Every 10 years, we get a chance to count how many people live in the United States. In addition to the basic count, we learn where people live and basic demographic information such as age, gender, race and ethnicity.
Governments use that data to fund and plan a variety of social, educational and public safety expenses. Most importantly, the count is used to draw political boundaries and determine our representatives at all levels of government.
Getting an accurate count is always important, but this year, an accurate count carries significant implications for Minnesota’s 5.6 million people.
Latest population estimates show slower growth in Minnesota that could mean the state will lose a seat in the House of Representatives and one of its 10 Electoral College votes.
The census this spring will determine how the country’s 435 congressional seats are divvied up. Minnesota barely hung onto its eight seats after the last census in 2010, but its growth hasn’t kept pace with states such as Florida and Texas that are poised to gain seats.
Minnesota’s projected population could fall between 21,000 and 25,000 people short of keeping the seat. The new population estimates illustrate the importance of an accurate census count this spring and summer, when every Minnesotan will be asked to fill out a census form online. Census letters go out in mid-March, and efforts to reach people who have not responded will continue until the end of July.
Growth is driven by births, deaths and migration. The number of births has remained low since the recession and there has been slower international immigration for several years, according to the consulting firm Election Data Services. The biggest swing in 2019 was a steep dive in the number of people arriving in Minnesota from other states, dropping from 6,500 to nearly zero.
Minnesota’s population grew by about 0.6 percent last year, or about 33,000 people. That was down slightly from 0.7 percent the prior year. Annual growth rates have generally hovered in that range since 2011, though they nearly reached 0.8 percent in 2017. Texas, by comparison, grew by about 1.3 percent last year.
Recent misguided attempts by the Trump Administration to add a citizenship question to the census may have created fear and distrust among recent immigrants and refugees.
Those concerns need to be addressed as a part of the effort for an accurate count. Words and deeds that are intended to make immigrants and refugees feel unwelcome may ultimately backfire if an undercount results in the state losing representation and federal money.
State officials will learn if the state loses a House seat in December. During 2021, legislators and probably eventually the courts, will use the data to redraw district lines.
Local officials need to carry the message that everyone who lives here needs to be counted.
We all need to make sure our friends, families and neighbors participate in the census.
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The League of Women Voters is sponsoring 2020 Census-Ensuring a Complete Count, at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the St. Cloud Public Library, 1300 St. Germain St.
