department of Commerce. 1992.
6. U.S. Bureau of the Census: United States population estimates, by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin,
and non-Hispanic origin: 1996. Census file NESTV96. 1997.
7. U.S. Bureau of the Census: Population estimates based on unpublished tabulations prepared by
the Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division.
8. Peters KD, Kochanek KD, Murphy SL. Report of Final Mortality Statistics, 1996. Monthly Vital
Statistics Report; in press. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics. 1998.
9. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census file 96AGE796.txt consistent with populations published in
Product Announcement CB97-64.
10. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census file PRICO.WK4.
11. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census file USVI.WK4.
12. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census file GUAM.WK4.
13. U.S. Bureau of the Census: Unpublished data from the 1990 census, by age,, sex, race and
Hispanic origin. 1990.
