Information Requests

The SWMPC collects, analyzes, and interprets large amounts of information about the region to inform its many planning activities. When residents, representatives of the public and private sector, and local governments are in need of data to inform their own planning processes, the SWMPC is happy to access its databases, file cabinets, servers, reports, and staff knowledge to meet those needs.

Examples of past requests have included:

• Regional workforce demographics
• Population growth in certain areas
• Descriptions of residents within certain cities 

Responses from the SWMPC may include:

• Discussion with an SWMPC staff member
• Referral to a current SWMPC report, analysis, map, or project
• Referral to a non-SWMPC resource (report, department, or person)
• Referral to a local, state or national data source (i.e. U.S. Census)
• Creation of a new memorandum or brief

Please contact  John Egelhaaf 269.925.1137 ex. 1512) with any requests for information you may have, or questions about this service.

Many resources exist online. Some that the SWMPC commonly use include:

The Google Public Data Explorer, currently in beta form, allows users to create custom charts and tables, comparing a wide range of data sets across geographies. Of particular interest:

• GDP and Personal Income (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis)
• Unemployment in the U.S. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Population in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Region

• Know Your Region (funded by the U.S. EDA)
• Your Economy (Edward Lowe Foundation)
• Employment Research Data Center (Upjohn Institute)

• 2003 Data Extract (SWMPC)
• Demographics (Southwest Michigan First)
• Data & Tools Upjohn Institute)
• Traffic Counts (SWMPC)

State

• Economic Impacts of Recreation and Tourism (msu.edu)

• Educational Performance and Michigan (Michigan.gov)
• Labor Market Information (Michigan DELEG)
• State and MSA Rankings (YourEconomy.Org)
• U.S. Census Data (Michigan Center for Geographic Information)

Nation

• Explore Census Data (U.S. Census Bureau)

• Agricultural Statistics (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• Economic Census (U.S. Census Bureau)
• Employment Data (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Freight Data and Statistics (U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
• Government Data - Federal, State and Local (U.S. Census of Governments)
• Interactive Tables (U.S.Bureau of Economic Analysis)
• Local government Guide to the Internet (Local Government Guide)
• National Household Travel Survey (Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
• Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (U.S. Department of Labor
• Transportation Data and Statistics (Bureau of Transportation Statistics)