Each month the Census Counts team compiles Census-related news from a wide swath of national and regional media outlets to keep data equity stakeholders informed and engaged.
As always, you can find earlier clips here.
December 18, 2023 Census Coalition Clips
National
AP News | News Why more women live in major East Coast counties while men outnumber them in the West
Anyone who has suspected that there are more women than men where they live, or vice versa, will find fodder for their suspicions in new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Whether it refutes or confirms their suspicions likely depends on where they live. Women outnumber men in the largest urban counties east of the Mississippi River, along the Eastern Seaboard and in the Deep South, while the West skews male, according to data released last week from the 2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, the most comprehensive source of data on American life. Those numbers were also backed up by age and sex figures from the 2020 census released earlier this year.
Mike Schneider | December 15, 2023
Black Voices News | News Multiracial Population in the US Surges to 10.2% in 2020 Census
The 2020 Census has unveiled a profound transformation in the demographic landscape of the United States, with the percentage of people identifying as multiracial experiencing an unprecedented surge. According to Census data, the multiracial population has catapulted from 2.9 percent in 2010 to a staggering 10.2 percent in 2020, comprising 33.8 million individuals. While some of this increase can be attributed to adjustments in the Census methodology, there is a consensus that the burgeoning number of multiracial Americans is a result of shifting societal attitudes, changing laws, and a rise in immigration from Latin America and Asia.
Mariah Brown, Alex Reed | December 15, 2023
HuffPost | News Newly Proposed Census Revisions Could Undercount Millions Of Disabled Americans
The Census Bureau has proposed revisions to the way it collects data on disability in its American Community Survey (ACS), raising alarm among disability experts who say the changes could drastically undercount the disabled population in the U.S. The ACS is an annual demographics survey used to collect data about the public between the Census’ decennial studies. The survey data, collected by the Census, has an impact on funding and research for disabled people in the U.S., which the proposed changes could impact, disability experts say.
Shruti Rajkumar | December 14, 2023
Them | News LGBTQ+ People Are Nearly Twice as Likely to Be Displaced After Disasters, New Research Shows
A first-of-its-kind analysis found that LGBTQ+ people are more likely than the general population to be displaced after disasters and to experience challenges like food and water insecurity. Nationwide, an estimated 2.4 percent of LGBTQ+ people said they were displaced by a disaster in the last year, compared with the estimated 1.5 percent of the total U.S. population. Previous research suggests bias in disaster response and the role of faith-based organizations in disaster recovery could be behind the disparity. The data used in the analysis came from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, which was launched in April 2020 to collect data on how people were experiencing the pandemic, but has since expanded to include other aspects of American life like child care, inflation and living through natural disasters.
Jessica Kutz | December 12, 2023
States
California
The Bay Area Reporter | News California health officials pilot LGBTQ data collection plan
As it continues to address lapses in its gathering of LGBTQ health information, California’s health department is piloting a plan in Los Angeles County for sharing sexual orientation and gender identity data. If deemed successful, the pilot project could be expanded to other counties in the state, including San Francisco, to ensure local SOGI data is being shared with the state agency. At issue is that not every local health jurisdiction uses the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange, known as CalREDIE, to report all communicable disease data, including SOGI data, to state public health officials. Thus, the state health agency’s Center for Infectious Diseases has been developing a plan to ensure that the information is being transmitted at the local level to Sacramento.
Matthew S. Bajko | December 14, 2023
LA Times | News Census data show shifting Hispanic populations in California
The U.S. census shows that Hispanic populations are shifting throughout California and have doubled between 2010 and 2020. The data look at how the Hispanic population is diversifying throughout the state and has gone through transformations affecting multiple aspects of the economy, including the workforce and voting. Based on the census data, Dominicans seem to be the Hispanic population with the biggest increase throughout the state within the last decade, with an increase of 103%. They are followed by Venezuelans, who have seen an increase of 101%. The Hispanic population that has seen the lowest increase is Mexicans with 7%. Dominicans and Venezuelans have seen the most increase in regions such as the Bay Area and the Greater Los Angeles area.
