Detroit Evening Report: US Census refuses to adjust 2020 Detroit estimates despite city’s challenge

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The U.S. Census Bureau is refusing to change some 2020 population estimates challenged by the city of Detroit. 


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City officials filed a lawsuit last September claiming that the Census Bureau miscounted residents twice — underreporting the city’s total population and missing some residents who lived together in group settings. 

The bureau had an especially difficult time counting people in so-called “group quarters” like dorms, jails and nursing homes because many were locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Detroit won its challenge over group quarters, with the agency adding an extra 1,400 people to the city’s total.  

However, the bureau rejected an effort to change the overall population estimate, which found Detroit had dropped from about 670,000 people in 2019 to around 639,000 in 2020.

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