What Is The Demographics Research Group?

The Demographics Research Group conducts practical and policy-oriented analysis of census and demographic data; and communicates rigorous research and its policy implications to decision makers and the general public through meaningful publications and presentations.

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Population Data

Access the official Virginia population projections and estimates and our national population projections. 

View Our Latest Population Data
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Demographic Analysis

Explore trends in population, regional distribution, politics, school enrollment, and migration. 

Follow our Current research
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Data Visualization

Understand the changing human landscape in Virginia and nationally through powerful data visualizations.

Explore Data Visualization
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Demographics Research Group Staff

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Qian Cai

Director

Phone: (434) 982-5581

Qian Cai (pronounced “chien tsai”) is director of the Demographics Research Group at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of population statistics, and national reputation in applied demography, Qian oversees the group’s data production and research, ensures top quality publications and client service.

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Amy Muldoon

Project Manager

Phone: (434) 982-0812

Amy Muldoon is a project manager for the Demographics Research Group. Her areas of interest and expertise include website design, printed and online design work, project management and coordination, and data security.

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Spencer Allen Shanholtz

Research and Policy Analyst

Phone: 434-982-4770

Spencer Shanholtz is a Research and Policy Analyst for the Demographics Research Group at the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. His expertise is in statistical and economic analysis and data visualization with special focus on regional and geospatial information. He has demonstrated experience related to housing, transportation, demographics, and policy analysis.

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Hamilton Lombard

Research & Policy Analyst

Phone: (434) 982-5698

Hamilton Lombard is a research specialist for the Demographics Research Group at the University of Virginia Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. His expertise is in demographic change, particularly the different components of population growth and decline, population estimates, school enrollment projections, and the effect of government policy on population patterns.

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Kyaw Khine

Research & Policy Analyst

Phone: (434) 982-5690

Kyaw Khine is a Research and Policy Analyst for the Demographics Research Group. He has a background in policy analysis, data analysis, and Geographic Information System.

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Shonel Sen

Research & Policy Analyst

Phone: (434) 982-5861

Shonel Sen is a Research and Policy Analyst for the Demographics Research Group. Her interdisciplinary interests bring together elements from the fields of Regional Economics, Population Change, and Public Policy. She is currently responsible for developing local, state, and national population projections, in addition to other customized demographic and socioeconomic research projects.

News

Wildly distorted data from Virginia’s census could have ‘decade-long consequences,’ warn U.Va. researchers

The Virginian-Pilot
“'A rural, declining, old, predominant white community, for example, may appear instead growing, younger, and more diverse,' Meredith Strohm Gunter, the Cooper Center’s director, wrote in a memo earlier this year to Gov. Ralph Northam."

There's no place like home for telecommuters

The Roanoke Times
"As of 2018, more than 10,500 people in the Roanoke metro area primarily worked from home, said Hamilton Lombard, a demographer with Weldon Cooper."

The new Census algorithm is wiping out cities’ populations and miscounting minorities

Salon

"Meredith Gunter of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia warned Gov. Ralph Northam in a January memo that data on the sub-state level 'will be sacrificed" for privacy, which could lead to "misallocation of funds, poor capacity for planning… '"

Changing Times: A demographic revolution is transforming how Virginians live — and vote

Virginia Business

"Since the last U.S. Census in 2010, Virginia’s population has grown an estimated 6.7% to 8.5 million, according to the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia."

Chesapeake has now passed Norfolk as Virginia’s second most populous city, new data show

The Virginian-Pilot
"Chesapeake has surpassed Norfolk to become the commonwealth’s second-most populous city, according to recently released estimates from the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service."