Vital Statistics EpiQuery

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Data Collection

Vital Statistics EpiQuery

New York City death and birth statistics are available on EpiQuery (EQ), the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's interactive and user-friendly health information system. Counts of births and deaths are based on certificates filed with the Department's Office of Vital Records.

The Bureau of Vital Statistics is legally responsible for the registration of vital events - births, deaths and terminations of pregnancy - under the New York City Charter (PDF), Administrative Code and Health Code. The Office of Vital Records registers, archives, amends, and issues certified copies of birth and death certificates in New York City. The Office of Vital Statistics manages all data derived from these records. Data are cleaned, stored, analyzed, disclosed and reported for public health and government purposes. Vital statistics are published annually in the Summary of Vital Statistics and can be downloaded from the Vital Statistics website.

Data are based on births and deaths in New York City of both residents and non-residents. Unless otherwise stated, the counts and rates presented in EpiQuery and the annual Summary of Vital Statistics include all events that occurred in New York City, regardless of residency.

For public health purposes, demographic and medical information on birth and death certificates is coded in general agreement with standards developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Data Available on Epi Query

Statistics for overall mortality, mortality by cause and the top 10 leading causes of death and birth statistics by year since 2000 are now available on EpiQuery, as well as death trends since 1994. Some data have been censored to ensure data security and confidentiality. As a result, the user may find slight differences among vital statistics presented in EpiQuery, data presented in the annual Summary of Vital Statistics, and data obtained directly from the Office of Vital Statistics. Nonetheless, this censoring has an insignificant effect on the counts and rates presented in EpiQuery. For further explanation on the bolded terms used below, please visit the Vital Statistics Dictionary.

DEATH BY YEAR: Causes of Death provided are either individual or categories of underlying causes of death (ICD-10). Included are crude and age-adjusted death rates by select demographic (age group, sex, race/ethnicity) and geographic (borough, community district, and United Hospital Fund (UHF) neighborhood) characteristics. Information on infant deaths can be obtained by selecting age "less than 1" under "age group". Death rates for infants are different from infant mortality rates (IMR), which are defined in conjunction with birth data and presented per 1,000 live births; IMRs are not currently available on EpiQuery, but can be found in the Summary of Vital Statistics reports.

DEATH TREND: This module provides data over time for overall mortality and by cause of death with the following stratifications: sex, age group, race/ethnicity and borough. Pre-1999 data are classified into causes of death using ICD-9 codes, while data from 1999 and beyond are classified using ICD-10 codes. A comparability ratio is provided with each cause-specific table.

BIRTH: Percentages of live births are presented by combinations of maternal demographic characteristics (e.g. age, race/ethnicity, education, and birthplace), pregnancy and delivery characteristics, and infant outcomes. Birth and fertility rates also are included for select demographic characteristics and by geographic area of mother's residence (borough, UHF neighborhood, and community district).

Users can access data online or download tables as comma-separated values (CSV) files, which are easily opened by most spreadsheet programs.

Population Data for Death, Birth, and Fertility Rates

Population data used for the death rates in the Death by Year Module are provided by the New York City Department of City Planning from the 2000 U.S. Census of Population and Housing.

Population data for the Death Trend Module are unchallenged Census estimates for New York City (files: STCH-icen1994 through STCH-icen1999, CC-EST2003-alldata through CC-EST2007-alldata). All estimates are for July 1st resident population for each year. For more information, visit the Census website.

The Birth module uses two different sets of denominators for rates. For all rates other than those by Community District, data are from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene neighborhood population estimates, modified from the US Census Bureau vintage population estimates, 2000-2007. Community District birth and fertility rates use population data from the 2000 U.S. Census of Population and Housing.

Defining Race/Ethnicity in Vital Statistics EpiQuery

RACE IN THE 2000 U.S. CENSUS: The 2000 U.S. Census permitted respondents to describe themselves and household members as being of more than one race, selecting from six race categories: White, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and some other race. These categories yield 63 possible combinations. Respondents also were asked if they were of Hispanic origin. The resulting responses could be organized into 64 groups, referred to by the Department of City Planning (DCP) as "mutually exclusive race/Hispanic categories." DCP combined these groups into seven categories: Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native, non-Hispanic of some other race, and non-Hispanic of two or more races.

Data in EpiQuery are presented using the term “Race/Ethnicity” with the last three DCP categories included in the “Other” category (see "Race, Ethnicity and Ancestry in Vital Statistics Data" below).

MULTIPLE RACES IN VITAL STATISTICS DATA: Beginning January 1, 2003, the death certificate issued by the Office of Vital Records expanded the number of decedent race categories, allowing the selection of multiple races. This change was implemented based on changes to the 2000 U.S. Census and in compliance with changes recommended by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death. The change resulted in an increase in Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander ethnicities, while Non-Hispanic white and Non-Hispanic black ethnicities declined. The number of unknown ethnicities also increased. Care should be taken when comparing race and ethnicity death data from 2003 and later with data from previous years. Multiple-race data has been collected on the birth certificates since January 1, 2008.

RACE, ETHNICITY, AND ANCESTRY IN VITAL STATISTICS DATA: Race and ancestry are separate items on birth and death certificates, usually reported by the mother on the birth certificate and by a relative of the decedent through the funeral director on the death certificate.

Ancestry is defined by NCHS as the nationality, lineage, or country where the subject's ancestors were born before their arrival in the United States. If a religious group is reported, NCHS instructions are to ask for the country of origin or nationality. In New York City, enough certificates are received with the ancestry reported as Jewish or Hebrew to warrant inclusion in these tables, notwithstanding the religious meaning of the terms.

The ordered selection rules used to define race/ethnicity first assigns Puerto Rican or other Hispanic ethnicities based on ancestry, regardless of race. Then, those of other or unknown ancestries are classified by race as Asian, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, other or unknown.

Mother's Marital Status in Birth EpiQuery Module

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is prohibited by New York City law from recording the mother's marital status on the birth certificate. Since 1997, only the presence or absence of a father's name on the birth certificate and the filing of an acknowledgment of paternity, which is required when the mother and father are not legally married, have been used to estimate marital status. If a certificate is registered with the father's name and no acknowledgement of paternity, the mother is assumed to be married. Otherwise, the mother is assumed to be unmarried. This measure is computed for purposes of statistical analysis and reporting, but should be interpreted with caution.