Census Shows South and Mountain West Gain Political Power From Population Growth

Political power in the U.S. will shift further to states in the South and Mountain West—with Texas picking up two House seats and California losing one—as the country’s overall population growth slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said Monday.

Thirteen states will gain or lose seats in the House of Representatives in next year’s elections through the once-a-decade reapportionment required by the Constitution. They will also lose or gain votes in the Electoral College beginning in 2024.

Besides the double gain for Texas, five states will gain one seat each: Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon. Seven states will lose one each: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The allocation is based on a formula set in a 1941 law.