This regularly updated catalog is compiled from a survey sent to roughly 100 individuals across the state of California, asking them what data resources they turn to when they need publicly available data about California.  

The listing originally was created for communities participating in the California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative.

Asthma Data Tool
California Breathing | California Department of Public Health
Asthma data broken out by county and age.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This survey collects data about health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventative services. The 500 cities project, which is sponsored by the CDC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides Census tract-level estimates derived from BRFSS for 500 cities, including about 120 cities in California. Also, the CDC and RWJF have expanded the 500 cities estimates to be available for nearly all Census tracts and zip codes in the United States through the Places initiative.

Broadband & Health (Connect2Health)
FCC
Search for a county in the U.S. to obtain data on that county’s broadband access rate, along with comparisons to a number of health measures.

California Dream Index
California Forward
The California Dream Index tracks progress toward a more equitable California by measuring ten indicators of economic mobility, security and inclusion. Data can be analyzed by race and ethnicity, region, and county.

California Health & Human Services Open Data Portal
California Health & Human Services Agency
More than 300 health/human services-related datasets from the state of California, on demographics, diseases, the environment, facilities and services, health care, workforce, and other topics.

California Open Data Portal
State of California
The open data portal for the state of California, linking to datasets across state departments and agencies.

Cancer Registry
California Cancer Registry
Data about both cancer incidents and mortality are available at a county level, and broken down by type of cancer, sex, and race/ethnicity. In addition, UCSF provides sub-county level data for 12 common cancers in California through their California Health Maps site; breakdowns also are available by sex and race/ethnicity.

CARES Engagement Network
University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems
A mapping platform that offers thousands of data layers, as well as a report builder for those who need to prepare community health needs assessments.

CDC Data
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
In addition to the BRFSS data noted above, this data catalog provides access to other publicly available data from the CDC. Among the CDC’s offerings, the CDC Wonder data query tool is one frequently used resource.

Census Bureau
US Census Bureau
A compilation of data from a variety of US Census surveys, including the American Community Survey.

If you need information or ideas about how to utilize these data and transform facts drawn from these sites into action, or if you know of additional resources, please reach out.

Child Welfare Indicator Project
UC-Berkeley and California Department of Social Services
A wealth of data covering child abuse, foster care, and other child welfare topics are available by county. Another source for child maltreatment data – this one from the advocacy organization, Safe & Sound, provides details on the societal costs, by county in California, for child maltreatment.

Children Now Scorecard
Children Now
An interactive tool that provides county-level data on 30 measures related to child well being.

CHIS (California Health Interview Survey)
UCLA
The California Health Interview Survey provides data on health topics for all counties in California, based on interviews with roughly 20,000 Californians. Data from the survey are available through AskCHIS. More localized (e.g. zip code-level) estimates can be found at AskCHIS Neighborhood Edition.

CHKS (California Healthy Kids Survey)
WestEd and the California Department of Education
CHKS provides school district-level data to help improve academic performance, as well as the social, emotional, behavioral, and physical health of California students. In addition to CHKS (a survey of students), this website, called CalSchls, offers access to surveys of school staff and parents.

City Health Dashboard
New York University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Economic, health, and environmental data by city and Census tract are available for the 500 largest cities in the country, including roughly 120 cities in California.

College Data (California State System)
The CalState University System
Data on college access, enrollment, graduation, and labor market outcomes.

College Data (University of California System)
The University of California System
Dashboards on graduation rates, student-faculty ratio, doctoral programs, cost of attendance and other breakdowns for all schools in the University of California system.

Community Colleges Data Mart
California Community College Chancellor’s Office
A wide array of data are available related to community college in California, including student counts, student services, courses, faculty and staff, and outcomes.

Community Burden of Disease and Cost Engine
California Department of Public Health
Over 15 years of condition-specific mortality burden data, using a range of measures, are displayed at the county, community, and Census tract levels through interactive rankings, charts, maps, and trend visualizations.

Community Commons
Institute for People, Place, and Possibility
Access to wide-ranging, community-level data and mapping tools for locations across the U.S.

Community Need Index
Dignity Health
Data on socio-economic factors, organized at a city, county and zip code level.

COVID-19
Johns Hopkins University
There are, of course, multiple tools providing COVID-related data. Other sources include modeling done by the state of California; Covid Act Now; and the New York Times, which has multiple tools include this one, this one, and this one.

