Field workers in Michigan have until October 31 to finish counting the state’s population for the 2020 census. They’re concerned about reaching vulnerable populations in time.
Officials say more than 71 percent of Michigan households have completed their census forms on their own.
That means about 50,000 people still have not.
Low-income communities, immigrants and persons of color are most at risk of not being represented in the count, which determines federal funding for an array of programs.
Michigan Nonprofit Association president and CEO Donna Murray-Brown says the most vulnerable groups sometimes don’t see how resources obtained from an accurate census will benefit them.
“It’s a myriad of things,” she says. “Trust is at the center of it, but it’s also about making sure that it’s the right messenger and a trusted messenger. And that’s what non-profits have been able to successfully do so far.”
Murray-Brown says Michigan could lose more than $1 billion over the next decade if those 50,000 people remain uncounted.
Michigan Census Director Kerry Ebersole Singh says the state supports bipartisan legislation in Congress that would extend the census data delivery date from December to April 30.