People with ESRD are at a high risk for hip fracture. However, the effect of moderate to severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hip fracture risk has not been well studied. As part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, information on both kidney function and history of hip fracture was obtained. This survey is a complex, multistage, probability sample of the US noninstitutionalized civilian population and was conducted between 1988 and 1994. A history of hip fracture was identified from the response to a questionnaire that was administered to all participants. There were 159 cases of hip fracture. There was a significantly increased likelihood of reporting a hip fracture in participants with estimated GFR <60 ml/min (odds ratio [OR] 2.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18 to 3.80). In younger participants (aged 50 to 74 yr), the prevalence of CKD was approximately three-fold higher in those with a history of hip fracture versus in those without a history of hip fracture (19.0 versus 6.2%, respectively; P = 0.04). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only the presence of CKD (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.13 to 4.74), a reported history of osteoporosis (OR 2.52; 95% CI 1.08 to 5.91), and low physical activity levels (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.03 to 4.27) were associated with a history of hip fracture. There is a significant association between hip fracture and moderate to severe degrees of CKD, particularly in younger individuals, that is independent of traditional risk factors for hip fracture.