Clifton Jackson, a resident of the Native village of Noorvik, Alaska, was the first person in the nation who was enumerated on the 2010 Census. Photo from U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census Bureau is reaching out to Indian Country before it undertakes the next major count of the nation's population. The agency started holding a series of consultations with tribal leaders last month. The goal is to make the 2020 Census more accurate with respect to American Indians and Alaska Natives. “To do an accurate census, it has to be done locally,” Census Bureau Director John Thompson told The Albuquerque Journal. "We realized in 2000, and even more in 2010, the importance of having a local presence.” The 2010 Census was the most accurate in history. Yet it missed 4.9 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives who live on reservations, the agency previously reported. “We’re not happy with that,” Thompson told the Journal. “We certainly want to improve on that.” The agency is consulting with tribes in New Mexico today. Prior meetings were held in Anchorage, Alaska; San Diego, California; and Choctaw, Mississippi. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for Uncasville, Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Fort Yates, North Dakota; and Suitland, Maryland, in February and March 2016. Get the Story:
Census Bureau aims for better count of Native Americans (The Albuquerque Journal 11/18)
Census Weighs Changing Method to Count American Indians (AP 11/17) Federal Register Notice:
2020 Census Tribal Consultation Meetings (July 13, 2015)
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