Milwaukee mayor challenges 2020 Census numbers for city

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is getting ready for a battle with the U.S. Census Bureau. The mayor says the city's population count was not accurate – which could mean millions of dollars lost for the city.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is getting ready for a battle with the U.S. Census Bureau. The mayor says the city's population count was not accurate – which could mean millions of dollars lost for the city.

Every ten years, the Census Bureau records population data for cities across the country. The most recent count took place in 2020.

"The 2020 Census undercounted Milwaukee residents. The reported number 577,000 was not accurate," said Mayor Johnson.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson

Johnson said during a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 20 that the Department of City Development and the Department of Administration reviewed city records to find Milwaukee's population is more than 594,000. But challenging the undercount is complicated.

"We’re restricted in the factors we can cite in our appeal, so we have carefully analyzed the number of housing units in the city," Johnson said.

City IT reviewed Milwaukee's master address inventory. It found the 2020 census undercounted more than 2,300 housing units.

"This undercount has significant impacts on the census population of cities like Milwaukee where a majority of residents are people of color," the mayor said. "By submitting this formal challenge with the United States Census Bureau, we are here to set the record straight."

Milwaukee joins Boston, Austin, Detroit and Memphis among the largest U.S. cities that are challenging their 2020 census results for undercounting their populations.

Milwaukee City Hall

"At a time when Milwaukee has tight budgets, tighter than ever, every dollar matters to our residents. The census population count are used to determine not just representation but allocate critical federal resources to communities across the country," said Mayor Johnson. "This undercount has real impact on our federal funding and our ability to access the resources our community needs and quite frankly deserves."

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The City of Milwaukee challenged a census population county in 2007. The city won. The population was adjusted by 30,000 – almost the same population as Mequon.

Associated Press contributed to this report.