Illinois and Iowa cities become first to request special second census count similar to 2020

Several small Midwest cities are among the first to request another count from the census in the hopes of receiving more state funding for infrastructure and public areas, similar to what happened during the 2020 census.

Eleven cities in Illinois and Iowa are the only municipalities to sign up for the 2024 census with the U.S. Census Bureau so far, according to the Associated Press, the first year that special censuses may be conducted. While most cities do not believe their original counts were inaccurate, officials say their populations have been growing at such a rapid rate over the last three years that they believe they are missing out on opportunities to grow the cities’ commercial bases.

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Unlike the 2020 census, the 2024 census will not factor into any redistricting or determine how many congressional seats each state receives. Instead, the population size will determine how much the communities will receive in state funding. Some of the officials also hope that a new count will open avenues for new businesses to come to their cities with the appeal of a rapidly increasing population size.

“We anticipate a significant increase in population from the special census, particularly given that we have had a record building-permit year,” Marketa Oliver, city administrator for Bondurant, Iowa, told the Chicago Tribune.

The cities in Illinois seeking recount are McDonough, Pingree Grove, Urbana, and Warrenville. The cities in Iowa asking for a second count are Altoona, Bondurant, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, and Waukee. The Iowa cities are fast-growing suburbs outside Des Moines, the state’s capital.

Bondurant reported the city had more than 8,700 residents in mid-2022, the last year that population figures are available, which is an 18% increase from the census count in 2020. Officials in Norwalk, Iowa, hope that the 2024 census will show their population has increased well over 15,000 people, a threshold typically used in commercial real estate when determining whether a city can support businesses such as grocery stores.

“Once a city hits 15,000, the market opens up tremendously,” Norwalk City Manager Luke Nelson said.

Gary Krob, coordinator for the State Data Center at the State Library of Iowa, told the Chicago outlet that special censuses are popular in Iowa because the state uses the once-a-decade census numbers to determine funding based on population size. On the other side, some other states use annual population estimates to determine how much each municipality receives.

“That means the 2020 census population is currently the official count for every city and county in Iowa,” Krob said. “The only way to adjust your population count between now and 2030 is to conduct a special census with the Census Bureau and then have this new count certified by the Iowa Secretary of State.”

In Illinois, officials in Warrenville, a suburb of Chicago with more than 13,500 residents as counted in 2020, believe they can get an extra $1.2 million annually in federal and state funding. The officials based this on a calculation that the city has added almost 1,000 new residents from several new housing developments.

Pingree Grove has also experienced a rise in population, doubling from over 4,500 residents in 2010 to more than 10,300 residents in 2020. The village officials anticipate there will be 12,300 residents counted in 2024.

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The 2024 special census is needed to bring in a larger share in state revenues to the city “versus waiting another six years for the 2030 Census,” Pingree Grove clerk Laura Ortega said to the Chicago newspaper.

Local, state, and tribal governments have until May 2027 to request a special census from the bureau. The cost ranges from over $370,000 to almost $500,000.