Chicago City Wire

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with the 14 Democratic members of the Illinois delegation,on June 6, sent a follow-up letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos urging him to account for the estimated undercount of Illinoisans in the 2020 Decennial Census as the Census Bureau prepares to release its annual Population Estimate.  In the Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) that was released last May, Illinois was estimated to have a larger population than was officially counted, with an estimated undercount rate of 1.97 percent.  This means that instead of the 2020 count of 12.8 million Illinois residents, the State likely had more than 13 million residents for the first time ever.

“We are writing to request an update on the Census Bureau’s efforts to incorporate into its ongoing Population Estimates the findings of the Bureau’s May 2022 Post-Enumeration Survey (PES).  As you know, this survey found that Illinois likely was undercounted at a rate of 1.97 percent in the 2020 Census, which would mean Illinois’ population would have been roughly 13 million people, the highest population the state has ever recorded,” wrote the lawmakers.

Last May, Durbin led the Democratic members of the Illinois delegation in sending a letter to Director Santos pressing him to use PES data in the 2020 Census to correct the undercount.  Additionally, Durbin organized and held a meeting with the Democratic Illinois delegation and Director Santos last June to speak with him directly about the impact of undercounting Illinoisans.

“Prior to the release of the 2022 Population Estimate, Members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation met with and wrote to you, asking the Bureau to commit to incorporating the PES projections into its yearly Population Estimates.  However, your reply indicated that ‘while too early to commit to incorporating PES into the population estimates, the Census Bureau is researching the feasibility of taking coverage measures from both the Demographic Analysis and Post-Enumeration Survey into account in the development of the official population estimates’…  We hope the Bureau has had adequate time to determine how to incorporate this margin of error into future Population Estimates, beginning with 2023,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers’ letter emphasized the repercussions of using incorrect data in this year’s PES, reminding Director Santos that this will directly impact state residents.  Because of the undercount, Illinois is in danger of losing valuable federal funding over the next ten years.  The Census is used to allocate roughly $1.5 trillion, through about 100 programs including Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare Part B, Highway Planning and Construction, and Pell grants.

“We are now writing to request an answer as to whether or not the Census Bureau will incorporate the PES into the next Population Estimate.  Each year the Census Bureau does not correct for a likely undercount in 2020, the people of Illinois are penalized and at risk of losing valuable federal funding.  Accurate Census data is critically important, as it informs more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding decisions,” the lawmakers continued.

The lawmakers concluded the letter by asking Director Santos to commit to remedying the estimated undercount in this summer’s PES.

“We ask for your timely commitment to correcting the estimated undercount, beginning with the upcoming Population Estimate expected in the coming months.  We look forward to hearing from you on this important issue,” the lawmakers concluded.

House members joining Durbin and Duckworth on the letter include U.S. Representatives Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), and Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17).

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

June 6, 2023

Dear Director Santos:

We are writing to request an update on the Census Bureau’s efforts to incorporate into its ongoing Population Estimates the findings of the Bureau’s May 2022 Post-Enumeration Survey (PES).  As you know, this survey found that Illinois likely was undercounted at a rate of 1.97 percent in the 2020 Census, which would mean Illinois’ population would have been roughly 13 million people, the highest population the state has ever recorded.

Prior to the release of the 2022 Population Estimate, Members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation met with and wrote to you, asking the Bureau to commit to incorporating the PES projections into its yearly Population Estimates.  However, your reply indicated that “while too early to commit to incorporating PES into the population estimates, the Census Bureau is researching the feasibility of taking coverage measures from both the Demographic Analysis and Post-Enumeration Survey into account in the development of the official population estimates.”

Given the Census Bureau released its 2022 Population Estimate shortly after the aforementioned meeting and it did not yet compensate for such an undercount, we patiently heeded your letter stating the Bureau was developing the mechanism by which to do so.  We hope the Bureau has had adequate time to determine how to incorporate this margin of error into future Population Estimates, beginning with 2023. 

We are now writing to request an answer as to whether or not the Census Bureau will incorporate the PES into the next Population Estimate.  Each year the Census Bureau does not correct for a likely undercount in 2020, the people of Illinois are penalized and at risk of losing valuable federal funding.  Accurate Census data is critically important, as it informs more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding decisions. 

We ask for your timely commitment to correcting the estimated undercount, beginning with the upcoming Population Estimate expected in the coming months.  We look forward to hearing from you on this important issue.

Original source can be found here.