Health and Retirement Study

What Health and Retirement Study does

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal panel study operated by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, headquartered at 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1990, HRS surveys a representative sample of approximately 20,000 Americans aged 50 and older on a biennial basis, collecting multidisciplinary data across income and wealth, health and healthcare utilization, work and retirement, and family connections. The study has progressively expanded its data products to include the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) for dementia, biomarker data, genetic data (including APOE, telomere, and polygenic scores), stored biosamples, and individual-level administrative linkages to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs, and the National Death Index.

Name

Health and Retirement Study

Legal name

The Regents of the University of Michigan

Website

https://hrs.isr.umich.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Data Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs) (923130)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Statistics & Reporting (National/State/Local Indicators) (HLAJAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Evaluation & Health Technology Assessment (Public Programs) (HLAJANAL), Health, Wellness & Healthy Aging Education (Chronic disease, mobility, nutrition) (EDAAAMAG), Employer Wellness & Population Health Programs (HLAEAAAH)

Keywords

• Longitudinal panel study
• Aging research data
• Retirement income research
• Health economics data
• Social science surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: The study is primarily funded through federal grants. The most recent renewal in 2024 provides $195 million from the National Institute on Aging with co-funding from the Social Security Administration. The study began in 1990 with continuous NIA funding.
2. Data Access Services: The study provides public data products at no cost to registered researchers, with enhanced access (sensitive health data, restricted data) requiring additional applications and approvals. No commercial revenue is generated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal panel study operated by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research that surveys approximately 20,000 Americans aged 50 or older on a biennial basis. It collects and disseminates multidisciplinary data on income and wealth, health and use of health services, work and retirement, and family connections, with extensions into biomarkers, genetics, cognition (HCAP), and administrative record linkages. Data products are offered at no cost to registered academic researchers and policy analysts, with sensitive and restricted tiers requiring additional application and approval.

Product overview

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a major longitudinal panel study at the University of Michigan that tracks approximately 20,000 Americans aged 50 or older. The study operates as a data infrastructure platform offering multiple data products: the core HRS longitudinal survey with public and restricted access tiers; specialized products including Sensitive Biomarker and Health Data, Cognition Data (including HCAP for dementia assessment), Genetic Data, and Biosamples; RAND HRS Products developed by the RAND Center for Aging; and supplementary research initiatives like COVID-19 surveys and Life History Data. Data access ranges from freely available public files requiring registration to sensitive/restricted data requiring additional applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 629,000 bibliography searches in 2024, indicating extensive research utilization
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RAND Center for the Study of AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreates user-friendly versions of much of the HRS public data, including the widely-used RAND HRS Longitudinal File. RAND HRS products are distributed through the HRS data portal and represent the most accessible entry point for new users.
• HCAP NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration funded by the National Institute on Aging to measure and understand dementia risk within ongoing longitudinal studies of aging. HRS-HCAP is part of this network to harmonize and facilitate cross-national comparisons.
• Gateway to Global Aging DatacoreTechnology or IntegrationProduces compatible datasets and facilitates cross-national comparisons across the international family of aging studies. Hosts the question concordance tool for cross-study harmonization.
• Health and Retirement Studies Around the World (U24 Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U24 network facilitates harmonization of design and content across aging studies internationally, with HRS as the model study.
• Global Alzheimer's Association Network (GAAIN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRS is a member of GAAIN, a data community for cohort discovery and data exploration that promotes data sharing among a federated, global network of data partners studying Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
• NIA Demography of Aging CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of aging centers promoting collaboration and serving as an access channel for federal government, policy makers, researchers, and the general public.
• International Family of StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowing network of longitudinal studies of aging around the world for which HRS is the model. Includes studies like ELSA (England), SHARE (Europe), JSTAR (Japan), KLoSA (Korea), and others harmonized with HRS.
• Genetic Data ConsortiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRS participates in multiple genetic data consortia where genetic data is pooled to increase statistical power across scientific studies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hrsisr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-and-retirement-study

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health and Retirement Study