Chelsea Hylton | December 12, 2023
Illinois
STLPR | News How the latest U.S. Census data can address health disparities across Illinois
Robert Santos — head of the U.S. Census Bureau — zoomed into Illinois State University on Monday to address the 2023 Minority Health Conference. His virtual keynote speech covered how health professionals, including those local to McLean County, can use Census tools and data to decrease health disparities. His address was titled “Framing Health Research for Communities of Color and the Census Bureau Data that Enable It.” Santos spoke to WGLT after the speech to share his insights.
Melissa Ellin | December 14, 2023
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Blog Recommendations Regarding the Use of the 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey Coverage Results in the Vintage 2023 Population Estimates
Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates are used to allocate federal funding, as controls to improve the data from demographic surveys, as denominators to calculate vital rates and other key statistical indicators, and for many other uses. Because the population estimates play such a critical role in the nation’s statistical system, we continuously strive to improve the methods we use to produce them. Census Bureau experts have been examining whether to use Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) results – estimates of undercounts and overcounts in the census – to improve the annual population estimates. This is a topic the Census Bureau has also explored in prior decades.
Eric Jensen & Scott Konicki | December 18, 2023
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau Releases Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for States, Counties and School Districts
The median estimated poverty rate of children ages 5 to 17 in U.S. school districts in 2022 was 13.9%, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. The new data come from the 2022 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which provides the only single-year income and poverty statistics for the nation’s 3,143 counties and 13,146 school districts. Additional tables provide statistics on median household income, the number of people of all ages in poverty, the number of children younger than age 5 in poverty at the state level, the number of children ages 5 to 17 in families in poverty, and the number of children younger than age 18 in poverty.
Lewis Liu | December 14, 2023
U.S. Census Bureau | Blog Part III: Responses to Questions and Comments to Previous Global Reach
The U.S. Census Bureau received many questions and comments in response to two previous Global Reach blogs (posted September 3 and October 11) on “Who Is the Ultimate Consignee?” when reporting the Electronic Export Information (EEI) in the Automated Export System (AES). We appreciate your valuable feedback. The goal of this blog is to highlight and respond to some of your questions and comments that included requests for more guidance from the Census Bureau on specific scenarios involving the Ultimate Consignee, Intermediate Consignee, and end user in export transactions.
Gerry Horner | December 13, 2023
The Leadership Conference | Press Release How States Are — and Are Not — Working to Improve Race and Ethnicity Data Collection
A new report from The Leadership Conference Education Fund — “Disaggregation Nation: A Landscape Review of State Race & Ethnicity Data Collection” — reviews laws and pending bills in 50 states and the District of Columbia to identify which states go beyond federal standards with respect to the collection of disaggregated race and ethnicity data. In order for policymakers, foundations, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to be able to understand the landscape in which they operate, and to make well-informed evidence-based decisions, we need detailed data on various populations in order to more appropriately target solutions, resources, and services.
Census and Data Equity Team | December 12, 2023
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | Blog Every Community Is Worth Collecting Data On
My parents, like so many other immigrants, moved to America with dreams of a better life, full of opportunity for themselves and their children. My parents were Korean immigrants who left nearly everything when they came to the United States. For over three decades, they owned a corner store in Philadelphia where they worked long, physically demanding days while navigating numerous cultural and language barriers. False narratives about Asian Americans perpetuate beliefs that people like my parents were thriving because they were such “hard workers.” But I saw first-hand how the challenges they faced negatively impacted their social, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing.
Dr. Tina Kauh | December 7, 2023
As always, you can find earlier clips here.
December 11, 2023 Census Coalition Clips
National
AP News | News The Census Bureau wants to change how it asks about disabilities. Some advocates don’t like it
The U.S. Census Bureau wants to change how it asks people about disabilities, and some advocates are complaining that they were not consulted enough on what amounts to a major overhaul in how disabilities would be defined by the federal government. Disability advocates say the change would artificially reduce their numbers by almost half. At stake are not only whether people with disabilities get vital resources for housing, schools or program benefits but whether people with disabilities are counted accurately in the first place, experts said.
