About the CORSIM Microsimulation Model

CORSIM is a PC-based simulation model of the United States population. CORSIM models individuals and their families, basic demographic characteristics of birth, death, marriage and divorce, emigration and immigration, as well as levels of education, economic patterns of work and earnings, the accumulation of assets and debts, and contributions to pensions. In addition, CORSIM models large scale government programs, and is particularly strong in it’s modeling of the Social Security Program. The CORSIM model can be run through the recent past and carried on into the future making the program a robust tool for both basic social science research and policy analysis.

CORSIM began its development at Cornell University in 1987. CORSIM 4.1, the most recent version, was released in September 2002.


CORSIM has served as a template for other national and international dynamic microsimulation models.



In 1990, the Canadian government began an international search for a dynamic microsimulation model which it could use as a template for the development of its own model. In 1995, CORSIM was selected, and was ‘Canadianized’ by replacing U.S. data, equations, regulations, etc. with Canadian counterparts. The model was called DYNACAN, and Strategic Forecasting, Inc. continues to have an unofficial collaboration with the DYNACAN team, long after the original contracts have expired. In 1997, partly inspired by the success of the Canadian strategy, a Swedish group selected CORSIM as the starting point of a new Swedish dynamic microsimulation model (SVERIGE), focused on exploring person-environment interactions. In turn, the SVERIGE model has served as a template for the development of a Chinese model. In 1999, the U.S. Social Security Administration purchased the CORSIM model, and it became known as POLISIM. Following the purchase, Strategic Forecasting, Inc. provided three years of technical assistance to the Social Security Administration.