The Minnesota State Demographic Center (SDC), part of the Minnesota Department of Administration, is the main provider of demographic data and analysis for the state of Minnesota. Susan Brower is the current Minnesota State Demographer, a role she has held since 2012.
Many of the Center's tasks are set forth in Minnesota State Statute 4A.02, which begins by outlining that the State Demographer "shall continuously gather and develop demographic data relevant to the state."
The SDC serves as an official liaison to the U.S. Census Bureau. The SDC assists with education, outreach, and promotion related to each decennial (10-year) census, to ensure the fullest and most accurate count of Minnesota's population for the purposes of congressional representation and redistricting.
Except for the years when decennial censuses are conducted, the SDC creates independent estimates of population and households for most communities, counties, and the state as a whole. However, the SDC adopts the estimates produced by the Metropolitan Council for the geographies comprising the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan region.
The SDC independently produces a variety of projections, including long-term projections for Minnesota by age, gender, race and ethnicity; total population projections for counties and economic development regions; as well as labor force projections for the state as a whole.
Furthermore, the SDC analyzes and distributes data from the federal and state government and other sources to monitor key trends, especially in the areas of economics, education, fertility, workforce, health, immigration, income and poverty.
The SDC is often called upon to inform policy-making and planning efforts at the State Capitol, state agencies and beyond. The State Demographer and other staff members of the SDC regularly provide insight to media contacts writing about demographics trends and present to audiences around Minnesota, reaching more than 4,000 listeners each year.
The State Demographic Center assists policymakers, state and local governments, businesses, nonprofits, the media, and all Minnesotans locate and understand the demographic data they need to make smart decisions.
