U.S. Infant Mortality Records Linked to Birth Data Since 1995

Linked birth and infant death records provide counts and rates for deaths of children under one year of age in the United States. The dataset includes information on maternal residence, child's age, cause of death, and maternal demographics. Data are produced by the National Center for Health Statistics and are available from 1995 onward.

Use Cases

• Analyze infant mortality rates by county of mother's residence to identify geographic disparities in health outcomes.
• Investigate correlations between underlying cause of death and maternal factors like age, education, and race/ethnicity.
• Study the relationship between infant mortality and birth characteristics such as birth weight, gestational age, and birth plurality.
• Model trends in infant death rates over time using data available since 1995.

Strengths

• Data is derived from linked national birth and death certificates, providing a authoritative and detailed record.
• Includes over 15 specific demographic and medical variables, such as maternal age, education, birth weight, and cause of death.
• Offers longitudinal coverage with data available from 1995, enabling trend analysis.

Limitations

• Data is aggregated and provided via an online database (HTML), limiting direct access to raw, individual-level records for analysis.
• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete column schema are not provided in the input, complicating initial assessment of dataset scale and structure.

Provenance

Source

National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Collection Method

Information from death certificates has been linked to corresponding birth certificates.

Time Range

Data are available since 1995.

Freshness

The platform record was last updated in July 2025, indicating ongoing maintenance.

Geography

Deaths occurring within the United States to U.S. residents.