2026 Statistics - Local Government Summer Intern

The MORPC Local Government Summer Internship Program provides the opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to obtain practical work experience with a local government within MORPC’s 15-county region to prepare them for possible careers in public service. MORPC coordinates the recruitment and placement of students to match each host’s request; hosts make the final hiring decision and provide an hourly wage. Interns work for a host for a minimum of 16 hours to a maximum of 40 hours per week for a 10- to 14-week period, which means there are both part-time and full-time positions available. The summer 2026 internship program will begin on May 12th and will end on August 14th.

Interns gain applicable knowledge to enhance classroom learning by working with current government professionals throughout Central Ohio and acquire insights into the services provided by a regional planning commission. Interns also can attend monthly commission meetings as well as special MORPC-sponsored events and are paired with a MORPC staff member to serve as their mentor during the summer internship program.

Previous Statistics interns have gained experience using Python, R, Excel, Git, GitHub, and other software programs on the job. Specific past assignments include:

Quantifying money diverted by Tax Increment Financing (TIF)/lost from Abatements in a township by working with auditor data to write code

Conducting a literature review to assess the necessary elements of an availability study for a city

Estimating how different factors (nursing home beds, population estimates, workers, square footage, etc.) influence call volume for both EMS and fire service providers

Conducting a statistical analysis on employee survey data to see the perception of certain events, groups, opportunities, etc. from a city's employees

Writing code to automatically loop through certain vendors and place them into categories a city was considering for new programming

Completing other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Students must meet the following requirements:

30 hours of completed college coursework

Interest in public service careers

GPA 3.0 or higher (preferred)

Legally eligible to work in the United States

Reliable transportation to and from work

Attend a Central Ohio college OR attend other college and have access to local housing

Benefits 

All MORPC internships are paid opportunities! Pay ranges between $15 to $20 per hour depending on the host.

Additional benefits include practical work experience, mentorship, and exposure to services offered by a regional planning commission.

Please apply online at http://www.morpc.org/careers/ or you may mail a resume to:

MORPC Attn: GA-12-26

111 Liberty St., Suite 100

Columbus, OH 43215 

www.morpc.org

No phone calls please.