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Mayor: Research shows Detroit was undercounted in 2020 Census

Mayor, researchers find data shows discrepancies

DETROIT – Mayor Mike Duggan says the 2020 Census undercounted how many people live in Detroit, and that he has the data to prove it.

U.S. census data, gathered every 10 years, is used to redraw congressional and legislative districts in each state, in addition to determining how many congressional seats each state gets, and how to distribute federal funds each year. That data also helps determine just how much money cities will receive in federal funding.

With the help of researchers from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, the city found that last year’s census may have significantly undercounted how many people live in Detroit.

“We noticed that the 2020 census counted far fewer housing units compared to the 2019 estimate, so we conducted an audit of housing in 10 census block groups and found that the census undercounted the number of occupied housing units in these areas by about 8%,” said Jeffrey Morenoff, professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Michigan.

Those census block groups include the Detroit neighborhoods of Boston Edison, Green Acres, East English Village, Jefferson Chalmers and Bagley.

Officials say in 2020, the census counted a population of 639,000 residents in Detroit -- a decline of 31,000 residents from the 2019 estimate.

“The U.S. government has inflicted an inequity of monumental proportion on the people of the city of Detroit. All we want is Detroiters to be counted,” Duggan said. “They had one job and they missed by a huge number. They have estimated we’re at 639,000, and if you look at Professor Morenoff’s study, which matches DTE’s data, the city of Detroit has got 700,000 people.”

Related: Census Bureau works to improve confidence in 2020 headcount

“They didn’t go to the doors in the city six times. They didn’t even go to the doors in the city three times,” Duggan added. “The Census Bureau violated its own policies in the city of Detroit.”

Detroit Census Captain Clois Foster said she experienced the issues firsthand.

“It was just frustrating,” Foster said. “It was so frustrating because I care about the city of Detroit. I care about my city.”

Professor Morenoff said it’s implausible to think that the city’s population declined by 31,000 people in just one year.

“The numbers are far enough off that this did not happen by chance, but I will leave it to the mayor and his team, who knows more about the facts on the ground to explain how this may have happened,” Morenoff said.

Duggan said he’s asking for an appeal and will soon present the report to the government.

“There is not a precedent in the country where there was an undercount done in such an intentional way,” Duggan said. “So we have an unprecedented situation.”

See more in the video report below.


About the Authors
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Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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