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Mortality Data, Multiple Cause-of-Death Public-Use Data Files

Survey description
Data file description
List of data file variables at a glance
Data file technical characteristic
Geographic coverage
Data availability
Ordering information
Documentation contents
Related reports
Contact
Mortality data Web page

Survey description
Mortality data by multiple causes of death include all deaths occurring within the United States. Deaths of U.S. citizens and deaths of members of the Armed Forces occurring outside the United States are not included.

Data file description
Data are obtained from certificates filed for deaths occurring in each State.  Data were obtained from all certificates for 1968-71, 1973-80, and 1983-present. Data were obtained from a 50-percent sample of certificates for 1972.  Multiple-cause data for 1981 and 1982 were obtained from a 50-percent sample of certificates from 19 registration areas.  For the other States, data were obtained from all certificates. The user must be aware that the multiple-cause files and the underlying cause files for 1981 and 1982 differ in that the underlying cause files were processed on a 100-percent basis.

A detailed data file is available for each year 1968 through 1988.  The multiple-cause files include one record for each death occurring the data years except for 1972 and the 19 registration areas in 1981 and 1982 in these cases, the files include one record for each death in the sample. Death certificate numbers are not included in the data.  Causes of death for 1968-78 were coded according to the Eighth Revision, International Classification of Diseases, Adapted for Use in the United States. Causes of death for 1979-98 were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.  Causes of death for 1999-present were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.

One data file is available for each year. For 1989 - 2004, the  detailed file format is for a single calendar year and includes data for cities, counties, and metropolitan areas with a population of 100,000 or more. The day of death, date of birth of decedent, and the death certificate numbers are excluded from this file.  Beginning with the 2005 data, geographic data are excluded. NCHS does not distribute certificates, files, or indexes with identifying information for deaths.  Please refer to the section of the home page on "How to obtain birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates."

List of data files variables at a glance (1968 forward)

Data file technical characteristics
Mortality data files are available on CD-ROM.  Beginning  with 1994, the mortality data for Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are provided as separate data sets on the file.

Detail file

¹50-percent sample.

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam data sets

Geographic coverage
Place of death is classified by State and county. In residence classification, all deaths are allocated to the usual place of residence as reported on the death certificate and are classified by State, county, and city.

For data years 1968-78, cities of 250,000 persons or more are classified. Beginning with 1979, cities of 100,000 persons or more are classified.  Beginning with the 2005 data file, geographic data are excluded.

Geographic classification is as follows:

Data availability
Mortality, Multiple Cause-of-Death data are collected annually. ASCII CD-ROM are available for individual years from 1968-present. 

NCHS Data Release Program and Access Policy for Micro-Data and Compressed Vital Statistics Files

Ordering information
The Mortality, Multiple Cause-of-Death ASCII data for  years 2000-present can be obtained by contacting the Mortality Statistics Branch, Division of Vital Statistics.  ASCII files for data years up to 1999 can be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Available SETS CD-ROMs can be purchased from both NTIS and the Government Printing Office (GPO).  Check for availability and contact NTIS and/or GPO for current ordering information. 

Documentation contents
Documentation, including content and technical information needed to access the data, is available electronically on the CD-ROM and the Internet.  Control total tables are also included.

Related reports
Data based on the tapes have been published in Monthly Vital Statistics Report, "Multiple Causes of Death in the United States," Vol. 32, No. 10 Supplement (2), February 17, 1984.

Contact
Mortality Statistics Branch
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Road, Floor 7
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
(301) 458-4666

This page last reviewed October 15, 2008