The U. S. Census Bureau prepares annual estimates of total population for states, counties and all other units of general purpose government. Governmental units, including states, counties and units of local government may challenge the population estimates prepared by the Census Bureau under the provisions of Title 15, The Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), Part 90.1
A state or local government can request information from the Census Bureau about how to challenge its population estimate and the components used to derive the population estimate for its jurisdiction for the most recent year. Governments interested in this information should contact Population Division by:
Telephone: | Letter: | E-mail: |
(301) 763-2461 | Population Division Population Estimates Program U.S. Census Bureau H.Q. 6H480 4600 Silver Hill Road Washington, DC 20233 |
Gregory.S.Harper@census.gov Rodger.V.Johnson@census.gov |
The Census Bureau will mail materials to the locality, including a Review Guide and appendices, which contain descriptions of the methods used to prepare county and subcounty population estimates, we also will include the derivation of current year population estimates for your jurisdiction. The Review Guide provides the procedures for states or governmental units to follow in challenging population estimates produced by the Census Bureau. The evidence required for a challenge, informal or formal, must comply with the Review Guide.
If a governmental unit wishes to challenge a population estimate prepared by the Census Bureau, the governmental unit's chief executive officer or highest elected official must initiate the informal challenge process by:
By courier: | By mail: |
---|---|
Chief, Population Division U.S. Census Bureau H.Q. 5H174 4600 Silver Hill Road Suitland, MD 20746 Attention: Population Estimates Program |
Chief, Population Division U.S. Census Bureau H.Q. 5H174 4600 Silver Hill Road Washington, DC 20233 Attention: Population Estimates Program |
The Census Bureau requests that the challenge packages be received no later than October 1 of the year in which the estimate was released. Doing so will allow staff enough time to review the challenge, to resolve any questions about the challenge, to notify localities of the results, and to incorporate successful challenges into the following year's population estimates. The Census Bureau cannot guarantee that challenges received after October 1 will be included in the following year's estimates.
In any instance in which a local government and the Census Bureau cannot resolve a challenge through the informal procedures described above, the governmental unit may file a formal challenge.
Results of challenges to previously released estimates are listed here.
2007 challenges
2006 challenges
2005 challenges
2004 challenges
2003
challenges
2002
challenges
2001
challenges
If during the course of the challenge, the local government is dissatisfied with the recording of their legal boundaries or building permits, the following options are open to them:
The geographic boundaries of governmental units are updated through the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). If a local government wants to participate in the BAS or if they have a question regarding their boundaries, they should contact the BAS Unit of the Census Bureau's Geography Division on 301-763-1099 or e-mail them at GEO.BAS@census.gov.
Subcounty population estimates are produced using building permit data gathered from a survey conducted by the Census Bureau's Residential Construction Branch. If a local government is not being contacted by this survey or if they disagree with the collected data, they may contact the Residential Construction Branch on 301-763-5160.