How to Calculate Vital Statistics Rates

The term vital statistics refers to a set of publicly available data about four vital events: birth, death, marriage, and divorce. States are responsible for gathering, reporting and keeping copies of data in these four categories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gathers the information from states and makes it available at a national level.

Instructions

Birth Data

• 1

  Population statistics are available from the CDC.

  Calculate birth rates by dividing the total number of live births over a one year period by the total population during that year, then multiplying by one thousand.

  Birth rates are expressed as "births per 1,000 people" in order to make them comparable between different communities. This is a measure of how fast a population is growing.

• 2

  Calculate fertility rates by dividing the total number of births over a one year period by the total population of women ages 15-44 during that year, then multiplying by one thousand.

  Fertility rates are expressed as "births per 1,000 women" in order to make them comparable between different communities. This rate is used to evaluate how many children, on average, are born to women in a community.

• 3

  Calculate population-specific rates by limiting analysis to certain ages, ethnic groups or regions.

Mortality Data

• 4

  Calculate death rates by dividing the total number of deaths over a one year period by the total population during that year, then multiplying by one thousand.

  Death rates are expressed as "deaths per 1,000 people" in order to make them comparable between different communities.

• 5

  Calculate life expectancy by determining the average age of death for a given year. Crude life expectancy is defined as the expected age of death of a person born in a given year, assuming that they experience death at the same age as those who died during that same year.

  for example, in 2006, the average age of death for the entire population of the United States was 77.7 years. This means that a child born in 2006 can expect to live approximately 77.7 years. Calculations for persons at other ages are made based on this starting number and are included in what is typically called a "life table." Life tables are available on the CDC website.

• 6

  Calculate infant mortality by dividing the total number of deaths of children under one year of age over a one year period by the total number of live births during that year, then multiplying by one thousand.

  Infant mortality rates are expressed as "deaths per 1,000 live births" to make them comparable between different communities.

• 7

  Calculate population-specific rates by limiting analysis to certain ages, ethnic groups or regions.

Marriage and Divorce Rates

• 8

  Calculate marriage rates by dividing the total number of marriages over a one year period by the total population during that year, then multiplying by one thousand.

  Marriage rate=(Total marriages/Total population)x(1,000).

  Marriage rates are expressed as "marriages per 1,000 people" in order to make them comparable between different communities.

• 9

  Calculate divorce rates by dividing the total number of divorces over a one year period by the total population during that year, then multiplying by one thousand.

  Divorce rates are expressed as "marriages per 1,000 people" in order to make them comparable between different communities.

• 10

  Calculate population-specific rates by limiting analysis to certain ages, ethnic groups or regions.