Some groups were overcounted or undercounted in the 2020 Census

SALT LAKE CITY — Some groups were overcounted or undercounted in the 2020 U.S Census.

According to the 2020 census, 61.6 percent of Utah is white and not Latino. But if Utah is like the rest of the nation, that’s probably an overcount. And many racial minorities likely went undercounted.

“Undercounted groups include black population, the Hispanic or Latino population, the American Indian and the Alaska native population,” said Robert Santos, director of the U.S Census Bureau.

 The Bureau released a report on how accurate the last census was. Children younger than 4 were also undercounted. And that might affect Utah because it has a higher-than-average percentage of children. 

If Utah follows the same trend, that means the state’s latest demographic information is likely incorrect.

Arturo Vargas is with an organization focused on Latino civic participation.

He said, “In my over 35 years of having worked on promoting a fair and accurate Census, I don’t believe I’ve seen such an extensive under count rate of Latinos as we are now seeing in 2020. This represents a major step backward.” 

A report on the accuracy of Utah’s census data will be released this summer.

Read more:

• Census: Utah leads nation in population increase; Texas gains Congress seats, Calif. loses
• Census Bureau director to resign amid criticism over data