Population Notes
A look at the demography and
geography of Wisconsin
After 15 years away, the APL Newsletter is back!
Volume 1, Issue 1
June 2006
DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIES INFORM
OUTDOOR RECREATION PLANNING
What does demography have to do with fishing, hunting planners and school administrators. We encourage
ing, or boating? Because population characteristics
you to browse through your region’s profile online at
impact demand for rechttp://www.dnr.state.wi.us/planning/scorp/rePercent Seasonal Housing
reational amenities, the
ports/demog_profiles/index.htm.
By Block Group
Applied Population Laboratory has been working
One goal of the SCORP is to help identify
with Wisconsin DNR staff
areas with high recreation potential that are
to support the developgood candidates for federally funded acquisiment of Wisconsin’s State
tion and/or development. The APL worked
Comprehensive Outdoor
with recreation planners at the DNR to assess
Recreation Plan (SCORP
places across the state based on demographic,
2005-2010). This plan is
economic, and ecological data.
meant to guide recreation
resource management over
As a starting point we used 229 special places
the next five years. The lab’s
that were identified through a prior study con0% - 9.9%
10.0% - 24.9%
25.0%
44.9%
role in this project has been
ducted by the DNR (Land Legacy study). To
45.0% - 59.9%
60.0% - 71.2%
to provide information on
estimate potential visitors we conductpast, current, and projected
ed a GIS network analysis of the numPercent Seasonal Housing
By County
population composition.
ber of people living within an hour’s
drive of each place. To gauge potential
The APL generated demodevelopment pressure, we examined
graphic profiles for each of the 8
projected population density change.
SCORP regions and one profile
As a proxy for affordability, we used tax
0.2%
2.9%
at the state level that compares
assessed data on value of undeveloped
3.0% - 9.9%
the regions. The profiles include
land. The DNR provided assessment
10.0% - 24.9%
25.0% - 39.9%
several maps, tables, and charts
of the “neat” recreation and significant
40.0% - 56.2%
that describe population characconservation features of each place.
SCORP Regions
teristics and changes over time
Finally, we combined these measures
for counties, municipalities, and
to prioritize the 229 places at the state
Census block groups.
level and within regions.
SCORP Region 1
Although these reports are oriented toward outdoor
recreation, they cover a wide variety of topics and
have proven helpful to varied constituencies, includ-
Wisconsin’s SCORP (2005-2010) is in the final revision
stages. It will be published this fall.
See next page to find out more.
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Continued from Page 1
We used network
Which Land Legacy Places have the most potential visitors?
analysis to analyze
1- Create drive
potential visitors to
time buffer
Land Legacy places.
ƒ Estimate
Ideally, places prebuffers using
Network
served for outdoor
Analyst and
recreation offer
roads data with
1-hour drive
relatively easy access
time costs
for a large number
2Estimate
of people. Most of
potential
us recreate within
visitors
an hour’s drive from
ƒ Sum estimated
our home, so we
2003
population for
analyzed the numall
ber of people living
municipalities
Above: Example shows three Legacy
(MCDs) that
within 1 hour drivPlaces in colored dots and their
intersect the
ing distance from
corresponding 1-hour drive time buffer.
buffer.
Buffers extend following major roads.
each Legacy Place.
AROUND WISCONSIN:
Clients frequently ask APL
staff about the availability of
peak population data for areas
with large numbers of tourists
and seasonal residents. Such
information would be of
great value for planning local
government services like fire
and police, for traffic engineers,
and for businesses that cater to
tourists and seasonal visitors.
However, there really is not a
ready resource for data that
captures the daily, weekly, or
monthly ebbs and flows of
population.
2
Many years ago, the Recreation
Resources Center at UWExtension prepared peak
population estimates for
Wisconsin counties. The
estimates relied on data from a
variety of sources including the
Wisconsin Dept. of Tourism
(lodging and camping data),
local survey data, and census
data. Estimating the number of
“day trippers,” folks who come to
a recreation area but don’t stay
overnight, was the most difficult
piece of the puzzle.
