demographic

noun

dem·o·graph·ic | \ ˌde-mə-ˈgra-fik

, ˌdē-mə-\

Definition of demographic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 demographics plural : the statistical characteristics of human populations (such as age or income) used especially to identify markets a change in the state's demographics

2 business : a market or segment of the population identified by demographics trying to reach a younger demographic

demographic

adjective

de·mo·graph·ic | \ ˌde-mə-ˈgra-fik

, ˌdē-mə-\

variants: or less commonly demographical \ -fi-kəl

Definition of demographic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : of or relating to demography or demographics demographic data

2 sociology : relating to the dynamic balance of a population especially with regard to density (see density sense 2c) and capacity for expansion or decline demographic trends a demographic shift

Other Words from demographic Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about demographic

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Did You Know?

Demographic analysis, the statistical description of human populations, is a tool used by government agencies, political parties, and manufacturers of consumer goods. Polls conducted on every topic imaginable, from age to toothpaste preference, give the government and corporations an idea of who the public is and what it needs and wants. The government's census, which is conducted every ten years, is the largest demographic survey of all. Today demographic is also being used as a noun; so, for example, TV advertisers are constantly worrying about how to appeal to "the 18-to-24-year-old demographic".

Examples of demographic in a Sentence

Noun

The town's demographics suggest that the restaurant will do well there. The newspaper will be making some changes in order to adapt to the region's shifting demographics. The demographics of the disease are changing, and we are seeing much younger people being affected by it.

Adjective

The demographic information shows that the population increased but the average income went down.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The results were weighted to reflect the demographics of the country. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "America’s teens are extremely stressed out about school shootings," 31 Oct. 2018 Public institutions in states like California still try to ensure that their student bodies mirror the demographics of the state. — Charlotte West, Teen Vogue, "What You Need to Know about Race and College Admissions," 27 Sep. 2018 Of course, this all could have been foreseen given the demographics of the pilot workforce. — Barbara Peterson, Condé Nast Traveler, "How the Pilot Shortage Could Change the Way We Fly," 21 Aug. 2018 Diversity has been a priority and is addressed in Wing programming and staff resources—there is a full-time diversity manager and community managers who track the demographics of each space. — Chloe Malle, Vogue, "Imperial Pink? The Wing Gears Up to Go Global," 8 Aug. 2018 This issue of income inequality transcends the demographics of our multicultural state and impacts our neighbors and co-workers alike. — miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 30 June 2018 Muench-Casanova said the school should better reflect the demographics of the Anaheim Union High School District. — Ben Brazil, latimes.com, "Son of famous Orange County blues guitarist graduates from Oxford Academy despite obstacles," 24 May 2018 But in general the members of the boards don't reflect the diverse demographics of the region. — John Greenfield, Chicago Reader, "Transit boards overwhelmingly male, whiter than ridership," 22 May 2018 So to really understand the demographics of America, yeah, has there been an increase in diversity? — Elizabeth Crane, Recode, "Full transcript: ‘Microtrends’ author and political strategist Mark Penn on Recode Decode," 18 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

That the sweaters also come in children’s sizes (for $160) is the main evidence of the target demographic: moms in their 30s to 50s. — Lane Florsheim, WSJ, "With Maison, Park Avenue Moms Gets a Club of Their Own," 26 Feb. 2019 The assumption is that the demographic for Star Wars movies, like the demo for MCU movies, is absolutely everybody, from the youngest kids to much older viewers who grew up with the movies in the 1970s. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "Question Club: Where should Star Wars go after Solo’s box-office disappointment?," 1 June 2018 The only demographic with more homicides is males age 26 to 35. — Jon Sauber, Indianapolis Star, "Raised by his brother, IU's Ian Thomas on verge of being drafted by the NFL," 23 Apr. 2018 PornHub also notes that the demographic most likely to search for golden showers is men over 65, a group to which Trump has belonged for some time. — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "Absolutely Every Single Thing We Know About the Pee Tape," 13 Apr. 2018 When the demographic is 50 or older, the support for legalization grows to 46% while opposition is 42%. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "Poll: Older people support medical marijuana, not full legalization," 3 Apr. 2018 Wagner said the elderly demographic in the area was a consideration as well as the location's proximity to Interstate 74 and Mercy Health - West Hospital. — Forrest Sellers, Cincinnati.com, "New senior living community coming to West Side," 30 Mar. 2018 In 2016, in California’s 39th congressional district, over 50% of the vote went to Secretary Clinton, and the demographic is majority-minority (with 31.88% identifying as Asian), according to U.S. census bureau figures. — Nadya Okamoto, Teen Vogue, "4 Asian-American Politicians You Need to Know About," 16 Feb. 2018 The guests are usually on the younger side of the Strip demographic, with plenty of money to spend on all the great restaurants, cabanas at the club, and bottle service at Marquee. — Andrea Bennett, Condé Nast Traveler, "16 Best Hotels in Las Vegas," 4 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'demographic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.