The U.S. Census says they miscalculated how many people moved into Connecticut between 2021 and 2022 during the 2022 American Community Survey. The mistake led many to believe that Connecticut had a population boom, a sentiment that was echoed for months before the nonprofit Connecticut Data Collaborative discovered the mistake.
The 2022 census report initially showed that 57,000 people had moved to Connecticut from other parts of the country. Now, researchers say it’s more likely that the state lost 13,500 residents to other states.
Gov. Ned Lamont said he doesn’t know what caused the miscalculation.
“The Census Bureau had had a bigger number coming in from New York, they revised that downward,” Lamont said. “You know, a lot of the naysayers don't want to include international migration and folks coming in from overseas moving into our state as well as immigration. So I think we are still gaining population, like both of our peers around here.”
The Connecticut Data Collaborative said they discovered the mistake when comparing data from the American Community Survey, which showed an increase in Americans moving to Connecticut, and data from the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program, which showed the state had lost 13,500 residents to other states.
The census has now said the data should not be used.
New census data will not be available until next year.
