Statistics can be used to test a hypothesis, earn a grant, define a public health need or influence legislation. Federal agencies are key partners in collecting, analyzing and distributing data that is used by researchers, students, businesses, health care professionals and the public.

FedStats is a one-stop shopping center for statistics collected by over 100 federal agencies. You can search the site by topic, by state or by agency. If you search FedStats by agency and select "Health" you will be directed to several key agencies' data warehouses.

Visit the National Center for Health Statistics to find state health statistics, mortality data, vital statistics, Health 2000 reports and more.

The Centers for Disease Control (Data Warehouse) contains scientific data, surveillance information, health statistics, and laboratory information. Visit two interactive data retrieval systems: CDC Wonder ( collection of databases) and WISQARS (injury reports).

April 2000 marked the latest decennial census. At this time, data series are being released over a multi-year pattern. Visit the release schedule to find out when data on your topic is being released. For the first time, the Internet serves as the primary source for accessing Census data. Try using American FactFinder to obtain Census data.