Population represented by state legislators
Every ten years after the federal census, states re-draw the boundaries of their state legislative districts in order to keep the population of every district roughly equal. Each state, besidesKansas, uses federal population figures to determine the new, ideal population of state districts.Kansas uses a state adjusted figure based on federal census data. To calculate ideal districts, each state divides the number of residents by the number of representatives or senators in the state legislature.
Highs and lows
Out of all state senates, California's senators represent the most residents, 989,419 per senator, whileNorth Dakota's senators represent the fewest, 16,589 per senator. Amongst all state houses, California's assembly members also represent the most residents, 494,709 per representative, while New Hampshire representatives represent the fewest, 3,448 residents per representative.
Since representation tracks exactly with population growth,Utah saw the largest increase in the ratio of residents to representatives. Utah had the 12th-largest population growth, but has the 10th-fewest state legislators.Illinois,Mississippi, andWest Virginia, the only states with shrinking populations, saw the only decreases in this ratio.
Minnesota has the largest state senate with 67 members, andNew Hampshire has the largest state house with 400 members.
On average, the 5,413 state representatives served 61,169 Americans as of the 2020 census, while each of the 1,973 state senators represented 167,820 Americans.
Wyoming was the only state that changed its number of legislators after the 2020 census. The state added one Senate seat and two House of Representatives seats, meaning that after the 2022 elections, Wyoming had 31 state Senators and 62 state Representatives.[1]
Sortable chart
The following table represents the number of seats in each legislative chamber, each state's total population following each census and how many citizens a state representative and state senator represent based on the census data.
Yellow cells indicate a value that decreased from the previous census.
| Number of seats | Population of state | Population per senator | Population per representative | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| States | Sens. | Reps. | 2020 | 2010 | 2000 | 2020 | 2010 | 2000 | 2020 | 2010 | 2000 |
| Alabama (S,H) | 35 | 105 | 5,030,053 | 4,802,982 | 4,447,100 | 143,716 | 137,228 | 127,060 | 47,905 | 45,743 | 42,353 |
| Alaska (S,H) | 20 | 40 | 736,081 | 721,523 | 626,932 | 36,804 | 36,076 | 31,347 | 18,402 | 18,038 | 15,673 |
| Arizona (S,H) | 30 | 60 | 7,158,923 | 6,412,700 | 5,130,632 | 238,631 | 213,757 | 171,021 | 119,315 | 106,878 | 85,511 |
| Arkansas (S,H) | 35 | 100 | 3,013,756 | 2,926,229 | 2,673,400 | 86,107 | 83,607 | 76,383 | 30,138 | 29,262 | 26,734 |
| California (S,A) | 40 | 80 | 39,576,757 | 37,341,989 | 33,871,648 | 989,419 | 933,550 | 846,791 | 494,709 | 466,775 | 423,396 |
| Colorado (S,H) | 35 | 65 | 5,782,171 | 5,044,930 | 4,301,261 | 165,205 | 144,141 | 122,893 | 88,956 | 77,614 | 66,173 |
| Connecticut (S,H) | 36 | 151 | 3,608,298 | 3,581,628 | 3,405,565 | 100,231 | 99,490 | 94,599 | 23,896 | 23,719 | 22,553 |
