State law would give census-takers the legal right to request access to multi-unit residential buildings such as apartments, dorms and nursing homes — under a bill introduced in the Minnesota House. Minnesota census operations director Andrew Virden says nearly one quarter of the state’s population — 1.3 million people — live in rental housing. Virden says, “Renters as a whole are more likely to contain historically undercounted individuals, including infants and toddlers, young adults, low-income residents and communities of color, as well as refugees and immigrants.”
Backers of the bill say the goal is to educate apartment building managers about the importance of a complete count in this year’s census.