Congressional Hispanic Caucus Calls on Census Bureau to Report Final Undercount of Latinos, Data Collection Methods

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) led by Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) sent a letter to the director of the United States Census Bureau, Dr. Steven Dillingham, requesting additional information on how the Census Bureau calculated enumeration rates and asks the director to commit to a public report on the final undercount of Latinos, as has been done previously. The 2020 Census has been the most challenging decennial census to date, and the CHC remains committed to holding the Bureau accountable for a complete and accurate count of our communities.

The letter was signed by Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), First Vice Chair Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Second Vice Chair Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Whip Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), and Freshman Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Congressman J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Congressman Filemon Vela (TX-34), Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (CA-32), Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51), Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35), Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-3), Congressman José Serrano (NY-15), Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Congressman Ben Ray Luján (NM-3), Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-3), and Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16).

"It is critical to our Caucus that the Census Bureau provide more granular reporting on these enumeration and data collection methods," the Members wrote. "In 2010 the Census Bureau undercounted the Latino community by 1.5%[1]and undercounted 400,000 Latino children under five years old.[2] Will the Census Bureau commit to publicly reporting the final undercount of Latinos as it has done in the past, most recently in the 2010 Census?"

Full text of the letter follows and can be found here.

As Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we write to you regarding the 2020 Census. As you know, the 2020 Census has been a top priority for our Caucus, and we understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused seemingly unending, and unprecedented challenges to the decennial count. That is why the CHC supported the Census Bureau's original extension of the data collection and field operations period through October 31, 2020.[3] We viewed the 90-day extension of this phase of the 2020 Census as necessary for the Bureau to count as many people as possible, especially those in hard-to-count communities and those hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, we understand that the Supreme Court stayed federal district court Judge Koh's decision to enjoin the Bureau from ending the 2020 Census data collection phase before October 31, 2020,[4] and that the Bureau has since officially ended this phase. Per the Census Bureau's own reporting, the Bureau has enumerated 99.9% of households in 49 states, in the District of Columbia, and in Puerto Rico.[5]

To reach these enumeration rates, we understand that the Census Bureau utilized several methods and reported the national percentages for households that responded to the 2020 Census through self-response, in-person enumeration, proxy interviews, the use of administrative records, and other proxy methods.[6] It is critical to our Caucus that the Census Bureau provide more granular reporting on these enumeration and data collection methods.

As such the CHC respectfully requests additional information on our questions below:

1. 1.Will the Census Bureau publicly report on the data collection methods used to reach enumeration rates at a disaggregated level by county, tribal, and congressional district before the release of the final 2020 Census data product?
2. Additionally, the CHC respectfully requests that the Census Bureau provide this information for CHC Member Districts, and that the Census Bureau's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs work with the CHC to meet this request.
3. We understand that administrative records were used to reach the reported 99.9% enumeration rates.[7] Which administrative records were used?
   • Were administrative records used more heavily in certain states, counties, and congressional districts? If so, in which states, counties, and/or districts? And what accounts for these differences?
   • What steps did the Census Bureau take to determine confidence in the quality and accuracy of the administrative records used?
   • Please share all steps and processes taken to ensure the accuracy of these records, including the results of these processes.
4. Were other proxy methods used to supplement direct data collection and follow up? Or were they used to reach the 99.9% enumeration rates?
5. The Bureau reported that it has completed 24.1% of Non-Response Follow Up (NRFU) using proxies nationwide, and 13.9% of NRFU nationwide using administrative records.[8] The CHC respectfully requests a breakdown of these numbers by state, tribe, and county if possible, for CHC Members.
6. The CHC respectfully requests that the Census Bureau share an interim report with CHC Members on the expected final proxy rate to keep Members of Congress updated on this important data quality metric. The CHC requests that the Census Bureau's Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs work with the CHC to meet this request.
7. Please share the Bureau's complete list of data processing and quality assurance operations that will take place to ensure that the 2020 Census is an accurate and reliable data product.
8. Please share the Bureau's complete list of data processing and quality assurance operations that the Bureau conducted in the 2010 Census.
9. In 2010 the Census Bureau undercounted the Latino community by 1.5%[9] and undercounted 400,000 Latino children under five years old.[10] Will the Census Bureau commit to publicly reporting the final undercount of Latinos as it has done in the past, most recently in the 2010 Census? Will the Census Bureau commit to conducting an analysis of the undercount of Latino children under five years old and releasing it publicly?

Thank you in advance for your attention to our questions. We look forward to hearing back from you on these questions, including the requested information for CHC districts, by no later than November 2^nd as time is of the essence when it comes to ensuring a complete count of our communities.

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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.