When officials in Chester Georgia heard that the 2020 census had pegged their small town at 525 people, their jaws dropped. They believed the town was almost triple that size and feared an inaccurate number could force them to make budget cuts.
“I said, ‘Whoa, that’s not right,’” City Clerk Melanie McCook said. “The first thing I thought is, ‘This is going to affect our revenues greatly.’”
