The State Data Center has developed a three-step process for communities to utilize when conducting a detailed review their 2020 Census population data.
Reviewing, identifying and correcting errors in 2020 Census data does not involve a recount of people. Instead, it is a check to ensure that the living quarters reported by the Census Bureau are in the correct location.
To expedite a municipal review, our three step process is focused on locating only those errors which can be submitted to 2020 Census review programs sponsored by the Census Bureau. Two review programs are available.
2020 Count Question Resolution (CQR) Operation
CQR allows communities to request that the Census Bureau review a narrow set of processing errors that include:
- Incorrect corporate boundaries used in the calculation of the total population and housing unit counts
- Correct errors where living units (housing units and group quarters) and their inhabitants were reported at an incorrect location – such as outside a corporate limit
Post Census Group Quarters Review (PCGQR)
PCGQR is a new program designed to correct 2020 Census miscounts of residents at group quarter facilities, especially in instances where residents were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic or facility restrictions prevented accurate enumeration.
Getting Started
The review is broken into three parts. For each part, an interactive map with the appropriate census data and detailed directions will guide you through the steps to complete a 2020 Census review for your community.
Part 1
Compare municipal boundary with Census boundary
Data for cities and towns in the 2020 Census are intended to reflect the legal boundaries in effect on January 1, 2020. When they do not, and living quarters are located within the affected area, then a community can purse a census challenge via the Count Questions Resolution Program.
Part 2
Review of group quarter counts and locations
2020 Census count operations at college dormitories and nursing homes were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic creating scenarios where miscounts of “usual residents” may have occurred. GQs that were miscounted or were incorrectly located can be addressed through two different review programs.
Part 3
Housing unit review along municipal boundary
When housing units are reported in the wrong jurisdiction, it negatively affects a city or town’s total population and can reduce revenues dispersed to communities on a per-capita basis. These errors can be corrected through the 2020 Census challenge program but locating these errors can be difficult.
Questions
Have you have found an error that you think we should know about or need more information about conducting a decennial census review in your community? Contact us!
Tim Kuhn, Director
Tennessee State Data Center
Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
University of Tennessee
2280 Sutherland Ave, Suite 228
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
Email: tkuhn@utk.edu
Phone: (865) 974-6070