Providing a unified and comprehensive treatment of the theory and techniques of sub-national population estimation, this much-needed publication does more than collate disparate source material. It examines hitherto unexplored methodological links between differing types of estimation from both the demographic and sample-survey traditions and is a self-contained primer that combines academic rigor with a wealth of real-world examples that are useful models for demographers. Between censuses, which are expensive, administratively complex, and thus infrequent, demographers and government officials must estimate population using either demographic modeling techniques or statistical surveys that sample a fraction of residents. These estimates play a central role in vital decisions that range from funding allocations and rate-setting to education, health and housing provision. They also provide important data to companies undertaking market research. However, mastering small-area and sub-national population estimation is complicated by scattered, incomplete and outdated academic sources—an issue this volume tackles head-on. Rapidly increasing population mobility is making inter-census estimation ever more important to strategic planners. This book will make the theory and techniques involved more accessible to anyone with an interest in developing or using population estimates.

The purpose of this workshop is to present the basics of population estimation in a way that will enable participants to make good use of existing estimates and, from this starting point, move on to estimating populations not covered by the Statistics Canada Estimation Program.

This text aims to help the novice understand demographic variables and analyze their impact on specific private and public sector interests. Examples are employed to demonstrate a wide range of techniques, and the book discusses software products from the 1990 US census that may revolutionize the use of demographic data by business and government.

Discussing the scope and key concepts of the study of population, it considers the basic processes of fertility, mortality, migration, population composition, demography data and population processes, and assesses the problems within the field.