Block Island census finds 948 people

NEW SHOREHAM, R.I. (AP) - People on Block Island spent Groundhog Day taking their annual headcount to determine how many "real" residents the island has.

The annual census showed there were 948 people living on the island by the end of Thursday. That's 46 more people than last year. The tally is taken during the winter, when the island isn't flooded with thousands of summer tourists.

Christopher McDonough, a bartender at the Poor People's Pub, tells The Providence Journal that residents usually check in at the pub on the evening of the census, and those who don't are contacted by phone.

McDonough says people who wake up on the island but leave during census day aren't counted. But people who arrive during the day and check into the hotel are counted.