LibGuides: Health Data & Statistics Research Guide: General Dataset Sources

Government and NGO Data

CDC WONDER This link opens in a new window
GenderStats: World Bank Database of Gender Statistics This link opens in a new window
OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
Former platform called SourceOECD.
UNData This link opens in a new window
USDA Census of Agriculture This link opens in a new window
World Bank Open Data This link opens in a new window

EMR-Based "Big Data" Sources

The MSU Libraries does not have subscriptions to "Big Data" sources that use de-identified EMR/EHR data. These sources include TriNetX, MarketScan, Optum, PearlDiver, and Truveta. These datasets require research teams or larger institutional entities to subscribe for a fee. For institutions, one common requirement is that they allow the company access to institutional EMR/EHR data from a teaching hospital or academic medical center.

We recommend finding publicly available data sets like those listed in this guide to do your analysis with.

Health-Related Data Sources from the US Government.

Annis A, Reaves C, Sender J, Bumpus S. Health-Related Data Sources Accessible to Health Researchers From the US Government: Mapping Review. J Med Internet Res 2023;25:e43802 URL: https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e43802 DOI: 10.2196/43802

Census Data

IPUMS Census Data
IPUMS provides census and survey data from around the world integrated across time and space. IPUMS integration and documentation makes it easy to study change, conduct comparative research, merge information across data types, and analyze individuals within family and community contexts. Data and services available free of charge.
Census (U.S. Demographics)

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Open Data Portal
Offers information on Program Use and Payments, Providers and Initiatives, and Beneficiary Characteristics. Includes look-up tools for inpatient hospitals, Medicare Part D, physicians and practitioners, Medicare revalidation, and provider opt-out affidavits.

Non-Health Databases with Health Datasets

MSU subscribes to a number of databases that aren't specifically focused on health but do contain health datasets. People often don't think of searching these databases, but they can be excellent sources of health data as well.

Gallup Analytics This link opens in a new window
Gallup Analytics is an online platform that provides subscribers with access to nearly a century of U.S. data and a decade of global tracking data from the Gallup World Poll. ***Health data: select Health as your "Main Topic," and you'll see variables about people's health and healthy activities (amount of time exercising, etc).
Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Data Archive This link opens in a new window
ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction. Search this site for holdings. Data downloads are free of charge by registering with an MSU email address. ***This database contains the data from a fair number of health studies of various types. You can also look for particular variables you're interested in. In some cases the listings just describe the study, but most have downloadable raw datasets too.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
Policymap is an online data and mapping application that gives access to over 15,000 indicators related to housing, crime, mortgages, health, jobs, demographics and education. Data are available at all common geographies (address, block group, census tract, zip code, county, city, state, MSA) as well as unique geographies like school districts and political boundaries. Data come from both public and proprietary sources. Many of the public files are available for download. Through PolicyMap, you can access all data in interactive maps, tables, charts, reports and through a unique analytic tool. You may also upload your own address level data and share your data and interactive maps with others.

Includes plumbing and kitchen data from 2011-2015 US Census Annual Community Survey.
ProQuest Statistical Insight This link opens in a new window
Indexes and abstracts statistical publications from the US government, state governments, international organizations, and professional associations. Includes ProQuest Statistical Datasets and the ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the U.S. [It is the WWW version of 3 print indexing sources: American Statistics Index (ASI), Index to International Statistics (IIS), and Statistical Reference Index (SRI).] Links to selected full-text materials are provided, some in spreadsheet format. The Library owns almost all the materials indexed in ProQuest Statistical Insight.
Roper iPoll This link opens in a new window
Provided by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University, Roper iPoll is the largest collection of public opinion poll data with results from 1935 to the present. Roper iPoll contains nearly 800,000 questions and over 23,000 datasets from both U.S. and international polling firms. Surveys cover any number of topics including, social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, science, the environment, and much more. When available, results charts, demographic crosstabs and full datasets are provided for immediate download.***Health data: Roper only does opinion polls, but there is a lot of data here about people's opinions on health topics and their own health.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Create maps and reports from selected census statistics. 1790 to 1930: County, state and national data. 1940-2000: Census tract, county, state and national data. 2006- : ACS. Also includes religion data, U.S. Election data, UK Census 2011 data, and Ireland Religion data. Generate thematic maps for census tracts. ***Health data note: If you click on "Explore Maps," you'll see that there are a number of maps/datasets on health topics.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Provides statistics and reports on a wide variety of topics including agriculture, advertising, health, hospitality, consumer goods and services, sports, technology, transportation, and much more.