Census Bureau Significantly Miscounted Populations In Many States, Here's Why It Matters

The Census Bureau released a report on Thursday which confirms it significantly over-counted and under-counted populations in multiple states.

There is a margin of error for every single census count. However, ones as significant as these can lead to funding problems on a state level.

The miscounting is significant enough that it would change how much federal funding states can receive. That could affect key areas for funding like education and healthcare. It also affects how many seats each state has in Congress and the votes in the Electoral College.

A major problem is that the next count will not occur for another decade.

"Though none of the assessments alone can be considered definitive since no 'true count' of the population exists, today’s PES results suggest that some states experienced under-counts or over-counts," said Census Bureau Director Robert Santos.

The Bureau undercounted populations in Arkansas (-5.04%), Tennessee (-4.78%), Mississippi (-4.11%), Florida (-3.48%), Illinois (-1.97%), and Texas (-1.92%). It is notable that most of these states are in the South.

NEW from the Census Bureau: A post-count analysis of the 2020 census estimated a 1.92% undercount for Texas.

Ahead of the census, the state's Republican leadership refused to put significant funding toward the count, with only a last-minute investment in promotion. #txlege

Alexa Ura (@alexazura) May 19, 2022

Meanwhile, overcounts occurred in Hawaii (+6.79%), Delaware (+5.45%), Rhode Island (+5.05%), Minnesota (+3.48%), New York (+3.44%), Utah (+2.49%), Massachusetts (+2.24%), and Ohio (+1.49%).

The other 36 states had no statistically significant over or under counts of their populations.

The Bureau is aware of the miscount and the government can make corrections where needed. However, the new figures would not change congressional appointments, the Bureau said Thursday in a press release.

Some sought to blame the errors on policies created during Donald Trump's term. Notably, Trump sought to add a citizenship question that the Supreme Court struck down.

However, one notable change to the census this year was that electronic internet-based systems were more widely used. That lowered the error rate significantly from years past.

Santos acknowledged that "there is still more work to do in planning future censuses to ensure equitable coverage across the United States and we are working to overcome any and all obstacles to achieve that goal."