2020 Census Apportionment Results Delivered to the President

2020 Census Apportionment Results Delivered to the President

By EditorApr 26, 2021
The U.S. Census Bureau issued this press release today in addition to holding a press conference announcing the official apportionment results from the 2020 Census. Originally due on December 31, 2020 - the results were delayed due to Covid-19 and litigation surrounding a presidential order to exclude non-citizens from the count. Read the press release below for a summary of the 2020 apportionment and state population results for the states. APRIL 26, 2021 – The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that the 2020 Census shows the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2020, was 331,449,281. The U.S. resident…
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U.S. Census Apportionment Results Are in. Here is the Data

U.S. Census Apportionment Results Are in. Here is the Data

By EditorApr 26, 2021
Today the U.S. Census Bureau announced the official apportionment results from the 2020 census. A press release detailing the data is below. In a press conference, the bureau announced that 7 U.S. House seats changed hands between states with Texas being the biggest gainer adding two additional seats. See the press release below for PDFs and data tables of the results. April 26, 2021: 2020 Census Apportionment Results Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. At the conclusion of each decennial census, the results are used…
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Census Bureau Releases Quality Indicators on 2020 Census

Census Bureau Releases Quality Indicators on 2020 Census

By EditorApr 26, 2021
Press Release: APRIL 26, 2021 — Today the U.S. Census Bureau released information about the quality of the 2020 Census from two methods: (1) analyses that compare the first census results to other ways of measuring the population, and (2) metrics that provide insight into the census operations. The Census Bureau accelerated plans for releasing this information because of increased interest in how COVID-19 and its impact on operations may have impacted the quality of the 2020 Census. This is the first time that the Census Bureau has released such detailed analyses and operational quality metrics on the same day as…
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Census Bureau: New Demonstration Data Will Feature Higher Privacy-loss Budget, Satisfies Redistricting Accuracy Target

Census Bureau: New Demonstration Data Will Feature Higher Privacy-loss Budget, Satisfies Redistricting Accuracy Target

By EditorApr 19, 2021
On Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that it has decided on the precise algorithm for its disclosure avoidance tool / differential privacy method. In short, the algorithm used to inject "noise" in the raw census data to protect privacy, will be set to inject a significantly lower level of noise into the data in comparison to previous samples released to the data user community over the past 18 months. Read the detailed release below: Press Release - April 19, 2021: Based on the results of over 600 experimental data runs to optimize and tune the parameters of the new…
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U.S. Census Bureau Releases Bulletin to Allay Fears and Explain its Testing Strategy for Differential Privacy

U.S. Census Bureau Releases Bulletin to Allay Fears and Explain its Testing Strategy for Differential Privacy

By EditorApr 07, 2021
This week, the U.S. Census Bureau released a bulletin that sounds a lot like it is a response to a report released by MALDEF and other civil rights groups earlier in the week. That report warns that the Bureau's application of differential privacy (DP) statistical techniques that alter census redistricting data to protect privacy, is likely to frustrate implementation of the Voting Rights Act during the redistricting process, ultimately disenfranchising minority voters. In particular, the MALDEF report claims that recent samples of 2010 census data treated with various degrees of differential privacy (DP) techniques will obfuscate the true population count…
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Civil Rights Groups Issue New Report Detailing Potential Harm to Minority Groups During Redistricting Due to Differential Privacy

Civil Rights Groups Issue New Report Detailing Potential Harm to Minority Groups During Redistricting Due to Differential Privacy

By EditorApr 05, 2021
Civil rights groups are raising concerns about the accuracy of the U.S. Census Bureau’s proposed new system for protecting privacy in a report released today. The report raises concerns about how the Bureau's use of differential privacy as evidenced by recent demonstration data, will obfuscate the true population count of minority populations and frustrate compliance with federal (and some state) Voting Rights laws governing the redistricting process. PRESS RELEASE April 5, 2021: Civil Rights Groups Issue New Report Detailing Potential Harm to Upcoming Redistricting Efforts Highlight Concerns About the Census Bureau’s Differential Privacy Methodology (Washington, D.C.) – Civil rights groups…
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View the Latest Census Estimate Data for Your State with the Redistricting and You Online Map Tool

View the Latest Census Estimate Data for Your State with the Redistricting and You Online Map Tool

By EditorApr 03, 2021
The Center for Urban Research (CUR) at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) has created the Redistricting & You online map to help members of the public, journalists, elected officials, and other redistricting stakeholders to understand the local implications of redrawing legislative district lines across the country. The website uses the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau to show several population characteristics that will help inform the redistricting debate. Until census 2020 data is available, the most current data to show how congressional and state legislative district demographics have changed is from the American Community Survey, either from the 5-year 2015-2019 estimates or…
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Study: Census Bureau’s Differential Privacy Disclosure Avoidance System Produces Concerning Results for Local Jurisdictions

Study: Census Bureau’s Differential Privacy Disclosure Avoidance System Produces Concerning Results for Local Jurisdictions

By EditorMar 31, 2021
Recent research into the effect of differential privacy (DP) on Alaska's census data show concerning results, especially for small area geographies such as townships, municipalities and other local jurisdictions. The authors of the study, a summary of which is posted in the blog for the Population Association of America, warn that local redistricting and other activities connected to census data could be substantially impacted by the Census Bureau's application of differential privacy on raw census data. The authors of the study, David Swanson, Professor Emeritus, Sociology at the University of California - Riverside, T.M. Bryan of Bryan Demographic Research, Richmond,…
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California Redistricting Commission Gets Confirmation it Can Use Early Census “Legacy Format” Data

California Redistricting Commission Gets Confirmation it Can Use Early Census “Legacy Format” Data

By EditorMar 29, 2021
In a letter to the state's independent redistricting commission, Karin Mac Donald, the director of the California Statewide Database program, (SWDB) confirmed that the SWDB has the technical capabilities to process the legacy format files that the U.S. Census Bureau plans to release ahead of the final redistricting data files scheduled to be released by Sept 30. According to the Census Bureau, the data contained in the legacy file and the final file will be identical. Earlier this month, the bureau indicated that despite the six-month delay in delivering redistricting data to the states, it would be possible to release…
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Ohio’s Lawsuit Over Census Data Delay is Dismissed by Federal Court

By EditorMar 24, 2021
Earlier today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio denied Ohio's request to the court for an order compelling the U.S. Census Bureau to deliver redistricting data to the state by the statutory deadline of March 31. Ultimately the court denied the request for a preliminary injunction for lack of standing because the Census Bureau's failure to meet its deadline in and of itself does not constitute a redressable injury, explaining that "A litigant is not concretely injured and standing is not met simply because a statute creates a legal obligation that goes unfulfilled." In an opinion…
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