SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Today Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that San Francisco’s challenge of the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimate for the City and County of San Francisco was a success. New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau, found an increase in population by 34,209 for a total of 799,185. The new estimate allows San Francisco to receive more federal and state funding.

“I want to ensure that San Francisco receives every dollar of federal and state funding that we are entitled to," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “We can use this new data to attract high quality retailers to our underserved markets and make sure we develop the neighborhoods that were unfairly undercounted.”

Earlier this year, Mayor Gavin Newsom initiated an informal challenge to the 2007 Census population estimate for San Francisco based on a report completed by national nonprofit expert Social Compact. The report estimated that there were almost 100,000 more people living in San Francisco than the 764,976 originally assessed by the US Census.

San Francisco was the first California city to file a 2007 Census challenge. Mayor Newsom submitted a letter to the Population Division of the U.S. Census Bureau on April 29, and his staff from the Mayor’s Office of Community Investment (MOCI) worked with City departments to complete extensive supporting data and required information worksheets for the challenge.

Census data determines how Congressional seats are distributed to states, what community services are provided and how $300 billion in federal funds are distributed to local, state and tribal governments each year. According to a 1999 US Conference of Mayors report on the Census, for each person not counted in the Census, it represents an average loss of $2,263 for the decade. Conceptually, if the difference between Census 2000 (776,733) and the new report data (799,185) which is 34,209, was calculated and multiplied by $2,263, it would equal over $77 million in lost federal and state funding for the decade.

The Census Bureau lists challenge results along with other successful jurisdictions on their website: http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/challenges.html#results

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131 (December 12, 2008)