How the Census Undercounts Will Impact CED Work

<p style="font-weight: 400">The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its coverage estimates for the 2020 Census. While the Census was seen as a success – at least in terms of not over- or undercounting the national population, when researchers examined census results for specific groups, the results were different. For the next decade, CED professionals will need to know how these differences affect the $1.5 trillion dollars in federal aid allocated using these numbers.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400">When there are undercounts, the allocation of federal aid is smaller than needed by the affected group. This translates into less census-based funding provided for Medicaid, Free and Reduced Price Lunch, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and many other CED programs than service levels will likely be. As part of its Census 2020 Counts Program, a 2017 brief by the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy lists the largest 16 assistance programs impacted by Census counts. The Program’s website provides an Excel version of the entire list of 316 federal programs affected. It also has estimates of impacted funds specifically for North Carolina – although the figures are several years old, it provides some context for what we should expect in terms of the forthcoming data based on 2020 census data.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400">Coverage estimates refer to estimates of how much error may be in Census data. They are obtained by using two different statistical methods, each using sample counts obtained independently of the formal Census count, to double-check its accuracy. In effect, this process might be thought [...]</p>