Schakowsky, Members of Illinois Delegation Meet with Census Bureau Director on Illinois Count

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, and members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation today met virtually with U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert L. Santos about the results of the 2020 Decennial Census after Illinois was found to likely have been undercounted at a rate of 1.97 percent.

The 2020 Census is projected to have undercounted Illinois by approximately 250,000 individuals, which means that current Census data does not accurately reflect Illinois' population of roughly 13 million residents – the highest the state has ever recorded. As a result of the error, Illinois is at risk of losing valuable federal funding over the next ten years. The Census is used to allocate roughly $1.5 trillion in federal funding, through about 100 programs including Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare Part B, Highway Planning and Construction, and Pell grants.

A photo of the virtual meeting is available here.

Members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation joining Schakowsky on the call today included Senator Dick Durbin and U.S. Representatives Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Lauren Underwood, and Bobby Rush.

Last month, Schakowsky, alongside the other Democratic members of the Illinois delegation, sent a letter to Director Santos on the undercount. In their letter, the lawmakers requested direct answers on how the Census Bureau plans to incorporate PES findings into census data to accurately represent the number of Illinoisans.

"As you know, Census Bureau data determines how $1.5 trillion of federal funding will be allocated over the course of a decade," said the lawmakers. "Illinoisans rely on roughly 100 programs that use this data to allocate funding, particularly for health care, nutrition assistance, and education programs, among others."

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