The first ward in DeKalb is the smallest geographically yet is the largest of all seven in terms of population. According to the City of DeKalb’s tabulation of the 2010 Census there are 7,014 people living in the first ward. The next most populous ward is the second (6,662) and the second ward is more than twice the area size of the first ward.
The first ward is primarily a student ward. That made me wonder. How are college kids counted in the census?
So I asked.
Thank you for contacting the US Census Bureau’s Question and Answer Center. College students should be counted at school. Occasionally they get are mistakenly counted by their parents at home or if they live off campus and get a Census form and fill it out, then they are counted where they live. There is no sure way to know where they are counted. — Mary at AskCensus@census.gov
Interesting. Does this mean that someone really knows what NIU’s enrollment is? Do they count the students on campus? Does someone make sure those living off campus but not in DeKalb are counted? How can we walk on the moon, facetalk on our cell phones and replace beating hearts and not know where college students are counted?
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Interesting but don’t confuse NIU enrollment that includes large numbers of commuters, with college students resident in DeKalb.
STill an intriguing answer from what I assume is an on-line q and a for the census bureau.
other uncertain counts are with those incarcerated and also those in the service to say nothing of the undocumented who are supposed to be included in a total census.