Vital Statistics Birth Data at the NBER

The Birth Data comes in a number of different formats; however, in each case, the birth microdata file contains birth certificate data from a given calendar year. Linked Birth/Infant Death data were not collected 1992-1994. However, the infant cause of death is included in the Multiple Cause-of-Death Data.

• Birth Cohort Linked Birth/Infant Death Data includes all births in a given calendar year occurring within the United States and all deaths for the infants born during that calendar year who died before reaching one year of age. U.S. Territories data are included in separate data files. The data from birth certificates and death certificates are useful for studying infant mortality. More recent Linked Birth/Infant Death Data are included in the Linked Birth/Infant Period Data File below.
• Natality Detail Data. includes all births occurring in a given calendar year within the United States. The data are based on information abstracted from birth certificates filed in vital statistics offices of each State and District of Columbia. U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam) are included in separate data files beginning in 1994.
• Period Linked Birth and Infant Death Data includes all births in a given calendar year occurring within the United States and all infant deaths in the given calendar year. The data from birth certificates and death certificates are useful for studying infant mortality. U.S. Territories data are included in separate data files.
• Perinatal Mortality Data. combines the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data and the Fetal Death Data. Infant deaths and fetal deaths can be distinguished using the variable OUTCOME. The Fetal Death Data File includes all fetal deaths in a given calendar year occurring in the United States and the District of Columbia. U.S. Territories data are included in separate data files. Fetal death registration requirements vary; however, most areas require reporting of fetal deaths of gestations of 20 weeks or more. Deprecated.
• 1995-1998 Matched Multiple Births Data. allows for analysis of characteristics (such as gender combination of the set, outcome of the set, birthweight differences among set mates) of sets of births and fetal deaths in multiple deliveries through a set member identifier.
• Vital Statistics Books has PDFs of pre-1968 vital statistics tables.

• US Vital Statistics - Births (1931-1968) - Interactive Index

SEER provides helpful U.S. Population data for 1969 on.