Data Types and Limitations

Vital records capture key life events such births, deaths, and marriages. These datasets often include detailed demographic, geographic, and medical information. However, there may be limitations, such as potential missing data, inconsistencies, or reporting errors.

Vital records data can be accessed in several ways:

Publicly available resources on our Data and Statistical Reports page
By submitting a Vital Statistics Application (VSA) to CDPH

This includes access to linked datasets for research purposes

From other sources, such as CDC WONDER

Data Types

Birth Data Files

Types of Files Available:

All state-registered births
Births to California residents that occurred out of state
See the Birth Data Sources Comparison Chart (XLSX) for details on available sources

File Contents:

Demographic information about the child, mother, and father
Medical data related to birth
For a full list of birth data fields, see the Request Data Dictionaries

Accessing the Data:

For official counts of vital events by year, refer to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) public files
To access comprehensive birth files, submit a research application to CDPH
Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) and Vital Statistics Advisory Committee (VSAC) approvals are required to access confidential data fields

Public Use and Anti-Fraud Birth Data Files

These files are not comprehensive and are not meant to provide exact birth counts for any given year
They may include multiple records for a single birth event
Some birth events may be missing entirely
As a result, the total number of records in these files can differ significantly from the actual number of births in a year

Data Files	Data Fields	Common Uses
Public Use Birth	First, Middle, and Last Name Sex Date of Birth Place of Birth	Verify records Support research Track community trends Provide basic data for genealogy and historical use
Anti-Fraud Birth	First, Middle, and Last Name Sex Date of Birth Place of Birth Mother’s Maiden Name	Prevent and identify fraud Verify records

Accessing the Data:

To access Public Use or Anti-Fraud files, submit a data application to CDPH
Review the Anti-Fraud Data Requirements to see if you qualify
If you have any questions regarding these files, contact HIRS@cdph.ca.gov

Death Data Files

Types of Files Available:

In-state California deaths only
Combination of in-state deaths and deaths of California residents that occurred in other states or jurisdictions
Out-of-state deaths only
See the Death Data Sources Comparison Chart (XLSX) for details on available sources

File Contents:

Demographic information related to the decedent
Cause of death
For a full list of death data fields, see the Request Data Dictionaries

Accessing the Data:

For official counts of vital events by year, refer to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) public files
To access comprehensive birth files, submit a research application to CDPH
CPHS and VSAC approvals may be required to obtain the death files

Public Use and Anti-Fraud Death Data Files

These files are not comprehensive and are not meant to provide exact death counts for any given year
Some death events may be missing entirely
They may include multiple records for a single death event
As a result, the total number of records in these files can differ significantly from the actual number of deaths in a year

Data Files	Data Fields	Common Uses
Public Use Death	First, Middle, and Last Name Sex Date of Birth Place of Birth Date of Death Place of Death Father’s Last Name	Verify records Support research Track community trends Provide basic data for genealogy and historical use
Anti-Fraud Death	First, Middle, and Last Name Sex Date of Birth Place of Birth Date of Death Place of Death Mother’s Maiden Name Social Security Number Father’s Last Name	Prevent and identify fraud Verify records

Accessing the Data:

To access Public Use or Anti-Fraud files, submit a data application to CDPH
Review the Anti-Fraud Data Requirements to see if you qualify
If you have any questions regarding these files, contact HIRS@cdph.ca.gov

Public Use Marriage Data Files

The local registrar of marriages produces an index of marriages registered in their jurisdiction. Marriage indices data is a collection of records that contain information for each party to the marriage and the date of marriage.

These files are not comprehensive and are not meant to provide exact marriage counts for any given year
They may include multiple records for a single marriage event
Some marriage events may be missing entirely
As a result, the total number of records in these files can differ significantly from the actual number of marriages in a year

Data Files	Data Fields	Common Uses
Marriage Data	Date of Marriage Last Name of Groom First Name of Groom Middle Initial of Groom Last Name of Bride First Name of Bride Middle Initial of Bride	Verify records Provide basic data for genealogy and historical use

Note: There are no divorce index files available.

To access Marriage data files, submit a data application to CDPH
If you have any questions regarding these files, contact HIRS@cdph.ca.gov

Data Limitations

Vital Statistics data is derived from the registration process and includes confidential and non-confidential identifiers, demographic information, and medical/health data from the certificate. The information on the certificates is provided by informants and clinicians.

Vital Statistics data may not be accurate or complete due to a variety of circumstances, including amendments to the legal records that may have been filed after the production of the data files. Reporting inconsistencies. Accuracy and completeness are dependent on the reporting parties.

Data files are not legal records and should not be used as substitutes for the legal records from which they were derived.

Vital Records Data Applications

There are different Vital Statistics Applications (VSA). The right one for you depends on your connection to an organization and your intended use of the data. For more information, review the Data Applications and Data Dictionaries page.

Vital Records Data Available from CDC WONDER

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) is a web-based resource that provides state and county level vital statistic data for births, deaths, and infant mortality. CDC WONDER may serve as an alternative resource for data inquiries. The Vital Records Data Available from CDC WONDER chart (PDF) summarizes common data query capabilities from CDC WONDER.

Health Care Access and Information Data

The California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) shares data about healthcare facilities, hospital finances and usage, the healthcare workforce, and special programs like the Healthcare Payments Data (HPD) and Case Mix Index (CMI). You can find this data on the HCAI website and the CalHHS Open Data Portal.

Researchers can also apply to get vital records linked to HCAI data. To learn more about this, visit the Data Applications and Data Dictionaries page.