Compressed Mortality File
Data release
New!
Data
base description
Mortality
data file description
Population
file description
List of data file variables at a glance
Data file technical characteristics
Geographic coverage
Data
availability
Documentation
External
Cause of Injury Data
Urban-Rural
Classification for Counties
Maps
and charts
Interactive
Data Bases and Tables
Resources
Contact
Data
release
New!
The Compressed Mortality File on
CDC WONDER
has been updated to include 2005 mortality and population data.
The Compressed Mortality File 1999-2005 Series 20 No. 2K(CMF) on
CD-ROM has been released as of March 14, 2008. See
Data Availability.
Data base description
The Compressed Mortality File (CMF) is comprised of a county-level
national mortality file and a corresponding county–level national
population file. Currently, the CMF spans the years 1968- 2004
and is divided into four parts: 1968-78, 1979-88, 1989-98, and 1999-2005. The
first two parts are public use files and are available on a CD-ROM (CMF
1968-88 Series 20 No. 2A). The other two parts can be made available on
CD-ROMs to researchers under Part II Use Agreements (CMF 1989-98 Series 20
No. 2E and CMF 1999-2005 Series 20 No. 2K). The CMF, with data for
1979-2005, is also available on CMF WONDER as an online interactive query
data base (see Interactive Data Bases and Tables). The CMF is a relatively
compact file as it contains only a select set of variables. The CMF permits
the calculation of national and sub-national death rates and the examination
of mortality trends for age-sex-race groups.
Mortality data file description
Mortality data on the CMF are based on NCHS mortality files that include a
record for every death of a U.S. resident recorded in the United States
during the period 1968-2005 (except 1972). For 1972, the data are based on a
50 percent sample of deaths and weighted by a factor of 2. The source data
records were condensed to 23 bytes by retaining only a select set of
variables: (1) State and county of residence, (2) year of death (rather
than the full date of death), (3) race (recoded to white, black, other
races), (4) sex, (5) age group at death (specific age recoded to 16 age
groups), (6) underlying cause of death (4-digit ICD code), and (7) 69 ICD-8,
72 ICD-9, 113 ICD-10 cause-of-death recode (depending on the data year).
The number of records was reduced by aggregating records with identical
values for these seven variables and adding a count variable to the
aggregate record indicating the number of identical records.
Population file description
The population estimates on the CMF are based on Bureau of the Census
estimates of total U.S., State, and county resident populations. The 1968
and 1969 State and county population estimates were calculated by NCHS using
linear extrapolation. The 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 population estimates
are April 1 modified census counts. The estimates for 1971-79, 1981-89, and
1991-99 are intercensal estimates of July 1 resident populations. The 2001-2005
estimates are postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Note that the estimates for 1991-2005 are based on
bridge race
categories. The population estimates on the CMF are by geographic unit
(total United States, State, and county), year, race (white, black, other
races), sex, and age group (13 age groups). To permit the calculation of
infant mortality rates, NCHS live-birth data are included on the file.
List of data file variables at a
glance
Variable |
Mortality file |
Population file |
FIPS state code |
Ö |
Ö |
FIPS county code |
Ö |
Ö |
County name |
--- |
Ö |
Age group |
Under 1 day
1-6 days
7-27 days
28-364 days
1-4 years
5-9 years
10-14 years
15-19 years
20-24 years
25-34 years
35-44 years
45-54 years
55-64 years
65-74 years
75-84 years
85+ years |
Under 1 year and
live births1-4 years
5-9 years
10-14 years
15-19 years
20-24 years
25-34 years
35-44 years
45-54 years
55-64 years
65-74 years
75-84 years
85+ years |
Race-sex |
White male
White female
Black male
Black female
Other male
Other female |
White male
White female
Black male
Black female
Other male
Other female |
Year |
1968-2005 |
1968-2005 |
ICD code
for underlying cause-of-death |
1968-78: ICD-8
1979-98: ICD-9
1999-2005: ICD-10 |
--- |
Cause-of-death recode |
1968-78: 69 causes
1979-98: 72 causes
1999-2005: 113 causes |
--- |
Note:
Ö
This variable is
available on the file.
--- This variable is not available on the file.
Data file technical characteristics
|
Mortality
files |
Files |
Record
length |
Number of
records |
1968-78
1979-88
1989-98
1999-2005 |
23
23
23
23 |
8,774,864
10,065,467
9,691,181
7,555,974
|
|
Population files |
Files |
Record
length |
Number
of records |
1968-78
1979-88
1989-98
1999-2005 |
140
148
148
148 |
206,712
189,966
191,418
134,082 |
Geographic
coverage
The CMF includes records for the 50 States
and the District of Columbia by county of residence.
Data availability
CD-ROMs:
1968-88: Series 20, No. 2A
1989-98: Series 20, No. 2E
1999-2005: Series 20, No. 2K
CDC Wonder:
(1979-98 and 1999-2005)
See Interactive Data Bases and
Tables.
The CMF 1968-88 is a
public-use file and available on request. The CMF
1989-98 and CMF 1999-2005
are available to researchers only under Part II Use Agreements. Users
who wish to obtain these two files must submit a
written request to NCHS. All requests should include an explanation of how
the file will be used and how the CD-ROMs will be secured. A determination
on the request will be made and files released as applicable. Recipients
must agree to restrictions regarding use of the file and publication of data
from the file to avoid inadvertent disclosure of confidential information.
Documentation
File
Documentation for CMF 1999- 2004
External Cause-of-Injury Data
Users of the CMF on CDC WONDER can quickly and
easily obtain injury deaths and rates according to the external
cause-of-injury matrix. Mechanism and intent are separate variables in this
new feature of the CMF on CDC WONDER allowing users to tabulate by one or
the other, or both. In addition, this new feature allows for comparisons to
non-injury causes of death. For additional information about the matrix
approach to categorizing injury deaths, see
ICE on
Injury Statistics.
Urban-Rural Classification
for Counties
Users of the CMF on
CDC WONDER can obtain
death rates and counts (and maps and charts) for counties grouped according
to a six-level urban-rural classification scheme. The most urban category in
the scheme consists of central counties in metropolitan areas of 1 million
or more and the most rural category consists of non-metropolitan counties
with no urban clusters of 10,000 or more population. For additional
information about the urban-rural classification, please see
2006 NCHS
Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties.
Maps and Charts
Users of the CMF
on
CDC WONDER
can
quickly and easily obtain maps and charts to graphically display death
counts or rates for requested cross tabulations. Maps are available for
either the United States (showing state or county death counts and rates) or
for individual states (showing county data). Bar charts, line charts, and
pie charts can be requested for 2-waycross tabulations.
Interactive Data Bases and Tables
CMF
on CDC WONDER
Health
Data for All Ages
Healthy
People 2010
WISQARS
Resources
2006
NCHS Urban-Rural Classification for Counties
Bridged-race
population estimates
Health,
United States
Joinpoint
Regression Program
NCHS
Mortality Data
Contact
Deborah D. Ingram, Ph.D.
Office of Analysis and
Epidemiology
National Center for Health Statistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3311 Toledo Rd., Room 6211
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
(301) 458-4733
This page last reviewed
October 15, 2008
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