Sep 7, 2021 2 min read

South Strabane Township officials think some of the 2020 census data is inaccurate, and are considering filing an appeal.

Township manager Brandon Stanick pointed to two metrics they were concerned about: population and retail sales figures.

According to the data available at census.gov, since 2010 South Strabane’s population grew by 267 people, to 9,613, an increase of about 2.8%.

Stanick said that with multiple residential developments having been built in South Strabane within the past decade, the increase seems low.

“The expectation was that the township would have grown by more than the 267 people the census portrayed,” Stanick said.

According to Stanick, township officials will be reviewing a decade’s worth of residential occupation and building permits as they consider whether to go through the appeals process.

“What we want to do is understand what our data shows us, and see if there is a discrepancy,” Stanick said.

According to Stanick, federal and state funding is tied to population numbers.

“Population figures are important for several reasons, not only for congressional representation, but also any type of future grant funding,” Stanick said.

He added that accurate numbers also help officials determine how to best serve their residents.

“The picture the census figures paint needs to be clear so we know how to dedicate and devote resources to accommodate changes in the township,” Stanick said.

The census data also provides a look at retail sales in municipalities. South Strabane comes in at just under $175 million, while North Strabane had nearly $190 million. In Washington, it was more than $651 million.

According to the census website, the cited retail figures are from the 2012 economic census.

“It’s not consistent with South Strabane being the main commercial hub of the county,” Stanick said. “We are the largest retail and shopping district in the county.”

Stanick suspects the Census Bureau may use ZIP codes to determine those statistics. The 15301 ZIP code includes all of Washington and a portion of South Strabane.

“I think that plays a part in it,” Stanick said.

Whether South Strabane decides to go through with the appeal depends on if they feel they can make a case to the Census Bureau.

“We’ll have to justify it with the data we have,” Stanick said.