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.

Contact Us
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

Some surprising educational statistics from Southside and Southwest Va.

The Roanoke Times

"The Weldon Cooper website gets to the heart of the matter: 'The large number of graduating students from areas such as Southwest Virginia and Southside is promising; however, the degree to which these students return to these regions is small.'"

How job requirements are changing

The Roanoke Times

"The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia recently posted an excellent discussion of these trends on its statchatva.org site"

Number of kids in Virginia public schools is down for the first time since the 1980s

The Virginian Pilot

"The enrollment drop is ever so slight...but 'It is one we’ve been expecting,' said Hamilton Lombard, a researcher at UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center, which sets the state’s official population estimates each year. 'It just happened a little sooner than we expected.'” Read Lombard's article, Virginia's school enrollment declined in 2018 for the first time in decades.

Demography reveals the true state of the Commonwealth

The Roanoke Times

"If you want to really understand the State of the Commonwealth, we refer you to the latest population estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. They paint a much truer picture of what’s really happening..."

Virginia's Unemployment Numbers Show More Women Are Out of Work Than Men

Virginia Public Radio

“'Six out of 10 individuals who are out of work in Virginia are women.' That’s Shonel Sen at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.” Read Sen's article, Gender differences in Virginia's out-of-work population.