As evidenced by several statistics
and maps included in this issue,
there are some data that help
us to understand the presence
and impact of recreation
and seasonal populations on
Wisconsin communities. Census
data on seasonal residences
(second homes) and employment
in tourism related industries
or occupations, and Dept.
of Tourism data on tourist
expenditures can reveal patterns
and clusters related to tourism.
If you are interested in learning
more about seasonal populations
or in doing some analysis for
your own community, the
Applied Population Laboratory
can help. Even better, if you have
local data relating to seasonal
population in your county or
community and you would like to
combine it with data from other
sources, we can help steer you
toward appropriate data sources
and offer suggestions on how to
develop proxies for seasonal and
peak population figures.
On the Map
Google Maps…Yahoo Maps…Windows
Live Local…Mapquest… It seems that
everyone is getting “map crazy” these
days. Given the power of maps to tell
a story and answer questions, this
really isn’t surprising. An easy way to
get your data on the map is through
geocoding. Address geocoding is the
process of matching address records to
corresponding addresses on a GIS road
network in order to identify geographic
positions.
The APL has recently delved into
desktop geocoding. We’ve applied this
to numerous projects already, from
health studies to community mapping.
Once data has been geocoded, census
information can be appended to the
data at the appropriate level of detail to
provide a rich background for any dataset.
Geocoding puts your data “on the map,”
enabling everything from mapping of
the points to statistical spatial analysis.
If you are interested in the potential of
geocoding email me (Bill) at wrbuckin@
wisc.edu.
FEATURE FACTS: SUMMER RECREATION IN WISCONSIN
The U.S. Census Bureau frequently releases collections of statistics celebrating particular holidays
and seasons (Facts for Features). Our Feature Facts
section of the newsletter is meant to be a Wisconsin version of the Census’s Facts for Features.
982,155—Acres of water in Wisconsin. Wisconsin contains over 15,000 lakes (compared to
Minnesota’s 11,842), of which 6,022 are named.
The largest inland lake, Lake Winnebago, covers
137,708 acres alone (State Cartographer’s Office).
With summer approaching fast and minds turning
to thoughts of relaxation and the great outdoors,
we thought it fitting to take a closer look at the figures and statistics surrounding Wisconsin tourism,
seasonal housing, and recreational amenities.
84.4%—Percent of Wisconsin adults who engage
in walking for pleasure, the most popular outdoor
recreation activity. Other popular activities include swimming (60.6%), bicycling (47.9%), and
hiking (46.4%) (Wisconsin DNR).
8th—Wisconsin’s rank nationally for percent of
seasonal homes, at 6.1%. Maine ranked first at
15.6%. Within our state, Vilas Co. ranked first, with
56.2% of homes used seasonally (Census 2000).
43—Number of state parks in Wisconsin, total-
37th—Wisconsin’s rank nationally for percent of
workers employed in the tourism industry. 7.3% of
Wisconsin workers fall into this category. Nevada
led the United States with 26.3%. Menominee Co.
ranked first in Wisconsin at 25.8% (Census 2000).
1.2 Million—Number of visitors (estimated)
ing 60,570 acres of land. Overall, Wisconsin has
almost 5.8 million acres of public lands for outdoor
recreation (Wisconsin DNR).
to Devil’s Lake State Park annually, making it the
state’s most visited park (Wisconsin DNR).
$11.781 Billion—Estimated number of dollars
Tourism Expenditures By County
2005
spent by travelers in Wisconsin each year. Over
$8.4 billion of this was spent on pleasure travel. Expenditures are highest in Milwaukee Co., comprising 13% of state tourism dollars (Wisconsin Dept.
of Tourism).
$8,035,216 - $165,000,000
37.5%—Percent of land in Wisconsin covered
in forest, making forest the most prominent land
cover in the state. By contrast, urban areas make
up only 1.6% of land area (Wisconsin DNR).
