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The Center was originally founded by Calvin Schmid in 1947 as the Office of Population Research in the Department of Sociology and was later renamed the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology in 1967 under the leadership of Stanley Lieberson. In recent years, the Center has focused on interdisciplinary research, with an emphasis on understanding the structural mechanisms that link individual behavior to population level outcomes. The Center initiated a major demography hiring initiative, under director Robert Plotnick, in which six scholars in sociology, geography, anthropology and statistics were hired to develop a broad interdisciplinary base. In another effort to foster innovative interdisciplinary research, CSDE was moved out of the Department of Sociology and became an independent unit in the College of Arts and Sciences in July 2000.

The Center provides research support services and educational opportunities to its members through its graduate student, postdoctoral and mid-career professional training; computer lab and services; library collection and services; working paper series; and weekly research seminar. The Center serves affiliates and students from the departments of Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Sociology, and Statistics, as well as the schools of International Studies, Public Affairs, Public Health, and Social Work. Population scientists from the Battelle Institute's Center for Public Health Research and Evaluation (Seattle), Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA), and University of Victoria, (British Columbia, Canada) also participate in CSDE activities. The Center's affiliates are known for their research on biodemography, health, international demography, migration, inequality, family demography, and quantitative methodology.

In 1999, CSDE expanded its educational activities to include mid-career training for professionals from developing countries in the fields of population, family planning and reproductive health. In spring 2001, with support from the Economics Department, the University Office of Research, the Sociology Department, and CSDE, the Center for Research on the Family was established, reflecting the long-standing strength of our affiliated researchers in the history, evolution, and current trends in family structure. In support of research and scholarly exchange, CSDE currently manages 16 grants, totaling $3.3 million annually and also holds four institutional training grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and NICHD.