Accessing Vital Statistics Data

Birth and death data that are deemed identifiable require permission from the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

We encourage you to check out the data already publicly available on our Vital Statistics Data page, as the Annual Summary, EpiQuery, and the Micro SAS Datasets may have information relevant to the type of data you are looking for.

Complete the online application form to request access for data not available on these public online platforms.

Application Process for Vital Statistics Data

• Complete the Application for Vital Statistics Data form online.
• Complete Data Matching or Linkage
• Variable selection tables for matching:
• [need secure form] Births
• [need secure form] Deaths
• [need secure form] Spontaneous Termination of Pregnancy (STOP)
• Send all supporting documents to vsdata@health.nyc.gov

Supporting Documents

Prior to beginning your application process, you may need some of the following supporting documents to complete the Data Use Application form:

• If the data will be used for research/evaluation or clinical trials adjudication, you must submit an IRB approval letter.
• If applicable, you will need to provide the name of and hyperlink (or PDF) describing the law, rule, reporting requirement, regulation or policy that authorizes the project.
• If requesting NYC residents Birth, Death, and STOP aggregated data, make sure to have ready a desired aggregated data format, as you will be asked to provide a table shell along with your application.
• If requesting PRAMS-VS linked data, ensure you have PRAMS approval from the Department’s Bureau of Maternal Infant and Reproductive Health. Contact PRAMS@health.nyc.gov for permission.
• If requesting SPARCS-VS linked data, make sure you have SPARCS approval from the New York State Department of Health Data Governance Committee. To apply visit the SPARCS website.
• If requesting redacted death certificates for clinical trial adjudication, ensure you have a National Death Index approval number.

Data Use Agreement

Most external data requests require a data use agreement (DUA). Upon reviewing your application, we will assess your request and we will contact you for next steps.

Application Review

The Health Department will review the application to make sure it is complete, can legally be fulfilled, is approved by the agency and is legally permitted by the NYC Health Code.

With all documents and approvals, we will disseminate the DUA to the appropriate parties for signature.

You may be contacted by the Health Department for additional information. Some requests may require a fee to process. These include searches for death certificates, matching/linkage and other electronic data requests requiring significant time and effort

You should allow four to eight weeks for your application to be processed.

Simple Counts and Rates

You can obtain simple counts and rates that our annual summary or by using our interactive data tool. It cannot be used for personal genealogy or to order birth or death certificates. Some requests may require a signed DUA to process. If so, you will be contacted by the Health Department. Allow two to three weeks to process, though processing times may vary.

• Data Request Form

Contact Information

• If you have any questions about how to apply or access the data, contact vsdata@health.nyc.gov. We are happy to help in your application process. Allow two to three business days for a response.