| Delaware (S,H) | 21 | 41 | 990,837 | 900,877 | 783,600 | 47,183 | 42,899 | 37,314 | 24,167 | 21,973 | 19,112 |
| Florida (S,H) | 40 | 120 | 21,570,527 | 18,900,773 | 15,982,378 | 539,263 | 472,519 | 399,559 | 179,754 | 157,506 | 133,186 |
| Georgia (S,H) | 56 | 180 | 10,725,274 | 9,727,566 | 8,816,453 | 191,523 | 173,707 | 157,437 | 59,585 | 54,042 | 48,980 |
| Hawaii (S,H) | 25 | 51 | 1,460,137 | 1,366,862 | 1,211,537 | 58,405 | 54,674 | 48,461 | 28,630 | 26,801 | 23,756 |
| Idaho (S,H) | 35 | 70 | 1,841,377 | 1,573,499 | 1,293,953 | 52,611 | 44,957 | 36,970 | 26,305 | 22,479 | 18,485 |
| Illinois (S,H) | 59 | 118 | 12,822,739 | 12,864,380 | 12,419,293 | 217,335 | 218,040 | 210,496 | 108,667 | 109,020 | 105,248 |
| Indiana (S,H) | 50 | 100 | 6,790,280 | 6,501,582 | 6,080,485 | 135,806 | 130,032 | 121,610 | 67,903 | 65,016 | 60,805 |
| Iowa (S,H) | 50 | 100 | 3,192,406 | 3,053,787 | 2,929,324 | 63,848 | 61,076 | 58,586 | 31,924 | 30,538 | 29,293 |
| Kansas (S,H) | 40 | 125 | 2,940,865 | 2,863,813 | 2,688,418 | 73,522 | 71,595 | 67,210 | 23,527 | 22,911 | 21,507 |
| Kentucky (S,H) | 38 | 100 | 4,509,342 | 4,350,606 | 4,041,769 | 118,667 | 114,490 | 106,362 | 45,093 | 43,506 | 40,418 |
| Louisiana (S,H) | 39 | 105 | 4,661,468 | 4,553,962 | 4,468,976 | 119,525 | 116,768 | 114,589 | 44,395 | 43,371 | 42,562 |
| Maine (S,H) | 35 | 151 | 1,363,582 | 1,333,074 | 1,274,923 | 38,959 | 38,088 | 36,426 | 9,030 | 8,828 | 8,443 |
| Maryland (S,H) | 47 | 141 | 6,185,278 | 5,789,929 | 5,296,486 | 131,602 | 123,190 | 112,691 | 43,867 | 41,063 | 37,564 |
| Massachusetts (S,H) | 40 | 160 | 7,033,469 | 6,559,644 | 6,349,097 | 175,837 | 163,991 | 158,727 | 43,959 | 40,998 | 39,682 |
| Michigan (S,H) | 38 | 110 | 10,084,442 | 9,911,626 | 9,938,444 | 265,380 | 260,832 | 261,538 | 91,677 | 90,106 | 90,349 |
| Minnesota (S,H) | 67 | 134 | 5,709,752 | 5,314,879 | 4,919,479 | 85,220 | 79,327 | 73,425 | 42,610 | 39,663 | 36,713 |
| Mississippi (S,H) | 52 | 122 | 2,963,914 | 2,978,240 | 2,844,658 | 56,998 | 57,274 | 54,705 | 24,294 | 24,412 | 23,317 |
| Missouri (S,H) | 34 | 163 | 6,160,281 | 6,011,478 | 5,595,211 | 181,185 | 176,808 | 164,565 | 37,793 | 36,880 | 34,326 |
| Montana (S,H) | 50 | 100 | 1,085,407 | 994,416 | 902,195 | 21,708 | 19,888 | 18,044 | 10,854 | 9,944 | 9,022 |
| Nebraska* (S) | 49 | 0 | 1,963,333 | 1,831,825 | 1,711,263 | 40,068 | 37,384 | 34,924 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nevada (S,H) | 21 | 42 | 3,108,462 | 2,709,432 | 1,988,257 | 148,022 | 129,021 | 94,679 | 74,011 | 64,510 | 47,339 |
| New Hampshire (S,H) | 24 | 400 | 1,379,089 | 1,321,445 | 1,235,786 | 57,462 | 55,060 | 51,491 | 3,448 | 3,304 | 3,089 |
| New Jersey (S,A) | 40 | 80 | 9,294,493 | 8,807,501 | 8,414,350 | 232,362 | 220,188 | 210,359 | 116,181 | 110,094 | 105,179 |
| New Mexico (S,H) | 42 | 70 | 2,120,220 | 2,067,273 | 1,819,046 | 50,481 | 49,221 | 43,311 | 30,289 | 29,532 | 25,986 |
| New York (S,A) | 63 | 150 | 20,215,751 | 19,421,055 | 18,976,457 | 320,885 | 308,271 | 306,072 | 134,772 | 129,474 | 126,510 |
| North Carolina (S,H) | 50 | 120 | 10,453,948 | 9,565,781 | 8,049,313 | 209,079 | 191,316 | 160,986 | 87,116 | 79,715 | 67,078 |
