Midwest's fastest-growing metro bets it's bigger than census counts
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At least five more suburbs in the Des Moines metro are undergoing special census surveys — joining others that completed their efforts to document rapid growth last year.
Why it matters: The counts could mean millions more in annual state and federal funding for cities that are already part of the Midwest's fastest-growing metro.
Catch up quick: The last official census was in 2020.
- Cities that might benefit from the special surveys agree to cover the costs of conducting them, hoping to boost their official population figures between the regular 10-year census.
Zoom in: In Johnston, city officials estimate that adding 2,400 people would generate an extra $320,000 each year in grants — or about $130 per new person — for projects like road improvements.
Driving the news: Altoona begins its online survey on Friday, while Clive's online survey closes next week.
- Grimes, Johnston and West Des Moines recently completed the online efforts and now have census workers knocking on the doors of people who have yet to respond, city officials tell Axios.
Flashback: Six metro suburbs conducted special counts last year, each showing its population grew by at least 9%.
- Waukee, where the population increased by nearly a third, paid about $680,000 for the survey that city leaders estimate will generate roughly $1.1 million annually from this year through 2030.
What we're watching: Whether metro residents are now more engaged and give fuller responses this time after the 2020 census had an unusually high number of unanswered questions.
What's next: The special censuses are expected to be finished late this year, with the results published in the coming months.