Washington • Federal officials and tribal leaders have launched a multipronged effort to help ensure an accurate tally of 5.2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in the 2020 Census count that starts next spring.
American Indians routinely are undercounted in the decennial count, raising concerns among tribal leaders that they don’t have enough say in how the federal government spends billions annually on housing, health care, education, roads and public safety. Officials say the undercount stems from some American Indians living in isolated communities, a long-standing distrust of the federal government and others simply not knowing the importance of the census.