On December 21, 2010, the Census Bureau released the first results of the 2010 census, which reflects the state resident population totals for April 2010.  Nationally, the population grew 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010, which is actually the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression. A state’s population is the factor measured for many federal grant allocations. Nevada’s population grew by 33.8 percent in the last decade, while Puerto Rico experienced the largest population decline of -2.3 percent.  California remains the state with the highest population followed by Texas and New York. The ten states with the highest share of the national population includes, the three previously mentioned, as well as Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, and Georgia. It is these states that receive the highest percent of federal funds when the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) begins allocating funds for Federal Fiscal Year 2012.

Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families grants office relies heavily on population count to determine grant programs such as Head Start, Title IV-B, subpart 1 and 2, Head Start, Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Child Care Entitlement, Mandatory and Matching funds, Child Care and Development Block Grant and many more.  In all, more than $358 billion is allocated annually that has formulas in whole or part based on population data.
 
For states that have projected significant losses in general funds in the remainder of FY 2011 and into FY 2012, many cannot rely on federal grant amounts to remain the same as in other years, due to the shifts reflected in the 2010 Census.  Preparing states for potential losses in allotments as well as ensuring that federal funds are maximized to the fullest extent are ways that PCG can assist our current and future clients in revenue projections. 

About Kay Casey

Kay Casey has over 20 years of experience in federal and state child welfare policy and programs, having worked for the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Florida Department of Children and Families prior to joining PCG. She is responsible for the review and assessment of fiscal processing systems that impact a state’s ability to identify, document, and report expenditures for federal reporting purposes accompanied with the programmatic impact on the state’s system of care.

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