U.S. census miscounted the population of 14 states, study finds

A new survey found that the 2020 U.S. census undercounted the size of the population of six states and overcounted the figure in eight others, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Thursday. 

The new study, a standard follow-up procedure, surveyed 161,000 houses. The results showed that the population of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Illinois, and Texas is larger than the figures of the official census.  

Arkansas was undercounted by almost 5%, Mississippi and Tennessee by 4%, and Florida by nearly 3.5%. The population of Texas and Illinois fell short by 1.9%. 

Similarly, Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New York, Utah, Massachusetts, and Ohio have fewer residents than the figure published by the census. According to the bureau, the remaining 36 states had accurate figures. Hawaii’s population was overcounted by almost 6.8%. 

The survey findings show that the 2020 census had worse results than the 2010 census, when there were no significant miscounts. However, the results of the most recent survey are similar to the 2000 census, when the population of 21 states and Washington, D.C. were undercounted. 

The mistakes, however, offer interesting insights into the census process since the overcounted and undercounted states were in the same geographical area. Five of the six undercounted states were in the Deep South, while six of the eight overcounted states were in the North. 

 “All censuses have overcounts and undercounts,” said John H. Thompson, Census Bureau director from 2013 to 2017. “That does not preclude using the results.”

In March, the bureau also announced that the census had also undercounted the Black and Hispanic population of the nation and overcounted white people and those of Asian descent. 

Experts believe that the disparities could have been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which was spreading throughout the country as the census was being conducted. Other reasons for the disparity in numbers include people who refuse to respond the census or children of divorced parents that are counted in both households. 

Despite the differences with official figures, the official figure of the U.S. population for 2020 will not be recalculated. “The apportionment formula is so sensitive to small shifts in population between the states that using estimates as opposed to actual counts won’t yield a useful result,” said Terri Ann Lowenthal, former staff director of the House census oversight committee. 

According to the 2020 census, 331,459,281 people were living in the United States at the time.