Census challenge: Leaders insist population was undercounted in Milwaukee

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One thing to watch as we move into 2023 is the city of Milwaukee's challenge of the 2020 Census. City leaders say the census undercounted Milwaukee's population. 

It's a nationwide issue. Officials with the census bureau estimate about 782,000 Americans were missed in the 2020 count. And the majority of those undercounted were Latino, Black, and Native American.

The census determines federal aid. So, in Milwaukee, less people counted means less dollars flowing from Washington. 

City leaders have officially challenged the count and they're waiting for a response. 

"The local government provides its information to the census and then the census digs into it and at some point, in the future they'll come back and say yeah you're right or we don't think your numbers are any better than our numbers," said Margo Anderson, professor emerita, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. 

There's no word yet on how long it might take for the census to come back with its answer.