The U.S. Census Bureau released state population counts Monday from the 2020 Census, which showed that California's population growth has slowed enough to lose a seat in Congress.
The House of Representatives has 435 seats total and California’s share will now drop from 53 to 52. It is the first time California has lost a seat since it became a state 170 years ago.
California's population grew by more than two million people since 2010, the birth rate continues to outpace the death rate and international immigration to the state is still popular. But the last 10 years has actually been a period of record slow population growth with many leaving for more affordable states, which are growing at a faster rate.
Texas grew enough to add two House seats and Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon each picked up one. Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia will join California in losing one seat each.
“That means that we’ll have just a little bit less clout in Congress, and also suggests that somehow the state congressional districts are gonna have to be reshaped in such a way that some part of the state is going to lose representation,” said San Jose State political science professor emeritus Larry Gerston.
Gerston says there has also been some migration within the state shifting towards the Central Valley, which means that one of the Bay Area’s seats could shift further east.
The nation overall is also experiencing a period of slow growth. The 7.4% increase over the last decade is the second slowest ever. The U.S. population is now at 331,449,281.
California is still the most populous state in the nation by far, with the most Congressional seats.
The results will trigger a redistricting process, which will be carried out by a bipartisan citizen redistricting committee. However, it will take several more months before the Census Bureau releases its full report with the detailed data needed to redraw voting districts.
The stall in the state's population growth also means that the state will likely receive less federal funding and drop from 55 to 54 votes in the electoral college.