The US census bureau has estimated that the 2020 Texas census has likely been undercounted by 2%.
The count, which is held once every 10 years, put Texas’ official population at 29,145,505 after it gained the most residents of any state in the last decade, also earning two additional congressional seats.
In a post-count analysis using survey results from households, the bureau estimated that the count for people living in Texas households, a slightly smaller population than the total population, failed to find more than half a million residents. This is the equivalent of missing the entire populations of Lubbock, Laredo and then some.
The undercount means that many residents were missing from the data used by state lawmakers last year to redraw congressional and legislative districts to distribute political power. For the next decade, the undercount will also be baked into the data used by governments and industry to plan and provide for communities.
Texas is just one of six states that the bureau determined had a statistically significant undercount. The others were Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi and Tennessee.
The census impacts Texans’ daily lives, helping to determine the distribution of millions of dollars in funding and services. It plays a role in decisions on where grocery stores are built, how many dollars are needed to adequately fund early childhood programs, which roads are built or repaired and whether schools will be large enough.
The undercount means that many residents were missing from the data used by state lawmakers last year to redraw congressional and legislative districts to distribute political power. For the next decade, the undercount will also be incorporated into the data used by governments and industry to plan and provide for communities.
