U.S. Census Bureau

“I’m happy that we beat the projections, although I would have loved to have seen our population increase,” said Felipe Oltramari, reacting to the report issued Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report reveals that Genesee County’s population for 2020 was 58,388 – down 2.8 percent from the 60,079 reported in 2010.

Genesee experienced the smallest drop of the four GLOW counties, however, with the others as follows:

• Livingston, down 5.4 percent from 65,393 in 2010 to 61,834 in 2020;

• Orleans, down 5.9 percent from 42,883 in 2010 to 40,343 in 2020;

• Wyoming, down 3.9 percent from 42,155 in 2010 to 40,531 in 2020.

“I think we did a good job,” Oltramari said. “We beat the projections, and those were the 2019 projections. We were supposed to be at 57,808, and we ended up with 580 more than that.”

Western New York’s major counties, however, saw an increase in the number of residents, with Monroe going from 744,344 in 2010 to 759,443 in 2020 (up 2 percent) and Erie going from 919,040 in 2010 to 954,236 in 2020 (up 3.8 percent).

“I think that Erie and Monroe counties saw an increase for the first time since 1970,” he said. “We actually had an increase in the City of Batavia for the first time in a while.”

The U.S. Census Bureau report shows that the city population went up by 135 people – from 15,465 in 2010 to 15,600 in 2020.

New population figures in Genesee County towns, with the 2020 number followed by the 2010 number:

• Alabama, 1,602; 1,869.
• Alexander, 2,491; 2,534.
• Batavia, 6,293; 6,809.
• Bergen, 3,120; 3,120.
• Bethany, 1,780; 1,765.
• Byron, 2,302; 2,369.
• Darien, 3,010; 3,158.
• Elba, 2,164; 2,370.
• Le Roy, 7,662; 7,641.
• Oakfield, 3,145; 3,250.
• Pavilion, 2,290; 2,495.
• Pembroke, 4,264; 4,292.
• Stafford, 2,424; 2,459.
• Tonawanda Reservation, 241; 483.

Village population figures, with the 2020 number followed by the 2010 number:

• Alexander, 518; 509.
• Bergen, 1,208; 1,176.
• Elba, 558; 676.
• Le Roy, 4,300; 4,391.
• Oakfield, 1,812; 1,813.
• Corfu (part of Town of Pembroke), 689, 709.

Oltramari said the Census count “was no doubt affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“This might explain the sudden 50 percent decrease in the Reservation population,” he said, adding that it could be an undercount caused by pandemic-related staffing issues at the Census Bureau. “The Census Bureau is responsible for outreach to tribal nations.”

The county planning department has received population data “right down to the block level,” Oltramari said, noting that he plans to dig into those statistics in the coming weeks.

More information on the 2020 Census can be found at this link:

https://pad.human.cornell.edu/census2020/index.cfm#pl

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As far as last night’s planning board meeting and referral recommendations, Oltramari said everything went as expected.

-- On the Healthy Living Campus in downtown Batavia site plan review, the board recommended that developers consider offering bicycle parking facilities adjacent to a major entrance to the facility, and, given the large amount of glass utilized in the façades, the facility install bird-friendly glass in order to minimize bird-strikes and reduce its impacts on local bird populations.

Oltramari said project managers are in the process of using special glass, including in the pool area for privacy purposes.

-- On the Brickhouse Commons mixed-use project in the Town of Pembroke, planners’ recommendations included a pedestrian connection between the development and the Tim Hortons to the east, completing a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) and obtaining a Stormwater Permit for Construction Activity from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) prior to final approval from the town, and making sure signs comply with the town’s zoning regulations.

Previously: Genesee County planners to consider latest version of Brickhouse Commons plan at Route 5 and 77

From Susan M. Perry, senior Partnership Specialist, New York Regional Census Center, Field Division, U.S. Census Bureau:

The U.S. Census Bureau continues to evaluate its operational plans to collect and process 2020 Census data. Today, we are announcing updates to our plan that will include enumerator awards and the hiring of more employees to accelerate the completion of data collection and apportionment counts by our statutory deadline of Dec. 31, as required by law and directed by the Secretary of Commerce.

The Census Bureau’s new plan reflects our continued commitment to conduct a complete count, provide accurate apportionment data, and protect the health and safety of the public and our workforce. 

• Complete Count: A robust field data collection operation will ensure we receive responses from households that have not yet self-responded to the 2020 Census.
  • We will improve the speed of our count without sacrificing completeness. As part of our revised plan, we will conduct additional training sessions and provide awards to enumerators in recognition of those who maximize hours worked. We will also keep phone and tablet computer devices for enumeration in use for the maximum time possible.
  • We will end field data collection by Sept. 30. Self-response options will also close on that date to permit the commencement of data processing. Under this plan, the Census Bureau intends to meet a similar level of household responses as collected in prior censuses, including outreach to hard-to-count communities.
• Accurate Data and Efficient Processing: Once we have the data from self-response and field data collection in our secure systems, we plan to review it for completeness and accuracy, streamline its processing, and prioritize apportionment counts to meet the statutory deadline. In addition, we plan to increase our staff to ensure operations are running at full capacity.
• Flexible Design: Our operation remains adaptable and additional resources will help speed our work. The Census Bureau will continue to analyze data and key metrics from its field work to ensure that our operations are agile and on target for meeting our statutory delivery dates. Of course, we recognize that events can still occur that no one can control, such as additional complications from severe weather or other natural disasters. 
• Health and Safety: We will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our workforce and the public.  Our staff will continue to follow Federal, state, and local guidance, including providing appropriate safety trainings and personal protective equipment to field staff.

The Census Bureau continues its work on meeting the requirements of Executive Order 13880 issued July 11, 2019 and the Presidential Memorandum issued July 21, 2020. A team of experts are examining methodologies and options to be employed for this purpose. The collection and use of pertinent administrative data continues.

We are committed to a complete and accurate 2020 Census. To date, 93 million households, nearly 63 percent of all households in the Nation, have responded to the 2020 Census. Building on our successful and innovative internet response option, the dedicated women and men of the Census Bureau, including our temporary workforce deploying in communities across the country in upcoming weeks, will work diligently to achieve an accurate count.

We appreciate the support of our hundreds of thousands of community-based, business, state, local and tribal partners contributing to these efforts across our Nation. The 2020 Census belongs to us all.

If you know someone who has not yet responded, please encourage them to do so today online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail.