Finding Statistics and Data Related to Rural Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Finding Statistics and Data Related to Rural Health.
Using Data to Define Rural Populations
Offers a step-by-step guide for developing a rural community baseline dataset, and identifies links to helpful resources and existing datasets, with the intent to help State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) focus on the demographics influencing health and the health needs of the rural communities within their state.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
view details
Offers a step-by-step guide for developing a rural community baseline dataset, and identifies links to helpful resources and existing datasets, with the intent to help State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) focus on the demographics influencing health and the health needs of the rural communities within their state.
Date: 02/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
view details
Overview of HCUP
Documents all aspects of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), a national resource of hospital inpatient, ambulatory surgery and services, and emergency department data. Describes HCUP online resources for accessing data and related reports. Includes a list of data elements, with information on which are available by urban/rural location.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
Documents all aspects of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), a national resource of hospital inpatient, ambulatory surgery and services, and emergency department data. Describes HCUP online resources for accessing data and related reports. Includes a list of data elements, with information on which are available by urban/rural location.
Date: 04/2019
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
view details
Data Sources and Data-Linking Strategies to Support Research to Address the Opioid Crisis: Final Report
Identifies and describes secondary data sources that can be used in research and evaluations related to the opioid crisis. Discusses common approaches used to link or merge data sources. Describes research needs and challenges related to studying the opioid crisis.
Author(s): Rosanna Smart, Courtney Ann Kase, Amanda Meyer, Bradley D. Stein
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
view details
Identifies and describes secondary data sources that can be used in research and evaluations related to the opioid crisis. Discusses common approaches used to link or merge data sources. Describes research needs and challenges related to studying the opioid crisis.
Author(s): Rosanna Smart, Courtney Ann Kase, Amanda Meyer, Bradley D. Stein
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, RAND Corporation
view details
U.S. Small-Area Life Expectancy Estimates Project: Methodology and Results Summary
Describes the methodology used to determine the first set of abridged period life tables for U.S. census tracts from 2010 to 2015 for the District of Columbia and all states excluding Maine and Wisconsin. Provides statistics on small-area life expectancy at birth, and life expectancy at birth and population educational attainment by census tract.
Author(s): Elizabeth Arias, Loraine A. Escobedo, Jocelyn Kennedy, Chunxia Fu, Jodi Cisewski
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
Describes the methodology used to determine the first set of abridged period life tables for U.S. census tracts from 2010 to 2015 for the District of Columbia and all states excluding Maine and Wisconsin. Provides statistics on small-area life expectancy at birth, and life expectancy at birth and population educational attainment by census tract.
Author(s): Elizabeth Arias, Loraine A. Escobedo, Jocelyn Kennedy, Chunxia Fu, Jodi Cisewski
Date: 09/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
Suicide Trends Among and Within Urbanization Levels by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Age Group, and Mechanism of Death — United States, 2001–2015
Reports on county-level trends in suicide rates during 2001–2015 for large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and nonmetro counties. Includes data by sex and age group. Covers the mechanism of death, with data on firearms, hanging/suffocation, drug poisoning, non-drug poisoning, and other causes.
Author(s): Asha Z. Ivey-Stephenson, Alex E. Crosby, Shane P. D. Jack, Tadesse Haileyesus, Marcie-jo Kresnow-Sedacca
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1-16
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
Reports on county-level trends in suicide rates during 2001–2015 for large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and nonmetro counties. Includes data by sex and age group. Covers the mechanism of death, with data on firearms, hanging/suffocation, drug poisoning, non-drug poisoning, and other causes.
Author(s): Asha Z. Ivey-Stephenson, Alex E. Crosby, Shane P. D. Jack, Tadesse Haileyesus, Marcie-jo Kresnow-Sedacca
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1-16
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
view details
The 2014 Update of the Rural-Urban Chartbook
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
view details
Updates information presented in Health, United States, 2001: With Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Highlights current trends and disparities across different levels of metro and nonmetropolitan counties, including population characteristics; health-related behaviors and risk factors; mortality rates; healthcare access and use; mental health measures; and other health measures such as teen birth rates, tooth loss, and activity limitations due to chronic disease. Individual data tables are available in an Excel file.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Alana Knudson, Tess Gilbert, et al.
Date: 10/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
view details
Rural Maternal Health County Data Repository
An interactive county-level maternal health data repository that provides information on hospital obstetric (OB) services availability, population characteristics, maternal health provider workforce supply, and maternal health and birth outcomes. Includes county, state, and national maternal health data comparisons as well as a county-level map showing if and when OB services have been lost.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program
view details
An interactive county-level maternal health data repository that provides information on hospital obstetric (OB) services availability, population characteristics, maternal health provider workforce supply, and maternal health and birth outcomes. Includes county, state, and national maternal health data comparisons as well as a county-level map showing if and when OB services have been lost.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program
view details
Rural Cardiology Desert Atlas
Offers a county level map of cardiology providers to demonstrate areas with limited access to cardiology care. Map is interactive and can show rural counties, counties with Critical Access Hospitals, and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Vicky Muller Ferreira
view details
Offers a county level map of cardiology providers to demonstrate areas with limited access to cardiology care. Map is interactive and can show rural counties, counties with Critical Access Hospitals, and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Vicky Muller Ferreira
view details
Poverty Assessment and Investment Dashboard
Interactive dashboard indicating levels of poverty at the county and census tract levels as well as demographic and Health Resources & Services Administration funding data for persistent poverty and high poverty counties between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. Includes filters for both the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's (FORHP) rural definition and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Codes.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details
Interactive dashboard indicating levels of poverty at the county and census tract levels as well as demographic and Health Resources & Services Administration funding data for persistent poverty and high poverty counties between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. Includes filters for both the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's (FORHP) rural definition and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) Codes.
Sponsoring organization: Health Resources and Services Administration
view details
NTIA Data Explorer
Interactive tool displaying data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Internet Use Survey on Internet use, device use, non-use of the Internet at home, household connectivity, and online activities nationally and by state. Includes options to present data as a map, chart, table, or fact sheet. Presents the option to view data by state and demographic characteristics, such as age group, employment status, and population density (metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and non-MSA status).
Sponsoring organization: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
view details
Interactive tool displaying data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Internet Use Survey on Internet use, device use, non-use of the Internet at home, household connectivity, and online activities nationally and by state. Includes options to present data as a map, chart, table, or fact sheet. Presents the option to view data by state and demographic characteristics, such as age group, employment status, and population density (metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and non-MSA status).
Sponsoring organization: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:

