Cost of federal census recounts push growing towns to do it themselves

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

Only a single municipality, the Village of Pingree Grove in Illinois, has signed a contract so far with the U.S. Census Bureau to have the agency conduct a repeat head count following the 2020 census. But many more are conducting or exploring do-it-yourself special censuses without the imprimatur of the federal statistical agency. They include several municipalities in Tennessee, including Lebanon, La Vergne and Cumberland Gap. The goal is to get more state funding that reflects a growing populations in many cases. Some experts warn, though, that while locally-conducted censuses can be useful, they come with some concerns about data privacy and the methodologies used.