Florida Times-Union

August 19, 2020

It makes no sense to stop the U.S. Census before a full count is made.

The Census Bureau is going to stop its data collection at the end of September rather than the end of October.

This not an abstract statistical issue. The undercount in 2010 cost Florida about $20 billion in federal funds over the decade.

An undercount this time probably will cost Florida even more in lost federal funds in the next decade, funds that will touch residents in many areas. Each person missed will cost Florida about $15,000 per person per year.

For instance, the census determines funding for over 300 federal programs in health, education, arts, the environment and programs for students, the elderly and low-income people, to mention a few.