The data collected from the 2010 Census, shows a nearly 21 percent rate of population growth in Texas over the last 10 years. According to these findings, the Texas congressional delegation gained four new seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
It comes as no surprise that Texas is a great place to live. Adding four new U.S. House seats helps give Texas even more say in shaping the direction of our country – and it needs that Texas influence these days.
Right now, the House of Representatives is limited to 435 and all members represent about the same number of people, currently around 700,000. So as people move around the country, it changes how many representatives each state may have. In terms of the rest of the country, 2010 Census data also revealed that Arizona, Nevada, South Carolina, Georgia, Utah, and Washington state gained one congressional seat. Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Louisiana each lost a seat. New York and Ohio each lost two congressional seats.
Census numbers also determine how districts for the U.S. House, State House, and State Senate are drawn within the states. The 13th District currently encompasses close to 40,000 square miles.
Many programs, such as Medicaid and local community development, were also affected by the data. A lot of government programs are tied to population, and formulas that depend on census data are used to determine the amount of federal dollars that comes to our area.
If you would like to read more about the Census Bureau data, please click here.
Press Releases | Mac's Columns | eNewsletters | Photos
Email | Facebook | Twitter | Mac’s Blog | YouTube | Video Mailbox
