Health statistics allow us to:

• Document the health status of the population and of important subgroups
• Identify disparities in health status and use of health care services by race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, region, and other population characteristics
• Describe our experiences with the health care system
• Monitor trends in health status and health care delivery
• Identify health problems
• Support biomedical and health services research
• Provide information for making changes in public policies and programs
• Evaluate the impact of health policies and programs

• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
  The NCHS has a mission to provide statistical data to improve the health of the American people.
• World Health Organization (WHO)
  The WHO is a part of the United Nations. They act as leaders in worldwide health situations.
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  The AHRQ is an agency in the United States, dedicated to making  American health care higher quality, safer, more efficient, and more effective.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  The CDC is the primary public health institute of the United States. They provide data on health care and disease.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings is an online application with the health status of almost every county in the United States.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  The CMS is a US government agency that works with individual states to provide Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
• Kaiser Family Foundation
  The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit that offers research, journalism, and communications programs with a focus on health care.
• United States Census Bureau
  The Census Bureau is the best source of current data and statistics on the US population and economy
• HealthData.gov
  HealthData.gov is an online source for health-related data. It is constantly being updated, and includes thousands of data sets that can be downloaded.
• Healthy People 2020

Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans.

• Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care
  Website with data and resources about health care markets, divided into geographic areas.

• MIDSS - Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Sciences

National Library of Medicine - Finding and Using Health Statistics