Mike Schneider | December 8, 2023
The Messenger | Op-Ed Census Bureau’s Proposal Threatens Integrity of Race and Ethnicity Data
Two months ago, I left my career as a statistician with the U.S. Census Bureau. I had become agitated with the agency’s proposed direction for race and ethnic measurement and felt my scholarly expertise on the matter was undervalued. My issue with the bureau mainly involved its persistent promotion of a combined race and ethnicity question. The bureau believes that lumping all race and ethnicity categories into one question will improve data quality, particularly for Latinos and persons of Middle Eastern and North African descent. Both groups do not see themselves represented in the current separate question format.
Ricardo Henrique Lowe, Jr. | December 7, 2023
Civil Beat | News Census: America’s Foreign-Born Population Continues To Grow
Poverty rates in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico declined during the five-year period 2018-2022 according to the latest American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The national poverty rate for that period was 12.5%, down from 14.6% during the years 2013 to 2017. Child poverty rates however increased in 92 counties, and the poverty rates for those 65 and older increased in 459 of the nation’s 3,143 counties the 2018-2022 data shows. The 5-Year Estimate is released by the Census Bureau to illustrate trends in 40 different topic areas, based on surveys of 3.54 million housing unit addresses. It uses a different methodology to both the annual American Community Survey and the official Decennial Census.
Matthew Leonard | December 7, 2023
States
Texas
KXAN Austin | News Census Bureau estimates 1 in 3 Texans speak a language other than English at home
A third of Texans speak a language other than English at home, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The agency released the latest data from its American Community Survey (ACS) Thursday. The new five-year ACS estimates summarize data from 2018 to 2022. The ACS shows of the 27.3 million people aged five or older living in Texas, 17.7 million speak English at home — 64.9% of all Texans. About 28.5% speak Spanish at home — almost 7.8 million people — and about 6.6% speak another language at home.
Christopher Adams | December 11, 2023
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Blog How County Poverty Rates Changed From 2013-2017 to 2018-2022
The U.S. national poverty rate declined significantly to 12.5% during the 5-year period from 2018 to 2022, according to American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates released today. The rate was down from 14.6% during 2013-2017, the most recent nonoverlapping 5-year period.Comparing the 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 5-year estimates offers a longer-term look at national and local economic trends. The ACS 5-year estimates differ from the 1-year estimates released in September because they pool five consecutive years of 1-year ACS data, allowing Census Bureau researchers to estimate poverty rates for areas with smaller populations and all 3,144 U.S. counties.
Craig Benson | December 7, 2023
Coalition on Human Needs | Press Release To count all kids, Census Bureau should improve the count of adults with low literacy
Next week, CHN is hosting a webinar entitled Making Your Case: The Advocate’s Guide to Using American Community Survey Data. The webinar will be 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, December 13. For decades, the Census overall has been getting better and better at counting people. But there are exceptions. For instance, while the overall accuracy of the count has improved, children increasingly have been undercounted, as have some people of color populations. For this reason, CHN is one of four organizations that formed and continues to lead Count All Kids, a national coalition of child-serving organizations that is working to improve the count of young children in the Census. CHN also works closely with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Census Task Force to improve the counts by race and ethnicity.
David Elliot | December 7, 2023
As always, you can find earlier clips here.
December 4, 2023 Census Coalition Clips
National
24/7 Wall Street | News American Cities Hit Hardest By Extreme Poverty
The latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show that nearly 41 million Americans live below the poverty line, which is currently set at an annual income of $30,000 for a family of four, with slightly higher thresholds in Alaska and Hawaii. Living in poverty negatively impacts nearly all aspects of everyday life, from housing stability and family relationships to education outcomes and physical and mental health.
Samuel Stebbins | December 4, 2023
USA Today | News Why more Americans moved to the South last year than any other region
Southern states grew by more than 1.3 million people last year, making it the fastest-growing region in the U.S., according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The South experienced a growth of 1.1% over 2021, largely driven by domestic and international migration. Since 2018, the South has experienced increasing year-to-year net domestic migration and is the most populous region in the U.S. at 128.7 million people.
