Wyoming aims for accurate census count of Native residents

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming state and tribal officials are working to ensure Native Americans are accurately counted in the 2020 Census.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported advocates and officials are consulting with tribal leaders and planning an advertising campaign to attract attention to the U.S. Census Bureau’s canvassing efforts.

Officials say they hope the outreach leads to a more accurate count of Native American residents in Wyoming, who are believed to have been under-counted in the past.

Census data says 2.7% of Wyoming’s population identifies as Native American.

The figures indicate about 27,000 people live on the Wind River Reservation west of Casper and off-reservation trust land, with about 7,800 identifying as Native American.

The Census Bureau says American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations were under-counted by nearly 5% in 2010.