The Demographics and Workforce Group at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

is a research and training organization responsible for producing annual population estimates for the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

History

The Demographics and Workforce Group was first formed on June 1, 1940, when the Virginia State Planning Board appointed Lorin Thompson as the director. The Demographics and Workforce Group began producing

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

county and city population estimates in the late 1950s. In 1967, when the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

undertook its federal-state cooperative program to improve population estimates, Governor

Mills Godwin Mills Edwin Godwin Jr. (November 19, 1914January 30, 1999) was an American politician who was the 60th and 62nd governor of Virginia for two non-consecutive terms, from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1978. In his first term, he was a member of ...

designated the Demographics and Workforce Group Virginia's "official source of statistics on population."

Legal mandate

The ''Code of Virginia'' stipulates that the Weldon Cooper Center Demographics and Workforce Group's annual population estimates shall be preferred over those estimates produced by the census bureau and used in any governmental formulae or decisions requiring population estimates. § 15.2-4202. Definitions: ""Population," unless a different census is clearly set forth, means the number of inhabitants according to the United States census latest preceding the time at which any provision dependent upon population is being applied, or the time as of which it is being construed, unless there is available an annual estimate of population prepared by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service of the University of Virginia, which has been filed with the Department of Housing and Community Development, in which event the estimate shall govern"

Accuracy

In 2010 the

Demographics and Workforce Group's Virginia county and city population estimates have been shown to be more accurate than the census bureau's. The discrepancy between the two population estimates is in large part due to Demographics and Workforce Group using an estimates methodology ratio correlation that is more applicable to Virginia's unique local government structure.Region finally saw a dip in population – if you believe the U.S. Census
retrieved 20 April 2011.

References

External links

Demographics and Workforce Group

The Weldon Cooper Center

The University of Virginia
{{University of Virginia Demographics and Workforce Group Demographics of Virginia 1944 establishments in Virginia