Purpose of the Vital Statistics System

The National Vital Statistics System serves as a mechanism for the National Center for Health Services to collect and generate statistics for U.S. births, fetal deaths, marriages, deaths and divorces. The oldest government information-sharing mechanism in place, the NVSS information gathered by the NCHS comes from state, city and territory systems required to record vital events. The collected information, while providing necessary documentation for citizens, also allows for analysis of birth and death rates as well as trends and issues occurring.

Vital Statistics System Creation

Vital statistics collection began in Virginia in 1632 with a law requiring the recording of deaths, births and marriages, and a few years later, Massachusetts followed with a similar law, according to James A. Weed in the Population Index article, “Vital Statistics in the United States: Preparing for the Next Century.” The federal government established death registration in 1880 and birth registration in 1915 with the Bureau of Census collecting the information. The existing vital statistics system operates under the National Center for Health Services, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Individual Registration Systems

The entities in the United States required by law to collect and record vital information about a person’s birth, death, marriage or divorce, as well as the deaths of fetuses include independent agencies or offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and the 50 U.S. states, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to recording vital events, these agencies also have the responsibility of providing death, marriage, birth and divorce certificate copies.

Birth/Fetal Death Records

Federal law requires U.S. jurisdictions to record and collect statistics on every birth. With this mandate, the states, cities and territories require birth certificates for anyone born in their jurisdictions, according to the CDC. Federal law also requires the agencies to record fetal deaths. Statistics provided on fetal deaths may include deaths at varying gestational periods. However, “most states report fetal deaths of 20 weeks of gestation or more and/or 350 grams birth weight,” according to the CDC.

Death Records

Data on death records compiled by the National Vital Statistics Service provide information about mortality and its causes, both demographically and geographically, serving as a primary source for research. Death statistics also enable the evaluation and comparison of death and life expectancy rate trends for families and regions as well as for comparison with other countries, according to the CDC.

Marriage/Divorce Information

Before 1996, the National Vital Statistics Service published detailed information on marriages and divorces. With budget restraints, the NVSS eliminated the detailed data but continues to publish national and state marriage and divorce totals. In 2003, the NVSS began publishing detailed state marriage and divorce statistics, such as trends, in its “monthly reports of provisional data,” according to the CDC.

References

• Population Index on the Web: Vital Statistics in the United States: Preparing for the Next Century
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About the National Vital Statistics System
• CDC: National Vital Statistics System: Birth Data
• CDC: National Vital Statistics System: Mortality Data
• CDC: National Vital Statistics Service: Marriages and Divorces

Resources

• “The United States Vital Statistics System”; Steven Schwartz