FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1999 Decennial Media Relations CB99-CN.09 301-457-3691/301-457-3620 (fax) e-mail: pio@census.gov David Hoffman 301-457-3691 Racial, Ethnic Undercounts Detailed For Census 2000 Dress Rehearsal Sites By Census Bureau Measurements of how completely the population was counted in the three Census 2000 Dress Rehearsal sites were released today by the U.S. Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The figures show the undercount rates by major race/origin groups in Sacramento, California; Menominee County, Wisconsin; and 11 counties around Columbia, South Carolina. Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt noted that in each site a quality check survey was conducted. In Sacramento and Menominee, the results of the survey were used to produce the final population and housing estimates and to measure the net population undercount. In South Carolina, the survey was used only to measure the undercount. "In looking at these figures," Prewitt said, "it's important to remember that net undercount figures historically have been higher in dress rehearsals for each census than in the actual census itself." For Sacramento, the net undercount percentages for minority groups were higher than those for non-Hispanic Whites. A similar differential was measured in South Carolina. In both sides, the pattern is similar to earlier censuses. The net undercount of 4.1 percent for American Indians in Menominee, however, may not be indicative of all American Indians living on reservations. The 1990 census net undercount of this group was 12.2 percent. Related Information:
Statement of Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley on Plan for Census 2000Director Kenneth Prewitt's Talking Points
Letter to Commerce Sec. Daley from Director Ken Prewitt and the Census 2000 Operational Report
Statement of Commerce Sec. Daley on Plan for Census 2000
Editor's Note: News releases issued by the Census Bureau on Census 2000, as well as other activities, can be found on our Internet homepage at http://www.census.gov. Click on the News button to view news releases, by date and by subject, or for Census 2000 information. Census 2000 Dress Rehearsal Undercounts Undercount Site Group (in percent) Sacramento Total 6.5 Non-Hispanic White 4.7 Non-Hispanic Black 8.7 Non-Hispanic Asian 6.0 Hispanic 8.3 Menominee Total 3.1 Non-Hispanic American Indian 4.1 South Carolina Total 9.4 Non-Hispanic White 6.3 Non-Hispanic Black 13.4
-X-The Census Bureau needs the help of local residents to conduct Census 2000. Job opportunities include working as a census taker in communities and neighborhoods, as well as in an office. A large number of part-time positions are available. For more information on census jobs in your area, call toll-free 1-888-325-7733. The Census Bureau guarantees that the answers given on census forms are kept strictly confidential and never shared. Information collected in Census 2000 will provide local area data needed for communities to receive federal program funds and for private sector and community planning. The U.S. Census Bureau, pre-eminent collector and disseminator of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and the economy of the United States, conducts a population and housing census every 10 years, an economic census every five years and more than 100 demographic and economic surveys every year, all of them evolving from the first census in 1790.
