By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – St. Louis city officials said Friday they won another challenge of a U.S. Census Bureau estimate.
The numbers had shown a population decrease in the city. But the revised figures now show the city added 2,000 people last year.
This is the second time in a row the city has challenged a census estimate and won.
The federal government had originally reported that 5,000 people fled the city between July 2003 and July 2004.
But St. Louis planning director Rolin Stanley said the Census Bureau did not take into account thousands of new homes.
"What we're doing is using the building permit method, and that's part of our challenge," Stanley said. "So what the Census Bureau is now looking at is adopting our methodology to produce our estimate next spring. Whether they do or not, we don't know."
The city's population is now estimated to be 350,705. A more accurate figure will be available after the 2010 census.