| North Dakota (S,H) | 47 | 94 | 779,702 | 675,905 | 642,200 | 16,589 | 14,381 | 13,664 | 8,295 | 7,190 | 6,832 |
| Ohio (S,H) | 33 | 99 | 11,808,848 | 11,568,495 | 11,353,140 | 357,844 | 350,560 | 344,035 | 119,281 | 116,853 | 114,678 |
| Oklahoma (S,H) | 48 | 101 | 3,963,516 | 3,764,882 | 3,450,654 | 82,573 | 78,435 | 71,889 | 39,243 | 37,276 | 34,165 |
| Oregon (S,H) | 30 | 60 | 4,241,500 | 3,848,606 | 3,421,399 | 141,383 | 128,287 | 114,047 | 70,692 | 64,143 | 57,023 |
| Pennsylvania (S,H) | 50 | 203 | 13,011,844 | 12,734,905 | 12,281,054 | 260,237 | 254,698 | 245,621 | 64,098 | 62,734 | 60,498 |
| Rhode Island (S,H) | 38 | 75 | 1,098,163 | 1,055,247 | 1,048,319 | 28,899 | 27,770 | 27,587 | 14,642 | 14,070 | 13,978 |
| South Carolina (S,H) | 46 | 124 | 5,124,712 | 4,645,975 | 4,012,012 | 111,407 | 100,999 | 87,218 | 41,328 | 37,468 | 32,355 |
| South Dakota (S,H) | 35 | 70 | 887,770 | 819,761 | 754,844 | 25,365 | 23,422 | 21,567 | 12,682 | 11,711 | 10,783 |
| Tennessee (S,H) | 33 | 99 | 6,916,897 | 6,375,431 | 5,689,283 | 209,603 | 193,195 | 172,403 | 69,868 | 64,398 | 57,468 |
| Texas (S,H) | 31 | 150 | 29,183,290 | 25,268,418 | 20,851,829 | 941,396 | 815,110 | 672,640 | 194,555 | 168,456 | 139,012 |
| Utah (S,H) | 29 | 75 | 3,275,252 | 2,770,765 | 2,233,169 | 112,940 | 95,544 | 77,006 | 43,670 | 36,944 | 29,776 |
| Vermont (S,H) | 30 | 150 | 643,503 | 630,337 | 608,827 | 21,450 | 21,011 | 20,294 | 4,290 | 4,202 | 4,059 |
| Virginia (S,H) | 40 | 100 | 8,654,542 | 8,037,736 | 7,078,515 | 216,364 | 200,943 | 176,963 | 86,545 | 80,377 | 70,785 |
| Washington (S,H) | 49 | 98 | 7,715,946 | 6,753,369 | 5,894,121 | 157,468 | 137,824 | 120,288 | 78,734 | 68,912 | 60,144 |
| West Virginia (S,H) | 34 | 100 | 1,795,045 | 1,859,815 | 1,808,344 | 52,795 | 54,700 | 53,187 | 17,950 | 18,598 | 18,083 |
| Wisconsin (S,A) | 33 | 99 | 5,897,473 | 5,698,230 | 5,363,675 | 178,711 | 172,674 | 162,536 | 59,570 | 57,558 | 54,179 |
| Wyoming (S,H) | 31/30/30[2] | 62/60/60[3] | 577,719 | 568,300 | 493,782 | 18,636 | 18,943 | 16,459 | 9,318 | 9,472 | 8,230 |
| Total/Average | 1,972/1,973 | 5,411/5,413 | 331,108,434 | 309,183,463 | 281,472,856 | 167,820 | 156,787 | 142,735 | 61,169 | 57,140 | 52,019 |
Source:Census Apportionment Results[4][5]
* Nebraska has aunicameral legislature
* Although Wyoming's total population increased from 2010 to 2020, the number of people per legislative district decreased becauseWyoming added seats to its state legislature after the 2020 census.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑Wyoming News.com, "Gov. Mark Gordon allows redistricting bill to become law without his signature," March 25, 2022
- ↑One new seat was added to the Wyoming State Senate during the redistricting process after the 2020 census.
- ↑ Two new seats were added to the Wyoming House of Representatives during the redistricting process after the 2020 census.
- ↑2020 Census Apportionment Results, "Table A. Apportionment Population, Resident Population, and Overseas Population: 2020 Census and 2010 Census," accessed October 15, 2021
- ↑2000 Census, Population in 2000 of the American states
