Detroit Evening Report: Detroit suing U.S. Census Bureau, claims population undercounted
Welcome to the Detroit Evening Report, a daily round-up of news that city residents need to know.
The downtown Detroit skyline.
Detroit is suing the U.S. Census Bureau for allegedly undercounting residents — specifically Black and Hispanic residents.
The city says the federal agency estimated Detroit lost 7,000 people from 2020-2021 and used that number in a formula to estimate how many people reside in the city.
But Mayor Mike Duggan says data from the postal service and utility companies suggest more people have moved to the city and that its population is growing. Duggan says according to the Census Bureau’s own estimates of undercounting Black and Hispanic populations across the country, they should estimate there are 20,000 more people in Detroit than they counted.
The Census estimates there are around 640,000 residents in Detroit. The city’s population is used to determine how much federal funding the city receives and affects the number of representatives in Congress in districts that include the city.
Other headlines for September 20, 2022:
- Stellantis reaches settlement with state of Michigan over assembly plant pollution
- Detroit Board of Police Commissioners’ report on use of force complaints yet to be public
- Belle Isle Nature Conservancy set to reopen this month
Photo Credit: Jake Neher, WDET
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
