2026 Austin

Since 1970, the Southern Demographic Association has hosted an annual meeting each fall, usually in October. The SDA meeting provides a friendly venue for people to present academic and applied demographic research, discuss and learn about population issues, and meet others with common interests.

2026 Annual Meeting

The 2026 Southern Demographic Association meeting was held October 7–9, 2026 in Austin Texas. The conference will be held at the Glickman Conference Center at the University of Texas at Austin. The hotel will be the Hampton Inn & Suites Austin @ The University/Capitol.

Meeting Registration and Calendar Year 2027 Membership

Registration for the 2026 SDA meeting is now open. Click here to register for the meeting.

Fee schedule (Meeting + Membership)

Dates	Student	Regular
June 10 – Sep 18 (early)	$145	$295
Sep 19 – Oct 6 (standard)	$160	$320
Oct 7 and later (onsite)	$175	$350
Sustaining Member	—	At least $400*

* A Sustaining Membership is available to those regular members who can afford to support SDA at a higher rate. The benefits of a Sustaining Membership include acknowledgement at the 2026 meeting and being listed in the Meeting Program.

The meeting registration fee includes your 2027 SDA membership. Can't make the meeting? Renew only your SDA membership here.

Luncheon Plenary Sessions

We encourage attendees to join us for the Welcome Reception on Wednesday evening and plenary luncheons on Thursday and/or Friday. One luncheon is included in the cost of registration. You can attend both luncheons for an additional $50.

Thursday, October 8th

Stephanie Bohon, University of Tennessee

Are New Destinations Still (or Ever) New?

Friday, October 9th

Mary Jo H. Mitchell, Population Association of America

A View from Washington, DC: Impact of Current Political Environment on the Population Sciences

Conference Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Austin @ The University/Capitol, Austin, Texas

This year’s SDA conference will be held at the Glickman Conference Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The hotel will be the nearby Hampton Inn & Suites Austin @ The University/Capitol.

The conference hotel rate starts at $173 per night. To book at this rate, click this link and follow the directions.

Cutoff date for booking a hotel room at the discounted conference rate is Friday, September 18, 2026.

Federal government workers: Contact Mary Campbell (m-campbell@tamu.edu), the local arrangements liaison for the conference, to arrange for hotel registration at lower rates for government rates for Federal Government Employees.

University of Texas campus

Call for Abstracts

Southern Demographic Association Annual Meeting

October 7–9, 2026

Austin, Texas

We invite submissions of 250-word abstracts for individual research papers and/or posters in applied or academic demography, economics, geography, sociology, public health, psychology, and epidemiology. Also welcome are proposals for thematic sessions or panel discussions.

The submission deadline for abstract submissions has been extended to Friday, July 31, 2026 at 11:59pm CDT. Abstracts can be submitted at the following link: SDA Abstract Submissions.

During the meeting, SDA will announce the 2026 winners of three awards (with cash prizes):

E. Walter Terrie Award for “the best paper presented at the SDA Annual Meeting on an applied topic, especially one relating to state and local demography” (1 paper per 1st author)

Everett S. Lee Outstanding Graduate Student Paper Award (1 paper per 1st author)

Outstanding Undergraduate Paper Award (1 paper per 1st author)

See award submission details at http://sda-demography.org/Awards. All paper award submissions must be sent to awards@sda-demography.org by Friday, August 28, 2026 by 11:59pm CDT. For award consideration, the paper submitted must be on the SDA program and must be presented at the SDA meeting by the author.

Questions? Contact Xiuhong "Helen" You, Program Chair (helen.you@utsa.edu).