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Blog & News

timeline of key events for the Census and American Community Survey (ACS). Details in text.
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the American Community Survey: The History and Impact of Surveying American Communities
What is the American Community Survey? Our latest blog walks readers through a brief history of the ACS, including a basic explanation of how the ACS operates, information on ACS data collection, and how ACS data is used by researchers and policymakers. Read More
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Examples of Federal Health Data Preservation Efforts Across the U.S.
Federal developments in 2025 have led to concerns about the future of numerous data sources. This blog consolidates 22 examples of federal data preservation, tracking, and innovation efforts related to health data in a clear and organized table. Read More
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Taking the Pulse of the Nation’s Households: The Value of Real-Time Survey Data During an Era of Rapid Policy Change
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) has been a key data source providing timely survey data to policymakers. Learn more about the HPS and the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS) in this blog. Read More
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Lost Years: Using Premature Deaths Data to Understand Public Health Trends and Subgroup Variation
In this blog, we use premature deaths data to understand public health trends. We also analyze variation in premature deaths across demographic subgroups. Read More
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Premature Deaths: Understanding Years of Potential Life Lost as a Measure of Public Health
On SHADAC’s State Health Compare website, we offer a measure called “premature deaths,” which estimates the number of years of potential life lost prior to age 75 (an approximation of U.S. life expectancy) per 100,000 people. Learn more in this blog. Read More
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2024 U.S. Unemployment Rate Saw Increase for the First Time Since 2020, Differences Seen by Race/Ethnicity, by State
In 2024, the national unemployment rate increased for the first time since 2020. Using the State Health Compare data tool, we also saw that unemployment rate varied by race/ethnicity and by state; learn more in this blog. Read More
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The Landscape of Major Federal Health Survey Data Releases in 2025
This blog documents the expected 2025 releases of data from many federal health-related surveys and the data's current status—published (on-time or delayed); not yet published; or status remains uncertain. Read More
A Brief Overview of Several Federal Health-Related Surveys
As a complement to our Survey Data Finder, this blog provides very brief, one- or two-paragraph summaries of each of the surveys included, to help users of the tool to better understand the main focus and specifics that may make them particularly well-suited to certain uses in comparison to other… Read More
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Access to Affordable Mental Health Care in Minnesota: Study Shows Many Adults Experiencing Frequent Mentally Unhealthy Days and Facing Cost Barriers to Mental Health Care
In this blog, we use MNHA data to better understand access to mental health care and health care affordability in Minnesota. Our study's results suggest that individuals with unmet needs for mental health care in Minnesota may also have difficulty accessing it due to cost barriers. Read More
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What Are MOUD? A Review of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, How They Work, and Issues with Access
What are MOUD? In this blog, we explore Medications for Opioid Use Disorder, reviewing a definition for OUD, a list of currently approved MOUD, how these medications work, and current barriers for their access and use. Read More