U.S. Census Bureau opens data center on U of M campus

The U.S. Census Bureau has opened a data center on the University of Minnesota campus.

The new Minnesota Research Data Center on the U of M's Minneapolis campus will give researchers, from academia and the federal government, access to unpublished census data.

University of Minnesota president Robert Bruininks said the center will help researchers answer questions about the country's population.

"Questions that have to do with the migration of people, economic trends within states and across the country, issues that have to do with the origin, treatment and outcome of our medical practices to prevent and cure diseases," Bruininks said.

A full-time U.S. Census Bureau employee will staff the office to ensure the confidential data remains secure.