Overview

Part of the mission of the Applied Population Laboratory is to serve as a Wisconsin resource and clearinghouse for demographic data, census products and programs, research on population and community issues, and provision of data facilitation or consultation. We respond to requests for these kinds of services from citizens, policy makers, public agencies, private organizations and other state residents who need information for planning, evaluation, decision making, or research. We also provide resources that “push” these services out to broad audiences, such as interactive, on-line databases; publications; newsletters; and active education and outreach programs. Working under the two umbrella programs listed below, the APL provides most of these services to Wisconsin citizens at no or low cost.

Wisconsin State Data Center and Business and Industry Data Center

The U.S. Census Bureau cooperates with a network of State Data Centers across the country to provide access to census data and products, training related to census data and products, and feedback to the U.S. Census Bureau. The APL shares responsibilities with the Wisconsin Demographic Services Center in this federal-state partnership program called the State Data Center and Business and Industry Data Center for the state of Wisconsin. In this role, the APL disseminates data and provides outreach, training, and technology transfer focused on U.S. Census Bureau products and programs which respond to the needs of data users at the local level.

University of Wisconsin State Cooperative Extension

Several staff in the APL have Extension appointments and the APL itself has a long history of involvement with Cooperative Extension. Much of Cooperative Extension’s demography program is largely delivered through the APL and the program most often translates into providing training, data consulting and other forms of direct support and assistance through Extension’s network of campus specialists and county-based educators. Through Extension, APL staff and faculty design integrated programs delivering data assistance, information consulting and applied research to meet the changing needs of the state’s citizens.

Additional Information

To speak with APL staff about State Data Center or UW Extension programs, contact Dan Veroff or James Beaudoin.