About Council Research

Focusing on the demographics and development of the Twin Cities area, Metropolitan Council Research analyzes, interprets and disseminates regional intelligence to inform planning and decision-making.

Fulfilling this mission, the core products of Council Research include:

  • Annual estimates of population, households, and average size for each county, city and township in the seven-county metropolitan area, as required by state statute;
  • Long-term forecasts of population, household and employment used in the Council’s Regional Development Framework;
  • Ongoing analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data as a Census State Data Center affiliate;
  • Generalized Land Use Inventory, quinquennially coding the land use across the seven-county region;
  • Building Permits Surveys, used as an input into the annual estimates model;
  • Affordable Housing Production Survey; and also
  • Metropolitan Residents Survey.


For more information about Council Research, contact: