Harris County to challenge 2022 census results, alleging 40K-45K resident undercount

The Office of the Harris County Attorney will be challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 population estimates, citing a possible undercount of 40,000-45,000 residents after county commissioners approved the effort May 16.

The breakdown: As of July 1, 2022, Harris County had a population of 4.78 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• The county saw an almost 1% increase from the county’s population estimate for April 2021.
• The county saw a 16.8% increase from the county’s population estimate for April 2010.

The impact: The alleged undercount could be shorting Harris County up to $150 million in federal funding annually, First Assistant County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne said.

What they’re saying: On May 16, commissioners unanimously voted for the county attorney’s office to challenge the 2022 census population estimates.

“We know we have a lot of people moving here from California and New York and other places. ... And certainly that could impact congressional seats and other things that should be here in Texas, not in California,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said.

Quote of note: Fombonne said the 40,000-45,000 figure is an estimated undercount, and a final estimate is yet to be determined by the office’s legal efforts.

“I'm not promising that that's what we'll be able to change the count to, but that's certainly what we're going into with our goal,” Fombonne said.