Data request service

Our unit has various data sources in-house and we know of many more. The best way to get a sense of the data we have available is to look at our reports, in particular, Community Health Indicators.

We most commonly use data on Vital Statistics (births and deaths), hospitalizations, and population estimates; we also have data on additional population-based, health-related topics. For much of our information on health behaviors and risks, we use either the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), or the Healthy Youth Survey (HYS), and we also use census/American Community Survey (ACS) data extensively. If what you're looking for is not already available, our data request service assists users by performing customized analyses of the data sets we have available. Also, we often know of others in the field under consideration who are doing work of interest, and are happy to help requesters connect with appropriate contacts.

Data request policy

If none of the above-mentioned sources have data which fit a requester's data needs, and if the question is one which we have data to address, we can do a customized data analysis for a requester as timeline and capacity permit. Our policy is to offer the first two hours of staff time for a particular project free of charge (this includes time for phone conversations and e-mail correspondence); beyond that time frame we charge $100 an hour, with a three-hour minimum. We are now staffed on Mondays and Thursdays. Our goal is to fulfill data requests in three weeks or less, on a first-come, first-served basis. However, on occasion our work plan does not permit us to answer requests within three weeks. On those occasions a completion time will be mutually agreed upon.

How to make an effective data request

E-mailing your request to data.request@kingcounty.gov with the information below will make the process smoother. We will contact you within 24 hours. Take a look at our Community Health Indicators site. We might already have what you're looking for.

Please include the following in your data request:

1. Contact info (name, email, and phone)
   
   
2. Date needed
   When do you need this by? We often have competing urgent requests so prioritizing may be necessary.
   
   
3. Purpose of the request (program planning, grant, research paper, etc.)
   Briefly describe your program, grant, paper, or project. Context helps us understand your request, and we may know of other relevant data to help.
   
   
4. Is this request related to a past request, and/or do you have a table or chart you would like duplicated?
   It helps us to see past correspondence and copies of the tables or charts you want us to reproduce/update.
   
   
5. Specific data needed or desired, even if you think it may not be available (we can help identify available data).
   Examples: Details on particular cause(s) of death, difference between current asthma vs. ever told to have asthma, percent below 100% or 200% or 300% of Federal Poverty Level, etc. 
   
   
6. Specific data source, if known
   • Vital Statistics (Examples: birth, death, hospitalizations)
   • Survey data (Examples: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, Healthy Youth Survey)
   • Census Bureau data (2000 Census, American Community Survey, other demographic data)
   • Other
     
     
7. Time frame of data (we can clarify for you what is the most recent year of data available)
   Examples: Are data from the most recent year of data OK? Most recent three years? Do you want to look at trends over a longer period? And,, how old is too old (for example, for a 2009 grant application, is 2000 census data OK)?
   
   
8. Geographic area
   Examples: State, King County (KC), KC city, KC health planning area, zip, tract, block group
   
   
9. Demographic characteristics -- please specify how you want these to be analyzed
   Examples: Age groups (which age groupings), race/ethnicity (with Latino as ethnicity or race), gender, etc.
   
   
10. Be aware that as you define more specific categories, the number of cases for analysis gets smaller. If the numbers get too small to be reported, what could be aggregated? (we can assist with this decision)
    Examples: Broader age groups? Larger geographic area? A group of years rather than single years?
    
    
11. Format preferred
    Examples: Excel table, chart, map, narrative

Finally, we encourage you to think through your entire request and ask for all aspects of what you expect to need—it is faster and easier for us to do multiple analyses at one time rather than in batches, which means you get your information sooner. We do understand that sometimes the first batch of results leads to more questions, but sometimes a thoughtful process in advance can be more efficient!