Posts written by Melody Kramer
Keep up with our latest demographic insights
With UNC and Duke playing each other in the Final Four this weekend, all eyes will be on central North Carolina. As local demographers based at UNC (#GoHeels), we have a professional obligation to present some demographic facts about both Orange County, NC and Durham County, NC. Percentage of first-time undergraduate students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (entering in fall) from... Orange County: 8.3 Durham County: 3.8 Source: myinsight.northcarolina.edu Population 2010:…
There are three key data sets from the U.S. Census Bureau that we use to understand population trends: the decennial census, the American Community Survey (ACS), and population and housing unit estimates. (Background: a deep dive into each of these data sources). These sources are similar, but not quite the same, which can lead to questions from data users. Here is a summary of some of the questions we’ve received from data users and/or seen…
As an applied demography group located within a research university, we are always looking for ways to share what we learn with the public and highlight work that takes place within our domain. Today, we're kicking off a series of interviews with interesting people from all across North Carolina who frequently use demographic data in their work. If you'd like to nominate someone (or yourself) for this series, please reach out to demography@unc.edu - this…
Today we are launching a new tool with myFutureNC to help you visualize educational indicators at the county-level. The County Explorer map tool provides a bird's eye view of county performance and uses data from the 2020 County Profiles. To use the County Explorer tool, select an indicator from the drop-down menu in the left sidebar. Information about the county will be displayed in the right side bar, along with a link to the corresponding…
This piece will be updated throughout the week as more questions come in. If you have a question about redistricting (or are a journalist writing a piece) please email demography@unc.edu and we'll do our best to answer your question. We have been receiving a lot of questions concerning redistricting and the upcoming release of the redrawn maps in North Carolina. We’ve talked about redistricting a lot, including what it is, why it’s complicated, and what…
Paul Delamater, a health geographer and our colleague at the Carolina Population Center, is providing up-to-date estimates of COVID-19 cases and forecasts of vaccination across North Carolina. In addition to estimates, Delamater and a team of researchers are mapping: Schools NC COVID-19 Case Rates by School District (over the past 2 weeks) NC COVID-19 Case Rates by School District (over the past week) What CDC transmission category each school district across the state is in,…
Redistricting data from the 2020 census will be released today, Aug. 12 at 1 p.m. ET. The redistricting files are expected to be uploaded to the Census Bureau's FTP site. What's included? The August 12th release will include: Race and ethnicity statistics. (Related blog post from Census Bureau) A new Diversity Index. Population down to the census block level. Race for the voting age population of people over 18 years old. Population totals for people…
The Verge recently published a county-by-county look at the broadband gap, showing counties across the country where less than 15 percent of households are using the internet at broadband speeds (25 Mbps or above.) In NC, 20 of our 100 counties meet this definition of "low broadband." A new program from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is trying to fill that gap. In late February, the FCC announced that they were launching a new Emergency…
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to release the latest state population counts on April 26, 2021 at 3 PM ET. These numbers, the first results from the 2020 Census, are used to determine how many congressional seats each state has in the House of Representatives. We’ve received a lot of questions about the upcoming release. I recently spoke to Rebecca Tippett, the founding director of Carolina Demography, about the release and what’s expected to happen…
The U.S. Census Bureau plans to release the latest state population counts by April 30, 2021. These numbers, the first results from the 2020 Census, are used to determine how many congressional seats each state has in the House of Representatives. We've received a lot of questions about the upcoming release. I recently spoke to Rebecca Tippett, the founding director of Carolina Demography, about the upcoming release and what's expected to happen in North Carolina.…
Your support is critical to our mission of measuring, understanding, and predicting population change and its impact. Donate to Carolina Demography today.