David A. Swanson, ASA member for more than 50 years, recently received the 2026 Distinguished Service Award from his undergraduate alma mater, Western Washington University.
Swanson, professor emeritus of the University of California at Riverside and graduate of Western Washington University class of ’72, has spent his career helping communities make sense of the numbers that define them. An internationally recognized demographer, Swanson is known for advancing the methods used to estimate and forecast populations at the local level. His work helps inform decisions about schools, infrastructure, and public resources, giving communities the data they need to plan and adapt. Through both his research and public service, he has helped shape how population information is used across the United States and around the world.
Swanson began his academic journey at Western Washington University, then Western Washington State College, where he became the first graduate to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology in 1972. He went on to earn graduate degrees from the University of Hawai‘i and the University of Stockholm, launching a distinguished career spanning universities, research institutes, and government agencies.
He later served as an Edward A. Dickson Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside, where he is now distinguished professor emeritus. His public service includes six years on the US Census Bureau’s Scientific Advisory Committee, including two as chair, along with testimony before Congress and state legislatures and service as state demographer for both Alaska and Arkansas.
A prolific scholar, Swanson has authored or co-authored more than 130 peer-reviewed articles and nine books. His work has been supported by more than $2.7 million in grants and recognized with numerous honors, including two Fulbright awards and the Southern Demographic Association’s E. Walter Terrie Award.
Through his scholarship, teaching, and service, Swanson has helped communities better understand who they are and how they are changing. His work continues to shape the way population data is used to inform decisions and strengthen institutions. Swanson directly affects Washington through his ongoing work as an active member of the Washington Academy of Sciences in support of its mission to serve the state.
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