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NSCH is the National Survey of Children’s Health, a national and state-level survey of the physical and emotional health of children aged 0-17 in the United States. This guide is for researchers who need to find the public-use files, choose between access routes and read the right documentation before analysis. (Searches for “NSCH degree verification” refer to the National Student Clearinghouse, which is unrelated to this survey.)
What the NSCH is
The NSCH collects data on children’s health and well-being: health care access and quality, family interactions, parental health, neighborhood characteristics, and school and after-school experiences. It is also a primary national source on children with special health care needs, covering medical home, insurance adequacy, access to care and care coordination (U.S. Census Bureau NSCH program page; Data.gov catalog record, both read 2026-11-07).
Who runs it and what it covers
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB) sponsors the survey, and the Census Bureau is the data contributor. The Data.gov record lists HRSA MCHB (HHS) as publisher and states that the data are used by the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant program. The survey is released in annual data releases with separate screener and topical questionnaire files; the Census Bureau program page lists a 2025 data release, the 2016-2021 Enhanced Data Products, and a separate NSCH-LC release.
Where to find and download the data
There are three public routes, and they serve different jobs.
| Route | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Census Bureau NSCH datasets page | Annual dataset pages for 2016 through 2025; SAS and Stata files (the 2025 files are listed at 11.9 MB and 6.12 MB respectively); Title V measure code in SAS and Stata for all years; technical documentation | Record-level analysis in your own software |
| CAHMI Data Resource Center (linked from the Census page) | Interactive Data Query | Browsing questions and tabulating indicators without downloading files |
| Census-hosted NSCH Codebook (linked from the Census datasets page) | Interactive 2025 NSCH Codebook | Looking up variable names and response codes |
| Data.gov catalog record | Metadata and links for the 2016-2024 files (36 resources, separate screener and topical, SAS and Stata); access level public; license CC0 1.0; last updated 26 August 2025 | Citing and discovering the dataset record; checking licence |
Steps for a first download
- Open the Census Bureau NSCH program page and follow the link to its datasets page.
- Choose the survey year you need (dataset pages run 2016 through 2025).
- Choose the file format that matches your software: SAS or Stata.
- Use the screener or topical file according to the question set you are analysing; the catalog lists them separately.
- Download the Topical Variable List and Topical Frequencies (PDFs, listed for 2025) and open the NSCH Codebook to confirm variable names and response codes.
- Read the guidance documents listed on the datasets page before running estimates: the Data User FAQs, the Guide to Multiply Imputed Data Analysis, the Guide to Multi-Year Analysis and the NSCH Analytic Guide.
Strengths and limits
- National and state-level measures. The data are published for key measures of child health at both levels (Data.gov record).
- Open licence. The catalog record states CC0 1.0, which matters for data management plans and redistribution of derived materials.
- Multiply imputed data. The Census page publishes a dedicated guide to multiply imputed data analysis, so treat imputation handling as part of your analysis plan, not an afterthought.
- Multi-year pooling needs care. The Census page publishes a separate Guide to Multi-Year Analysis; read it before combining years.
- Separate annual releases. Each year is published as its own dataset, so plan analyses around the documented guidance rather than assuming a panel that follows the same children (compare panel surveys).
Related national health surveys
| Survey | CASRAI guide |
|---|---|
| National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) | NHIS: design, data and access |
| Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) | BRFSS questionnaire, codebook and data guide |
| National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) | NSDUH guide |
For method background, see survey weighting, how codebooks work and secondary data analysis.
FAQ
What does NSCH stand for?
National Survey of Children’s Health. It is sponsored by HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau and covers children aged 0-17.
Is the NSCH data free to download?
Yes. The Data.gov record lists access level as public with a CC0 1.0 licence, and the files are hosted on census.gov.
Where is the NSCH codebook?
The Census datasets page links the 2025 NSCH Codebook as a Census-hosted tool (census.gov/data-tools/demo/uccb/nschdict), alongside a Topical Variable List PDF. The CAHMI Data Resource Center provides the separate Interactive Data Query.
Can I combine NSCH years?
The Census Bureau publishes a Guide to Multi-Year Analysis for this purpose. Follow it rather than stacking files by assumption.
Is the NSCH the same as the National Student Clearinghouse?
No. The survey described here is a federal child health survey; “NSCH degree verification” searches refer to the National Student Clearinghouse.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau: National Survey of Children’s Health (read 2026-11-07)
- U.S. Census Bureau: NSCH datasets (read 2026-11-07)
- Data.gov: National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) (read 2026-11-07)
