Dozens of US cities line up to contest 2010 census

WASHINGTON — With jobs and federal aid at stake, dozens of U.S. cities are lining up to contest their 2010 census counts as too low.

A decade ago, there were 1,200 challenges filed by cities and counties. Based on feedback so far, the U.S. Conference of Mayors is predicting a big jump in that number. That's because tighter budgets are making local officials more sensitive to drop-offs in federal money for Medicaid and other programs.

Nearly $450 billion in federal aid is distributed to states based on population each year, or roughly $1,500 per person.

Among the cities planning challenges: Detroit, Houston, Miami and New York.

In California, officials estimate the census failed to count 1.25 million people there.

The census already has identified errors involving 26,000 people in six states.