County Child Maltreatment Prevention Data Dashboard
California Department of Social Services
These dashboards, which provide county-level data in California, are intended for planning purposes, and include indicators on risk and preventative factors, such as socioeconomic status, substance use, violence, and service access.

County Health Rankings and Road Maps
University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Data and rankings for all counties in the US on health-specific measures, as well as on indicators that influence health.

Crime Data (Open Justice)
California Office of the Attorney General
Crime data, by local jurisdiction, for locations across California.

Data.gov
U.S. Government
The open data portal for the U.S. government, linking to datasets across federal agencies.

Data USA
Deloitte, Datawheel
Demographic, health, housing, and other data are available for locations — including counties and cities — across the US. Users also can compare two locations across multiple measures.

DiversityDataKids
Brandeis University
Hundreds of measures of child well being, broken down by county and metropolitan area. Data also are available for roughly a dozen large cities and school districts in California.

Ed-Data
EdSource and the California Department of Education
Timely and comprehensive data about K-12 education in California. Data are available at the county, district, and school level.

Education Data for California Schools (DataQuest)
California Department of Education
Data on test results, enrollment, physical fitness scores, absenteeism, and other topics are available by school, district, or county.

Election Data Archive
Sacramento State University and the California Secretary of State Office
Data are provided for local (e.g. city, county, school districts) elections, including for candidate and ballot measures.

Environmental Health Screening Tool/CalEnviroScreen
CalEPA
CalEnviroScreen identifies California communities by census tract that are disproportionately burdened by, and vulnerable to, multiple sources of pollution.

Environmental Health Tracking Program
Tracking California
A wide array of data at the convergence of public health and the environment, including measures of air quality, birth defects, climate change, lead poisoning, and traffic volume.

Environmentally Regulated Sites
CalEPA
Data are available for environmentally regulated sites across California, including those with hazardous materials and waste, state and federal cleanups, impacted ground and surface waters, and toxic materials.

Food Insecurity
Feeding America
County-level data about food insecurity rates, meal costs, and nutrition program eligibility.

Health Atlas
UCSF
The UCSF Health Atlas provides detailed maps on a range of domains associated with health, including health care, neighborhoods, community, socioeconomics, and demographics. Users can view drill down to view data by Census tract.

Health Care Almanac
California Health Care Foundation
A series of publications offering objective information on health care costs, coverage, quality, and delivery. The Almanac provides regularly updated data and analysis on California’s health care system.

Health Care Cost & Quality Atlas
Integrated Health Care Association, the California Health Care Foundation, and the California Health and Human Services Agency
Multi-payer data by geographic region—including commercial insurance, Medicare, and Medi-Cal—on more than 30 standardized measures of health care quality, cost, patient cost sharing, and utilization. The aim is to help purchasers, health plans, and policymakers focus performance improvement initiatives.

Health Care Data from OSHPD
California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
Nearly 6,000 health care facilities across the state submit data to OSHPD, and OSHPD publishes these and more data, broken out by topics ranging from cost transparency to utilization to facility attributes to workforce.

Healthiest Community Rankings
U.S. News & World Report
County-level rankings that integrate data related to education, economic performance, housing, equity, public safety, infrastructure and other topics.

HealthyCity
The Advancement Project
Highly customizable maps with wide-ranging data focused on California. Users also can upload their own data.

Healthy Places Index
Public Health Alliance of Southern California
Explore Census tract-level factors that predict life expectancy. The Healthy Places Index provides scores and detailed data on specific areas that shape health, including housing, transportation, and education. The website also offers a policy guide with practical solutions for improving community conditions and health.

Hospital Quality (CalHospitalCompare.org)
CalHospitalCompare.org
Wide-ranging data about the quality of California’s 400-plus hospitals. Data are available for each hospital on patient experience, healthcare-acquired infections, patient safety, ED care, and other topics.

IHME (Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington)
IHME
PDF data reports are available for counties across the country, and include data on life expectancy, mortality rates (by condition), and disease prevalence.

Immigration & Citizenship Data
LiveStories
Data available by state, county, or city for locations nationwide on where immigrants were born and live; when they arrived; what languages they speak; and how they’re faring (e.g., educational and poverty status).

