MAY 31, 2022 — The U.S. Census Bureau today began mailing approximately 40,000 eligible governmental units at the tribal, state and local levels about participating in the 2020 Post-Census Group Quarters Review (PCGQR) operation. The 2020 PCGQR is a new, one-time operation that was created in response to public feedback received on the Count Question Resolution operation about counting group quarters’ populations during the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 PCGQR gives governmental units or their representatives the opportunity to submit information to ask the Census Bureau to review their 2020 Census group quarters population counts for group quarters facilities in blocks they believe were undercounted. Group quarters include such places as college/university student housing, residential treatment centers, nursing/skilled-nursing facilities, group homes, correctional facilities, and workers’ group living quarters and job corps centers. Service-based locations such as soup kitchens, mobile food vans, and domestic violence shelters are excluded from the 2020 PCGQR operation.

Governments that would like to request a review of group quarters population counts for a group quarter facility within a certain block can submit their cases starting June 6, 2022, through June 30, 2023, via the Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM). The Census Bureau plans to review and respond to each respective case within 90 days of submission. Instructions on how to submit are available on the 2020 PCGQR webpage.

The 2020 PCGQR requests must be consistent with 2020 Census residence criteria and residence situations used to determine where to count people for the 2020 Census or guidance the Census Bureau issued in response to COVID-19 operational delays. The 2020 PCGQR will collect new data but will not alter 2020 Census apportionment or redistricting results or other 2020 Census data products. Corrections made as a result of the 2020 PCGQR research will be incorporated into the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program. The estimates developed from the updated population base will also be used by the American Community Survey and the Puerto Rico Community Survey.

The 2020 PCGQR is separate from the 2020 Census Count Question Resolution (CQR) operation which allows tribal, state and local officials to ask the Census Bureau to review their official 2020 Census boundaries and/or housing counts for processing errors. The CQR operation has been conducted since the 1990 Census.

For more information on the 2020 PCGQR operation, visit the 2020 Post-Census Group Quarters Review press kit. 

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