In push for Census, senator says NNY lost $80m in 2000

TIMES WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON — Undercounting in the 2000 census may have cost the north country as much as $80 million in federal funds over a decade, Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand's office estimated as it urged people to return their 2010 census forms.

Based on estimates that the last count missed about 1 percent of New York's population, Mrs. Gillibrand's office concluded that about 4,000 people in Northern New York did not answer the census and were not counted.

That cost the region about $8 million in federal programs that are based on census numbers, her office reported.

"The census is a win-win for everyone - and it's safe, easy and fast to fill out," Mrs. Gillibrand said in a press release. "It is critical that we capture a true picture of New York's families and neighborhoods to ensure their access to needed resources."

The Census Bureau has urged people to return forms by mid-April, after which census workers may visit homes from which forms were not returned.