WEB SERVICES
GetFacts: the New Tool for Downloading TIGER and Census Data
Do you ever ask yourself, “Why can’t there be a one-stop shop for downloading TIGER and Census data?” Well, now there is.
The Applied Population Lab has just released a new online mapping site
GetFacts (http://www.getfacts.wisc.edu) that allows users to do just that.
GetFacts looks like many other mapping sites, but it’s much more. It is a
thematic mapping and data downloading site wrapped into one. Users can
create thematic maps and download the data for further analysis. GetFacts
enables the user to select the geography of interest (e.g., counties, minor
civil divisions, tracts, block groups) and append attribute data from the
Census table that they select. Geographies can be downloaded by county or
by the extent of the map the user is viewing.
Give GetFacts a try and tell us what you think.
Send comments to Jim Beaudoin: [email protected]
$165,000,001 - $415,000,000
$415,000,001 - $665,000,000
$665,000,001 - $1,545,029,176
On the Horizon
August 7-11: ESRI International
User Conference to be held in San
Diego, CA.
August 10: Release date for preliminary population estimates
(1/1/2006) for WI municipalities
and counties from the Demographic
Services Center at DOA.
August 12-14: Rural Sociological
Society annual meeting to be held in
Louisville, KY.
Sign up now with the APL for fall
school enrollment projections. Contact Sarah Kemp at (608) 265-6189
Sept. 17-19: Annual Conference of
the Wisconsin Counties Association
to meet in La Crosse, WI.
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Those of you who have done mapbased work with the APL in the
last nine months have probably
noticed that our
maps have a new
look. We owe
our newfound
sense of style to
our cartographer
and GIS specialist, Bill Buckingham.
Bill joined our
staff last fall, replacing the much
loved Nick Fisher.
Bill brings a hard working, can-do
attitude to the lab and has inspired
us all to take on new challenges.
He has a wealth of cartographic
and GIS knowledge, having earned
an MS in Geography at UW-Mad-
ison and having worked with the
U.S. Geological Survey for 3 years.
Bill is eagerly acquainting himself
with Census data and
demographic methods.
Bill hopes to expand
his knowledge and
bring new skills and
research methods to
the APL by starting a
PhD program in Geography this fall. He
will continue to work
in the lab, juggling not
only his coursework,
but an addition to his family as
well.
Next time you have a mapping
or GIS need, send Bill an email:
[email protected].
Trivia Question:
Which of the Great Lakes
States has the most inland
lakes?
Answer:
It depends on how you classify
“lakes.” Wisconsin lists the most
lakes at 15,081, but some of
these are 1-2 acre ponds.
Looking only at lakes of 10 or
more acres, Minnesota has
11,842, compared to Wisconsin’s
6,050. Michigan has about
11,037 lakes (including small
ones).
Minnesota has about 2.5 million
acres of inland water, while
Wisconsin has almost 1 million.
Michigan has the most
recreational boats of any state,
while Minnesota has the most
boats per capita.
Director Dan Says...
We’re baaack. I’m tempted to call this the inaugural issue of Population Notes but the truth is that we
are reviving a newsletter series of the Applied Population Laboratory that was left for dead in the early
1990s. Much has changed at the APL and in terms of information technology since the last issue (1991 by
my quick search) – my guess is that I don’t need to catch you up on all that. Our goal is to use Population
Notes not only as a way to highlight the projects and research being done in the APL but also as a vehicle
for letting you know about important and interesting population trends in Wisconsin, mapping, and GIS
innovations coming out of the APL, and emerging data and methods from the Census Bureau and other
sources. We hope that you will find this and future issues of Population Notes to be useful and compelling
(ok, at least we’ll always have pictures and maps in case the stories don’t grab you). If you have any
suggestions for topics or issues that you would like to see covered in the future, please let me know.
Regards, Dan
Applied Population Lab
UW-Madison/Extension
316 Ag Hall
1450 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 265-9545
www.apl.wisc.edu
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