Incarcerations
Vera
Incaceration-related trends, by county in the U.S., are available for prison and jails, and broken down by race/ethnicity and gender.

Injury & Death Data (EpiCenter)
California Department of Public Health
A comprehensive source of California injury data that includes all types of injuries that result in death, hospitalizations, or emergency department visits.

Kids Count
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
This national resource offers child-related data for California’s largest cities.

Kidsdata
Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Child-related data are available for every city, county, and school district in California. Roughly 600 indicators can be visualized as maps and graphs. Fact sheets and contextual information, including policy implications, are available for more than 50 topics.

Let’s Get Healthy California
California Department of Public Health
Data are available for the six goal areas identified by this State of California taskforce: healthy beginnings, living well, end of life, redesigning the health system, creating healthy communities, and lowering the cost of care.

Life Expectancy Data (USALEEP)
National Center for Health Statistics, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems
Newly released Census tract-level life expectancy data.

Livability Index
AARP
An index that scores neighborhoods and communities for services and amenities that impact individuals’ lives, including housing, transportation, civic engagement, and the environment.

Local Government Financial Data
California State Controller’s Office
Revenues, spending, and other financial data are available for cities, counties, transit operators, and other local entities.

National Equity Atlas
PolicyLink and the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity
City and regional data on changing demographics, racial inclusion, and the economic benefits of equity.

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-Ed)
California Department of Public Health
Local data on topics related to the SNAP-Ed program: obesity, nutrition, physical activity, food insecurity and program eligibility.

Nursing Home/Long-Term Care Quality (CalQualityCare.org)
UCSF
Quality of care data are available for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice, home health, and other long-term care facilities and provider in California.

Opioid Overdose Surveillance Dashboard
California Department of Public Health
County and statewide data related to opioid misuse. Available dashboards enable surveillance of short and long-term goals currently targeted by California’s Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention program.

Opioid Pain Pill Database
The Washington Post
The Washington Post obtained data from the Drug Enforcement Administration to show the number of pain pills provided in a given county, with the information provided by manufacturer, distributor, and local pharmacy.

Opportunity360 (Measures of Pathways to Local Opportunities)
Enterprise
Type in an address, and get a 20-page Census tract-level report with detailed data on housing stability, education, health and well being, economic security, and mobility/transportation. Data are compared to your local region, the state, and the nation.

The Opportunity Atlas
Census Bureau and Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights Group
This website provides Census tract-level estimates on whether individuals in a given neighborhood are likely to grow up rich or poor. Its focus on income mobility is addressed by looking at children born between 1978 and 1983.

PolicyMap
PolicyMap
A mapping tool that provides data on hundreds of measures for locations across the US. Access to some data and website features requires a paid subscription.

Race Counts
The Advancement Project
A tracking tool of racial disparities in California at the county and city level. Data are available in seven issues areas: democracy, economic opportunity, crime and justice, access to health care, healthy built environment, education, and housing.

Regional Opportunity Index
UC-Davis Center for Regional Change
An index of community and regional opportunity that can be used to help understand social and economic opportunity in California’s communities.

School Dashboard
California Department of Education
School-level data about how public schools are meeting the needs of students in California.

Survey Data from PPIC
Public Policy Institute of California
This searchable database provides polling results from PPIC surveys dating back to 1998.

Strong Start Index (Data on Children at Birth)
First 5 Association and USC’s Children’s Data Network
By leveraging information collected at birth for every baby born in California, this resource provides Census tract-level data on assets that promote resilience in children.

Traffic Collision Data (Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System)
California Highway Patrol
A database of collision data. These data also are available from a UC-Berkeley tool, the Transportation Injury Mapping System.

Water Quality
California State Water Boards
Data about surface water quality in California.

Well Being in the Nation (WIN) Measures
100 Million Healthier Lives
Measures of equity, community vitality, public safety, the economy (e.g. employment and income) and other breakdowns to show the connections between social conditions, health, community, and well-being. 

Women’s Well-Being Index
The California Budget and Policy Center and the Women’s Foundation of California
A county-by-county breakdown of how women in California are faring. The index includes multiple measures across five categories: health, personal safety, employment & earnings, economic security and political empowerment (data, as well as downloadable fact sheets, also are available for the 30 individual measures that make up the index).