The Boston Globe mixes up Springfield population numbers
Things are dire in de-industrialized Springfield, Massachusetts, as the Boston Globe’s Stephanie Ebbert reports today. The city is once again running out of cash. However, the city’s population loss isn’t quite as dramatic as Ms. Ebbert has it:
Between the 1990 Census and the 2004 Census update, Springfield’s population declined from 157,000 to an estimated 144,000
The 144,000 number is actually from the 2004 American Community Survey, which isn’t as broad as the Census, or, as the United States Census Bureau puts it:
The 2004 American Community Survey universe is limited to the household population and excludes the population living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters.
Apples to apples, Springfield’s population has declined to 152,000 in 2004 from 157,000 in 1990. Of course, the 2004 figure is an estimate, the 1990 an actual head count.
Anyway, before you start tarring and feathering Ms. Ebbert for her mistake, let me point that it is an easily made one, as in, I’ve done it myself.
And the bottom line remains the same: Springfield is a deeply troubled city.
