Undercount adds 43,000 to Oregon's population.

Byline: From Register-Guard and news service reports

The U.S. Census Bureau reluctantly released data Friday showing census takers missed about 43,000 Oregonians in the national count two years ago, about 1.3 percent of the state's population.

Statistical experts at the federal agency churned out the new numbers using a computer model that accounted for census forms thrown in the trash and other ``undercount'' and ``overcount'' problems such as hard-to-find addresses.

But the bureau has since decided the models are at least as inaccurate as the data they are intended to replace. The bureau only released the figures after Oregon state Sens. Susan Castillo and Margaret Carter, both Democrats, filed a Freedom of Information Act request.

Officials released a disclaimer along with the new data saying ``the adjusted estimates were determined to be so severely flawed that all potential use of these data would be inappropriate.''

The adjusted figures puts Oregon's population at 3.46 million instead of 3.42 million.

Lane County had the largest undercount at 5,730, followed by Multnomah County and Marion County.

California, the most populous state, had the largest undercount, 509,012, while Alaska had the highest percentage of people missed, 2.4 percent, or 15,136 residents.

Nationally, the data show that about 3.3 million people were missed, or about 1.2 percent of the population.

Democrats and minority activists had pushed the bureau to release adjusted numbers over concern that several million minorities and migrant workers had been missed. In Oregon, those most likely missed were residents of rural areas and parts of the state with large numbers of Hispanic migrants.

The census results are used to allocate nearly $200 billion to states for Medicaid, foster care, block grants and social services. Some political leaders would like to see the revised numbers used to redirect money to rural and minority communities.

"We need to look at this and see what implications it has for various programs as far as funding," Castillo, now state Superintendent of Schools, said Friday night, "and understand what it really means to this state."

"It comes at a time when so many states are struggling with huge budget deficits; some states may want to talk to the federal government and make a case for changes in funding," she said, adding, "Whether this will lead to changes in funding distribution remains to be seen."

Castillo said it was worth the effort it took to get the numbers because "this is public information that we pay to see. All along, I've felt that this is information that belongs to everyone."

"Having people see these numbers will eventually bring more credibility to the census process and help us make better decisions about how we are spending our limited resources," she said.

The largest proportional undercounts in Oregon were found in sparsely populated Eastern Oregon counties.

The adjusted figures increase Jefferson County's population by 2.9 percent - raising the total population from 19,009 to 19,571. Umatilla County had the second most dramatic adjustment using the new estimates, at 2.3 percent.

Register-Guard reporter Jack Moran contributed to this report.