HUD Housing Assistance Program

Overview

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Linkage Program links NCHS survey data with data from other agencies. NCHS links data from its surveys with program data from the (HUD). These data contain information about—

• Timing of receipt of housing assistance
• Type of housing assistance received
• Structure of the housing unit
• Household characteristics

NCHS surveys linked to HUD administrative data

• National Health Interview Survey (NHIS): 1999–2018
• National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES): 1999–2018

NCHS links surveys to administrative data through 2019 for HUD's largest housing assistance programs—

• The Housing Choice Voucher program
• Public housing
• Privately owned, subsidized multifamily housing

Linked NCHS-HUD data bibliography

• Linked HUD data citation list (rev. 05/12/2025)

Restricted-use

Restricted-use NCHS-HUD data can be accessed only through the NCHS Research Data Center (RDC) network for approved research projects.

Data dictionaries

• Transaction file (02/08/2022)
• Temporal alignment file (02/03/2022)
• Episodes file (02/10/2022)
• Weights file (02/04/2022)

Linkage methods and analytical support

• Linkage of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Survey Data to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Administrative Data: Linkage Methodology and Analytic Considerations (04/28/2023)
• Match rate tables for NCHS-HUD linked data file
• Linkage of 1999–2012 National Health Interview Survey and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Administrative Records (10/2017)

Resources

• Primer on HUD Programs and Associated Administrative Data