Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS): Industry and Occupation Module
CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) includes optional modules that states and territories can elect to include in their surveys. The industry and occupation optional module collects important demographic information about the type of work done by employed adults.
Survey participants who are employed for wages, self-employed, or out of work for less than one year at the time of their interview are defined as “employed” and asked:
Industry
“What kind of business or industry do you work in, for example, hospital, elementary school, clothing manufacturing, restaurant?”
Occupation
“What kind of work do you do, for example, registered nurse, janitor, cashier, auto mechanic?”
Participants’ responses are coded to standardized industry and occupation numeric codes using the NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System and human coders.
If you have questions about BRFSS industry and occupation data, please email brfssio@cdc.gov.
Industry and Occupation Data Description by Year
The BRFSS industry and occupation module is optional, so the states and territories that participate change each year.
Learn more about the industry and occupation data collected each year:
- Number of states: 22 (and Guam)
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 110,786
- Number of respondents out of work <1 year: 4,794
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset:
- Industry: 102,747 (94.8%)
- Occupation: 97,369 (89.8%)
- States that used the industry and occupation module: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin
* Note: the sample size varies by year and which states participate.
- Number of states: 24
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 91,643
- Number of respondents out of work <1 year: 7,085
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset:
- Industry: 86,668 (95.4%)
- Occupation: 82,869 (91.2%)
- States that used the I&O Module: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Guam
- Number of states: 25
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 99,814
- Number of respondents out of work <1 year: 3,867
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset:
- Industry: 92,370 (96.1%)
- Occupation: 89,434 (93.0%)
- States that used the I&O Module: California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin
- Number of states: 30
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 122,957
- Number of respondents out of work <1 year: 4,649
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset:
- Industry: 113,015 (95.8%)
- Occupation: 107,083 (90.8%)
- States that used the I&O Module: California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin
- Number of states: 22
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 91,307
- Number of respondents out of work <1 year: 3,800
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset:
- Industry: 84,325 (96.7%)
- Occupation: 81,771 (93.9%)
- States that used the I&O Module: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin
- Number of states: 25
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 121,501
- Number of respondents out of work <1 year: 4,976
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset:
- Industry: 112,825 (95.4%)
- Occupation: 109,597 (92.7%)
- States that used the I&O Module: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin
- Number of states: 25
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 100,700
- Number of respondents out of work for < 1 year: 4,128
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset: industry 95,562 (91.2%), occupation: 92,586 (88.3%)
- States that used the I&O Module: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
- Number of states: 25
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 104,885
- Number of respondents out of work for < 1 year: 4,183
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset: industry 101,722 (93.3%), occupation: 98,060 (89.9%)
- States that used the I&O Module: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington.
- Number of states: 21
- Number of currently employed respondents*: 102,258
- Number of respondents out of work for < 1 year: 5,069
- Number (%) of codable records included in the dataset: industry 92,960 (86.6%), occupation: 89,342 (83.2%)
- States that used the I&O Module: California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin. In addition, Washington and Wyoming used equivalent state-added I&O questions in 2013. Their data are included in the NIOSH dataset and may be used by external researchers with permission from the state BRFSS coordinators.
Strengths and Limitations of This Data
If you are analyzing or interpreting BRFSS industry and occupation data, please note the following data strengths and limitations.
Strength
The large sample size allows for analyses of major and detailed industry and occupation groups.
Limitations
- BRFSS industry and occupation data are not nationally representative. Not all states collect industry and occupation. Comparisons between years need to be restricted to states that administered the module in those years.
- Industry and occupation are not part of the sampling design. BRFSS data are not representative of individual industries and occupations.
- Some industries and occupations may be misclassified due to non-specific responses.
- BRFSS data are not representative for active-duty military. Branches of the U.S. armed forces should be excluded from analyses.
Request Access to the Industry and Occupation Data
BRFSS datasets that include industry and occupation are confidential, sensitive, and not available to the public.
Researchers wishing to analyze BRFSS industry and occupation data should contact CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)’s Research Data Center (RDC).
BRFSS public-use datasets are available at https://www.cdc.gov/brfss.
Tips for BRFSS Interviewers
The following materials provide guidance for BRFSS interviewers on how to collect high quality industry and occupation data.
- How to Capture High Quality Industry and Occupation Responses 2022 pdf icon[PDF – 2 MB]
- Tips for BRFSS Interviewers 2022 pdf icon[PDF – 93 KB]
Learn more general tips about collecting industry and occupation data.
Chart the BRFSS Industry and Occupation Data
Worker Health Charts allows you to assess the data based on your interests, evaluate specific industry and occupation groups, and examine results adjusted for demographic differences.
If you would like the data dictionary that Worker Health Charts uses for the BRFSS industry and occupation data, please email brfssio@cdc.gov.
Publications and Related Resources
Statistical Brief for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Industry and Occupation Optional Module
This document provides guidance for BRFSS coordinators and researchers who would like to analyze data collected through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Industry and Occupation optional module.
Search for BRFSS Industry and Occupation Journal Articles
