MsPOSSUM's BRFSS Survey Analysis
Explore CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System with complex-survey statistics for every US state, 2011–2024.
NOTE: This site is currently under active development and is provided for testing and review purposes only.
Find a question
Browse the Cheat Sheet tab to see every question a state asked, in which years, and its response options.
Make your selections
In the Data Selection panel, pick a state, optionally a module/topic, the survey question, and the year(s). Add a stratifier to break results out by group.
Run and explore
Run! fills the Table and Chart tabs. Then try Crosstab, State Comparison, Trends, and the PLACES county Map.
Methodology Notes
Weighted Prevalence
All estimates in this app are survey-weighted, accounting for the complex survey design of BRFSS:
- Uses survey weights (_LLCPWT) to adjust for sampling probabilities
- Uses stratification (_STSTR) and PSU (_PSU) for proper variance estimation
- Provides 95% confidence intervals for population estimates
- When multiple years are pooled, weights are divided by the number of years (per CDC guidance), so estimated population totals represent an annualized average rather than a multi-year sum
Tables also report the unweighted sample size (Sample N) behind each estimate; raw counts alone should not be used for population-level inference.
State Comparison & Trends
Both views estimate the survey-weighted share of ONE response category among everyone who answered the question. State comparisons fit one survey design per state (BRFSS sampling strata never cross states); the US overall reference combines the state estimates by their weighted population shares. Trends fit one design per year -- BRFSS weights are year-specific, so no pooled-weight adjustment applies. Optional subsets (e.g. one race/ethnicity group) are estimated as survey domains.
CDC PLACES (Map Tab)
The Map tab shows CDC PLACES model-based county estimates (2025 release). PLACES combines BRFSS data with the American Community Survey and Census population data in a multilevel statistical model to produce small-area estimates. They are not direct survey tabulations and may differ from the survey estimates in the Table and Chart tabs.
Data Source
Data are from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a collaborative project between the CDC and U.S. states/territories.
BRFSS is the largest continuously conducted health survey in the world, collecting data on health-related risk behaviors, chronic conditions, and use of preventive services.
Limitations
- Self-reported data may be subject to recall and social desirability bias
- Telephone survey excludes populations without phone access
- Response rates vary by state and year
- Some questions are only asked in specific states or modules
- Health insurance type (PRIMINSR/PRIMINS1/PRIMINS2) is only asked from 2021 onwards
BRFSS Survey Questions Reference
Every BRFSS survey question with actual responses in the data. Pick a state to see exactly which questions it asked and in which years; add a topic to narrow to one module or subject.
Response Options for Selected Question
Click a row above to see the response options for that question.
Yearly Trend
How one response to the selected question changed across every year the selected state asked it (the year selection is ignored here). Each year is estimated with its own survey design. Set a stratifier in the Data Selection panel to get one line per group.
State Comparison
Compare every state/territory on one response to the selected question, with the US overall as a dashed reference line. The chosen state is highlighted in coral. Uses the question and year(s) from the Data Selection panel.
Two-Way Crosstabulation
Compare any two variables. Cells show survey-weighted row percentages with 95% CIs: within each row category, percentages across the columns sum to 100%. Uses the state and years from the Data Selection panel.
CDC PLACES County Prevalence Map
Model-based small-area estimates from the CDC PLACES 2025 release. These are modeled county estimates (derived from BRFSS, ACS, and Census data), not the direct survey estimates shown in the other tabs. Uses the state selection from the Data Selection panel.