Report: Detroit-Warren-Dearborn population overcounted in census

Detroit census shows 10 percent drop in population - but Duggan doesn't buy it

Detroit went all out in 2020 to count its population - which city leaders worked to grow over the last decade.

FERNDALE, Mich. - A review of the 2020 Census estimates that Michigan undercounted the number of kids and Black and Hispanic residents while overcounting the number of white residents that live in the state.

In total, the census overcounted Michigan's population by 32,280 people - or .32% of the population.

That's according to the Urban Institute, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. The discrepancies estimated by the group in Michigan track in line with estimated undercounts across the U.S. The Urban Institute said the hardest-to-count groups - children and minorities - were undercounted in the U.S. by several points.

The census underreported populations in Black residents by 1.89% and Hispanic residents by 1.2% across the country. The numbers may seem small, but population estimates determine the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Despite the undercounts, the report estimates that Michigan's 10,077,331 total resident population is a bit too high. It should be closer to 10,045,051 people. That means the state "would hypothetically lose $107,174,556 in Medicaid reimbursement funds," the report said.

The estimated overcounts won't affect Michigan's pending change in representation in Congress. The state will lose one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Here's the report's breakdown of Michigan's census:

Age category:

0-4: undercounted by 3,82%
5-9: overcounted by .6%
10-17: overcounted by 1.58%
18-29: undercounted by .17%
30-49: undercounted by .93%
50-99: overcounted by 1.54%

Race and ethnic identity:

American Indian or Alaska Native: undercounted by .33%
Asian: overcounted by .24%
Black: undercounted by 1.89%
Hispanic/Latinx: undercounted by 1.2%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: overcounted by 1.26%
White: overcounted by .85%

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn overcounted

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan previously criticized the report from the Census, which said the city lost 10.5% of its population since 2010. A total of 254,000 occupied households were measured by the census, which didn't measure up since DTE Energy reports 280,000 residential homes to pay electric bills in the city, Duggan argued.

The Michigan State demographer Kurt Metzger also believes the city was undercounted since every ethnic group's population rose except for Black residents.

"And they dropped by 93,000," he told FOX 2 back in August. "We think, and our best guess is, they lived in neighborhoods hardest to count, and the census was done online, where people don't have internet access."

Curiously, the Urban Institute's review says the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn population was overcounted by more than 16,000 people.

A post enumeration survey, which the census uses to test the accuracy of its count by independently surveying population groups, won't be released until the end of the year.