The 2020 census undercounted or overcounted the populations of 14 states at a statistically significant rate — including Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas, according to follow-up survey results released this month.
Why it matters: States gain or lose congressional seats based on census data. The new survey findings cannot be used to correct congressional reapportionment, meaning the miscounts will stick.
- The decennial data also is used to decide how district lines are redrawn and how various federal funds get distributed.
- The pandemic and the Trump administration's handling of the census created new challenges to ensuring everyone was counted.
What they're saying: The U.S. Census Bureau said in its report that the count "faced many challenges such as conducting fieldwork during the COVID-19 pandemic" and "controversy around a proposed citizenship question and changes in the duration of the Nonresponse Followup operation."