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 1983-2000. 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 1999-2000 were coded
according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth
Revision.
One data file is
available for each year, 1989 through 1998, from NTIS. 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. 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."
Detail
(1989-98)
Data year
Residence of decedent:1
State2
County2,3
City3
Population size
Standard metropolitan statistical area2,3
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death:
Infants
under 1 year (hours, days, months)
Infants
ages 1 year and over (single years)
Autopsy performed (1989-94)
Day of week
Education (single years, 0-17)4
Hispanic origin4
Hospital (including status of decedent) and other type
of
place of death
Industry or business5
Injury at work (beginning 1993)
Month of death
Marital status
Occupation (usual)5
Place of birth (State and eight categories outside of the United States)
Place of death (State,2,3
county2,3)
Race (nine categories)6
Sex
State of birth
Underlying cause of death:7
Each
cause
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis1
State2
County2,3
City3
Population size
Standard metropolitan statistical area2,3
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death:
Infants
under 1 year (hours, days, months)
Infants
ages 1 year and over (single years)
Autopsy performed (1989-94)
Day of week
Education (single years, 0-17)4
Hispanic origin4
Hospital (including status of decedent) and other type
of
place of death
Industry or business5
Injury at work (beginning 1993)
Month of death
Marital status
Occupation (usual)5
Place of birth (State and eight categories outside of the United States)
Place of death (State,2,3
county2,3)
Race (nine categories)6
Sex
State of birth
Underlying cause of death:7
Each
cause
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis1
State2
County2,3
City3
Population size
Standard metropolitan statistical area2,3
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death:
Infants
under 1 year (hours, days, months)
Infants
ages 1 year and over (single years)
Autopsy performed (1989-94)
Day of week
Education (single years, 0-17)4
Hispanic origin4
Hospital (including status of decedent) and other type
of
place of death
Industry or business5
Injury at work (beginning 1993)
Month of death
Marital status
Occupation (usual)5
Place of birth (State and eight categories outside of the United States)
Place of death (State,2,3
county2,3)
Race (nine categories)6
Sex
State of birth
Underlying cause of death:7
Each
cause
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis
____________________________________________________ 1Place
of residence for decedents who were nonresidents of the United States has
been coded to country of residence. 2Includes FIPS codes as well as NCHS
codes. 3Includes data for areas with a
population of 100,000 persons or more. 4Applicable only for those States having
information on the certificate. 5Applicable only for those States
transmitting information to NCHS. 6Beginning 1992, additional categories
are available for some States. 7Causes of death for 1989-97 were coded
according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.
Detail
(1979-88)
Data year
Residence of decedent:1
State2
County2
City (100,000 persons or more)2
Population size
Standard metropolitan statistical area2
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death:
Infants
under 1 year (hours, days, months)
Ages 1
year and over (single years)
Autopsy performed
Day of death
Hispanic origin or descent (1984-88)3
Hospital and patient status
Industry or business (1985-88)4
Month of death
Marital status
Occupation (usual) (1985-88)4
Place of accident
Place of birth (State and eight categories outside of the
United
States)
Place of death (State,2
county2)
Race (nine categories)
Sex
State of birth
Underlying cause of death:5
Each
cause
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis1
State2
County2
City (100,000 persons or more)2
Population size
Standard metropolitan statistical area2
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death:
Infants
under 1 year (hours, days, months)
Ages 1
year and over (single years)
Autopsy performed
Day of death
Hispanic origin or descent (1984-88)3
Hospital and patient status
Industry or business (1985-88)4
Month of death
Marital status
Occupation (usual) (1985-88)4
Place of accident
Place of birth (State and eight categories outside of the
United
States)
Place of death (State,2
county2)
Race (nine categories)
Sex
State of birth
Underlying cause of death:5
Each
cause
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis1
State2
County2
City (100,000 persons or more)2
Population size
Standard metropolitan statistical area2
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties
Age at death:
Infants
under 1 year (hours, days, months)
Ages 1
year and over (single years)
Autopsy performed
Day of death
Hispanic origin or descent (1984-88)3
Hospital and patient status
Industry or business (1985-88)4
Month of death
Marital status
Occupation (usual) (1985-88)4
Place of accident
Place of birth (State and eight categories outside of the
United
States)
Place of death (State,2
county2)
Race (nine categories)
Sex
State of birth
Underlying cause of death:5
Each
cause
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis
____________________________________________________ 1Place
of residence for decedents who were nonresidents of the United States has
been coded to country of residence. 2FIPS codes as well as NCHS codes
beginning in 1982. 3Applicable only for those States having
information on the certificate. 4Applicable only for those States
transmitting information to NCHS. 5Causes of death for 1979-88 were coded
according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.
Data year
Residence of decedent:2
State
County
City
(250,000 persons or more)
Population
size
Standard
metropolitan statistical area
Metropolitan/nonmetropolitan
counties
Age at death (single years)
Month of death
Day of death (1972-78)
Place of death (State, county)
Race:
Seven
categories (1968)
Nine
categories (1969-78)
Sex
Underlying cause of death:3
Each
cause
Whether autopsy performed (1972-78)
Whether findings used (1972-77)
Multiple condition codes:
Entity
axis
Record
axis
____________________________________________________ 1All
data items in the detail file are in EBCDIC code. The stub portion of all
summary records consists of EBCDIC codes, and the spread portion consists
of a series of full-word binary fields containing numbers of deaths. 2Beginning in 1970 the place of
residence for decedents who were nonresidents of the United States has
been coded to the country of residence (eight categories). Formerly these
deaths were considered resident deaths of the place of occurrence. The
local area and cause-of-death summaries exclude data for nonresidents of
the United States. 3Causes of death for 1968-78 were coded
according to the Eighth Revision, International Classification of
Diseases, Adapted for Use in the United States.
Data
file technical characteristics
All mortality data files
are available on CD-ROM with Statistical Export and Tabulation System (SETS)
retrieval software. Beginning with 1994, the mortality data for Guam,
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are provided as separate data sets on
the file.
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.
Geographic
classification is as follows:
Data
year
Census
enumeration
1994-97
1990
1982-93
1980
1970-81
1970
1968-69
1960
Data
availability
Mortality, Multiple Cause-of-Death data are collected annually. ASCII CD-ROM are available for
individual years from 1968-98. The 1991-94 files are released
together on a single ASCII CD-ROM. Beginning 1994, data
released on CD-ROM contains the SETSInterface.
Customized data
Additional data for 1989-2000 are sold directly by NCHS to researchers whose
needs for data cannot be met by the NTIS products. Requests for data with
more detail must be in writing and mailed to:
Director, Division of
Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road, Floor 7
Hyattsville, Maryland 20782
All requests for
additional data should include a list of the specific data items that are
needed and an explanation of how the data will be used. The Director
will make a determination on the request and release data as applicable.
However, recipients must agree to additional restrictions to avoid
possible inadvertent disclosure of confidential information.
Ordering
information
The Mortality, Detail, Multiple Cause-of-Death ASCII data for years
1999 and 2000 can be obtained by contacting the Director, Division of
Vital Statistics.
ASCII files for data years up to 1998 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. 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