Sara Chernikoff | November 30, 2023
U.S. News & World Report | News 10 Best States for Racial Equality in Poverty Rates
Poverty in America is more than purely an economic issue, with researchers recently estimating it was associated with over 180,000 deaths in 2019 alone. Data also illuminates the uneven struggle with poverty in the U.S. Between 2017 and 2021, about 13% of Americans on average were living at or below the poverty line, based on a U.S. News analysis of figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Yet that rate varied among different racial and ethnic groups: While only about 9% of white Americans experienced poverty during that time frame, rates were much higher for the American Indian and Alaska Native community (25%) and for the Black community (22%).
Julia Haines | November 28, 2023
States
Georgia
Georgia Recorder | News Georgia lawmakers back at Capitol to redraw political maps to comply with Voting Rights Act
It’s back to Atlanta and back to the drawing board for Georgia legislators, who are set to gavel in for a special session Wednesday after a federal judge ruled the redistricting maps they produced in 2021 did not protect the rights of Black voters. Lawmakers will take another crack at creating voter maps for Georgia’s 14 Congressional seats, 180 state representatives and 56 senators. What they produce will determine the state’s political balance until the next redistricting session after the 2030 U.S. Census. This time around, citizens can express their opinions on a new page of the Legislature’s website as well as read comments made by other Georgians.
Ross Williams | November 29, 2023
New York
USA Today | News More than half a million people left New York in 2022. Here’s where they resettled.
It’s no surprise that the cost of living in New York City is one of the highest in the nation. With rising costs, inflation, and more flexible remote work options, it’s no wonder many of them have decided to move to more affordable areas. About 545,500 residents left the Empire State in 2022. Overall in the U.S., 8.2 million people left their state and moved to another one, a 3.8% increase over 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. So where did New Yorkers retreat to in 2022? And what’s been driving the migration trend?
Sara Chernikoff | November 29, 2023
Blog Posts and Reports
U.S. Census Bureau | Blog National Native American Heritage Month: Celebrating Tribal Identity with Data
During November, we have been celebrating National Native American Heritage Month, also referred to as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Heritage Month. This heritage month is an opportunity to pay homage to and commemorate the traditions, languages, stories, achievements, sacrifices, and legacy of Native American, Alaska Native, and affiliated Indigenous communities to help ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each generation. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Tribal Sovereignty and Identity.” Tribal sovereignty is the inherent authority of tribes to govern themselves, which means respecting the space where tribes honor and preserve their cultures and traditional ways of life. It also means that decisions about tribes’ rights, citizens, and property are made with their full participation and consent.
Robert L. Santos | November 30, 2023
U.S. Census Bureau | Press Release Census Bureau to Host Embargo for 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to embargo new 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates beginning on Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. ET, which are set to be publicly released on Dec. 7. The ACS provides a wide range of statistics about the nation’s people and housing such as language spoken at home, education, commuting, employment, mortgage status and rent, income, poverty and health insurance coverage. It is the only source of local estimates for most of the 40-plus topics it covers. The statistics will be available to embargo subscribers beginning Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. ET for all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, all congressional districts and metropolitan statistical areas, counties, places, census tracts, ZIP Code Tabulation Areas and block groups.
Public Information Office | November 30, 2023
U.S. Census Bureau | News 2022 Economic Census – End of Data Collection
Serving as the cornerstone of the nation’s economic statistics, the economic census is the most comprehensive measure of our nation’s economic activity. Every five years (for years ending in 2 and 7), the U.S. Census Bureau gathers data about America’s businesses, the jobs they support, and the trillions of dollars of goods and services they produce. We just completed data collection for the 2022 Economic Census which began in January with companies reporting their 2022 year-end numbers. As we wrap up this phase of the economic census, I’d like to thank all the businesses, large and small, that took the time to respond to the 2022 Economic Census.
Dr. Ron Jarmin | November 29, 2023
