CDCdata provides a modern R interface to the CDC’s open data portal (data.cdc.gov), which runs on the Socrata platform. Built on httr2, it offers:
- Dataset discovery - Search and browse available CDC datasets
- Flexible querying - Full SoQL (Socrata Query Language) support
- Automatic pagination - Fetch large datasets with progress indicators
- Rate limiting - Built-in throttling to respect API limits
- Authentication - Optional app tokens for higher rate limits
Authentication
Anonymous requests are limited to ~1,000/hour. Register for an app token at data.cdc.gov to increase rate limits.
# Set for current session
cdc_app_token("your-token-here")Quick Start
library(CDCdata)
# Set for current session
cdc_app_token("your-token-here")
# Search for datasets
cdc_datasets("PLACES")
# Preview a dataset
cdc_preview("swc5-untb") # PLACES: Local Data for Better Health
# Query with filters
cdc_query(
"swc5-untb",
select = c("stateabbr", "locationname", "data_value"),
where = "stateabbr = 'MN' AND year = '2023'"
)
# Fetch large datasets with pagination
places_mn <- cdc_fetch(
"swc5-untb",
where = "stateabbr = 'MN'"
)Popular CDC Datasets
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
swc5-untb |
PLACES | Local health data at county/census tract level |
eav2-2dfu |
BRFSS | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance |
9mfq-cb36 |
COVID-19 Cases | Case surveillance data |
bi63-dtpu |
Mortality | Multiple cause of death data |
n8mc-b4w4 |
Vaccinations | Vaccination coverage data |
Find more at data.cdc.gov or use cdc_datasets().
Disclaimer: This is an independent, open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the U.S. Government. The original author is a federal contractor supporting CDC but developed this package independently. All data accessed through this package is publicly available via data.cdc.gov.