Appropriations Update
Fiscal Year 2023 Hearings Held
In May 2022, the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittees held hearings featuring Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. At hearings held on May 11 and 12, select subcommittee members asked Commerce Secretary Raimondo, whose department includes the Census Bureau, questions regarding decennial census operations. Specifically, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) asked about the results of the 2020 Census Post Enumeration Survey, which found statistically significant undercounts of minority populations. During the Senate CJS hearing, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) expressed interest in methods that the Bureau uses to collect and analyze 2020 Census data and called for oversight hearings.
U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Members Express Support for Census Funding
In “Dear Colleague” letters sent to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees, 40 members of Congress urged the Subcommittees to provide the Census Bureau with $2 billion in Fiscal Year 2023—the funding level recommended by The Census Project. In a blog, The Census Project posted the Senate and House Dear Colleague letters, which were led by Senators Schatz and Smith and Congresswoman Maloney, respectively.
Policy Update
Count All Kids Releases Paper Regarding Undercount of Young Children
On May 5, Count All Kids released a report comparing the 2010 and 2020 Census estimates of net undercoverage of young children. The purpose of the paper is “to adjust the 2010 Census net undercount rate for children aged 0 to 4 to allow for a more accurate comparison of the success of enumerating young children in 2020 and 2010.”
Population Reference Bureau Issues Report Highlighting Impact of COVID on ACS
On May 17, The Census Project posted a blog regarding a recent report issued by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) regarding the impact of the COVID pandemic on American Community Survey (ACS) nonresponse rates. PRB’s analysis of counties across the country found the steepest percentage drop in final ACS interviews being completed in rural and predominantly-native counties and the biggest numeric declines in some of the nation’s largest counties. The report warns data users to expect “somewhat larger margins of errors in the 2016-2020 ACS data than they have seen in prior years.”
Congress and Stakeholders Urge Action to Address Minority Undercounts
In a May 10 blog, The Census Project highlighted letters organized by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) urging the Census Bureau to address minority undercounts as revealed by 2020 Census Post Enumeration Survey. The letters also ask the agency what steps it may be undertaking to address the undercounts and prevent them in the future. In a related development, several census stakeholder organizations, including NALEO Educational Fund and Population Association of America, expressed concern about the undercounts and their implications for ensuring the fair allocation of federal funding and conducting accurate research. Stakeholders also urged the Bureau to release data to help explain the state-level PES results and to make the data available to the public.
Researchers Urge Creation of a Curated Data Enterprise
As part of The Census Project’s Standard Deviations blog, Dr. Sallie Ann Keller, University of Virginia, wrote about a report she spearheaded with a panel of experts advocating for the implementation of the Curated Data Enterprise (CDE). CDE is described as a “bold, new vison to exploit multiple data sources across many sample surveys, censuses, tribal, federal, state, and local administrative data, as well as private-sector data, to produce more robust, granular, timelier, and comprehensive measures of demographic changes, social trends, and economic activity.”
Census Bureau News
On May 13, the Census Bureau unveiled the Digital Equity Act Population Viewer, an interactive collection of maps that highlight various demographics and broadband internet availability and adoption by state. The maps help policymakers plan and implement digital inclusion and equity programs under the Digital Equity Act of 2021.
According to a May 18 release featuring data from the 2020 Annual Survey of School System Finances, per pupil spending increased in fiscal year 2020 for the ninth year in a row, up to $13,494 in FY 2020 from $13,187 in FY 2019, a 2.3% increase from the previous year.
On May 19, the U.S. Census Bureau released the 2020 Census estimated undercount and overcount rates by state and the District of Columbia from the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES).
On May 23, the Society of Labor Economists announced John Abowd, associate director for research and methodology and chief scientist for the U.S. Census Bureau, as the inaugural recipient of its 2022 Edward Lazear Prize.
Populations of cities and towns in the South and West regions of the United States still experienced the most growth from July 2020 to July 2021, with the top 15 fastest-growing cities or towns located in these regions, according to new population estimates for cities and towns, released by the U.S. Census Bureau on May 26.
Census Bureau Data Releases
Business Formation Statistics were released on May 11.
On May 18, the Census Bureau released new data from phase 3.4 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS).
On May 25, the Census Bureau released data from the 2021 Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll.
News You Can Use
Below are several articles posted on The Census Project home page in May 2022. For a complete listing, go to: https://thecensusproject.org/recent-media/.
In pandemic’s first year, large cities shrank as South, West saw gains
The Washington Post
May 26, 2022
Census Bureau miscounts could have midterm consequences
The Hill
May 23, 2022
Why about a million people who don’t exist will have representation in Congress
MSNBC
May 23, 2022
Mapped: Census miscounted population of 14 states
Axios
May 22, 2022
Who Rigged the Census?
Wall Street Journal
May 20, 2022
How Trump’s census plot might have cost red states
The Washington Post
May 20, 2022
A third of Americans report financial stress in Census survey
The Spokesman-Review
May 20, 2022
14 States Significantly Miscounted In 2020 Census—But That Won’t Change Redistricting Plans
Forbes
May 19, 2022
Census misses may have cost Florida and Texas in redistricting
Roll Call
May 19, 2022
These 14 states had significant miscounts in the 2020 census
NPR
May 19, 2022
U.S. Census Bureau Report Shows Large GOP-Leaning States Were Undercounted in 2020
National Review
May 19, 2022
Growth, diversity, segregation, and aging in America’s largest metropolitan areas: A 2020 census portrait
Brookings
May 13, 2022
Census Hired Hundreds of Thousands to Conduct Its 2020 Count. It Didn’t Vet A Lot of Them.
Government Executive
May 12, 2022
Report: Census Bureau backlogged on background checks
Associated Press
May 11, 2022
Census Ready to Study Combining Race, Ethnicity Questions
Associated Press
May 6, 2022
Motherhood deferred: U.S. median age for giving birth hits 30
Associated Press
May 6, 2022
Immigrants Needed to Meet Anticipated U.S. Job Opening Surge: Report
Newsweek
May 5, 2022
Census agency aims for a better statistical snapshot of the U.S.
Science
May 3, 2022
100s of US urban areas will become rural with new criteria
Associated Press
May 1, 2022