New York City officials formally challenged the Census Bureau, contending 50,000 residents of four neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens were overlooked in the 2010 Census. The challenge is too late to affect Congressional district lines, but could result in more federal aid.

The New York Times reports NYC believes miscounting was rampant in the city, and that the Census count of 8,175,133 residents shortchanged it by more than 1.2 million. For its challenge, the city is focusing on the areas it thinks were most overlooked in the Census.

In a letter to the director of the Census Bureau, Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrote that he believes the areas were miscounted due to difficult housing arrangements:

“I recognize that enumerating the population of New York City is a Herculean and unenviable challenge, given the city’s large, diverse and dense population, which lives primarily in difficult to count housing arrangements.”

Bloomberg also wrote that too many areas were incorrectly considered vacant. The matter could take months to resolve, and a city spokesman said possible legal action remains on the table.

Filing Challenge to Census, City Says 50,000 Weren’t Counted in 2 Boroughs [The New York Times]

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