Gather data

• Wake County Data:
  
  The Wake County Demographic and Economic Data Center
  
  
• North Carolina State Census Data:
  
  North Carolina State Demographics
  
  
• World Population Data:
  
  See online resources for World Population made by the National Council for Science and the Environment.
  
  

Represent and analyze data

• Select data to represent the actual population growth in the past decades, e.g.

  Wake County Population Data, 1970-1990

• How can you use the table of population data to describe the population growth in Wake County?



• Use Excel to make a graph or chart of the data. Think about what representation will best help you predict future growth.

Questions to ask

• What information can you get from a graphical representation of the data?



• How can we project the population growth in the decades after 1990?



• How will the population change in future decades compare to the change of the previous two decades? Do you think it will me more, less, or somewhere in between? Why?



• Compare your projections to those made by the Wake County Planning Department. Why are they different? What are some assumptions you made?