Jersey City paying consultant $25,000 to challenge Census count

JHEALY.jpgJersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy

Jersey City is spending $25,000 to hire an outside consultant to help it challenge recent U.S. Census figures that city officials believe underestimate the city's total population.

In February, when the Census pegged Jersey City's population at 247,597 -- 3 percent higher than in 2000 -- Mayor Jerramiah Healy immediately objected, saying the city has seen at least a dozen high-rise residential buildings built along the Hudson River in the past decade.

The city feels it has been undercounted by as many as 30,000 residents, said city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.

The Social Compact of Washington, D.C., the vendor approved to work with the city on the challenge, will work with city data and private data sources to determine Jersey City's true population, said Alyssa Lee, its president and CEO.

The company helped San Francisco challenge its 2008 Census estimate, which undercounted that city's population by 34,209. More than 200 federal programs depend on Census figures to determine funding apportionments, Lee said.

"So if you're missing one person, that's $2,000 on average that isn't coming to your city," she said.

Lee noted that the Census encourages challenges, so this will not be an "adversarial" process. It will take about a month for the company to get all its figures to Healy, who will then make the official challenge, according to Lee.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.