We find and interpret data to help you make better decisions.
Work with usLocated within the Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, we use population-level data and other available research to provide context and perspective to people working to shape North Carolina’s future.
Our clients include local and state governments, foundations, businesses, schools, and not-for profit organizations who need accurate and specific information to make decisions and better understand their communities. We are non-partisan, rigorous, and approachable: Our team pairs a wide array of demographic and research consulting services with your subject matter expertise, leaving you with the data and analysis you need to make informed decisions.
Source: U.S.Census Bureau, NC OSBM
We know where to find relevant data and can translate complex information based on the questions you need to answer. We can also help you determine what questions you should be asking.
Using Stata, SAS and R, we can project populations or school enrollments that give insight into how your community will shift in the coming years.
We can identify potential policy responses to demographic change and analyze the impact of current or proposed policies on specific populations.
We convene and engage your stakeholders and decision-makers to facilitate understanding and dialogue and strengthen the capacity of your organization to communicate data-driven ideas.
In 2020, the NC Counts Coalition provided funding to more than 60 NC-based organizations working to reach the communities most at-risk of being undercounted in the 2020 Census. The Coalition had previously worked with Carolina Demography to create a map…
Completing the FAFSA is strongly and positively associated with postsecondary enrollment. An analysis of data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 88% of high school seniors who completed a FAFSA in 2012-13 had attended college by February…
Background Creating structure around data Our clients were, in their words “swimming in data soup.” They often had to collaborate together on county and town-level projects, and wanted to ensure that they were using numbers from the same data sources…
What determines if an area is rural or not? Why is it relevant to distinguish between urban and rural at all? In this post, we talk about why defining rural areas is difficult, and how doing so correctly can improve…
The pandemic has increased the rate of homeschooling substantially, both nationally and at the state level. In North Carolina, the number of home schooled students increased by 21% from 2019-20 (149,173 students) to 2020-21 (179,900 students). In this blog post,…
A growing number of Americans are teaching their children at home. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of homeschooled students nearly doubled nationally from 850,000 in 1999 to 1,690,000 in 2016. The percentage of students who…