Add New York's two Democratic senators to the list of public officials who say the U.S. Census miscounted the population in the Big Apple.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer agree with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that the 2010 Census undercounted residents in Brooklyn and Queens.
Sunday, Bloomberg announced the city will officially challenge the Census, which says New York City and the state gained 2.1% from 2000 to 2010, for a record 8,175,133 people. USA TODAY's Martha T. Moore reported on the dispute here.
As Gillibrand noted on her Twitter feed today, an undercount has serious repercussions:
These are high growth areas w/large immigrant populations. It's crucial that #NYC get the federal funds & the representation it deserves.
Schumer, who lives in Brooklyn, said "it strains credulity" that New York City has grown only by 167,000 people in the past decade.
Check out USA TODAY's Census coverage here, including a rollover map that is updated as population and diversity trends are released.
To challenge the Census, the New York officials had to notify Commerce Secretary Gary Locke that they will undergo the formal appeals process known as the Count Question Resolution Program.
