The U.S. Census Bureau released data that show that the 2020 Census had the largest undercount of 0 to 4 year olds in the nation with Duchesne County among the counties with the highest undercount within that category. Utah as a whole actually averaged an overestimate of children 0 to 4 years old by about 0.53 percent and Uintah County was almost exactly there with a 0.52 percent overcount. Duchesne County, on the other hand, had the highest undercount in the entire state with an undercount of well over 5 percent for children ages 0 to 4. While the data is quite clear, the reason why so many of the youngest population group was not counted is less so. “We’re taking a broader approach to tackling the undercount this decade by focusing on research, data collection, data products and community outreach,” shares Eric Jensen, co-chair of the Census Bureau’s Undercount of Young Children Working Group. To view the over and undercounts estimates, visit www.census.gov.
