By Adam Nichols
DNAinfo News Editor
MANHATTAN — The city will challenge Census chiefs who it says may have shortchanged New York, Mayor Bloomberg announced Sunday.
The Mayor, and other elected officials, first questioned the figures when they were released last week.
They suspect the Census' count of 8.175 million people - a three percent raise in ten years - is much smaller than the actual number of city residents.
That number affects the amount Federal agencies give in funds, the Mayor said.
"Our administration has been looking at the Census numbers non-stop since they were released last Thursday," said the Mayor in a statement after meeting with other elected officials.
"We can now say that we plan to formally challenge the Census results for our city."
Sen. Charles Schumer said, "I've got to tell you, if the census showed us anything this past week, it's that they really don't know how to count urban populations.
"These numbers are baffling. If you were to believe them on their face, New York City added only a little more than 160,000 new residents in the last decade.
"A decade that, as any New Yorker from any part of the city could tell you, saw tremendous growth in both Manhattan and the outer boroughs."