* This has been a trend for many decades, so it’s not unexpected…
Coulda been worse. Gloom and doomers were projecting a two-seat loss.
…Adding… Sun-Times…
Illinois will lose one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Census Bureau said Monday in its announcement of the redistribution of the 435 congressional seats based on population shifts in the 2020 Census.
For the past 50 years, Illinois, reflecting the results of each new census, has been allocated fewer members in Congress, as other states increased in population but Illinois either held steady or declined.
Illinois at present sends 18 members to Congress; under the new reapportionment, the delegation will drop to 17 members. Of Illinois’ current House members, 13 are Democrats and five are Republicans.
Reapportionment is the step that takes place before a remap — that is, drawing new congressional district lines based on the latest census data. Each state gets at least one seat; after that the remaining 385 seats are distributed according to population, with the aim to have about the same number of people in each district. This system has been in place since the first census in 1790.
…Adding… A commenter rightly notes that Pennsylvania has now surpassed Illinois’ population. Click here for the list.
…Adding… Gov. Pritzker’s office…
Under the leadership of Governor Pritzker, the Census Office coordinated a robust, statewide effort to reach millions of Illinois residents, particularly those in hard-to-count communities. This effort included a network of 400 organizations, coordinated by 31 Regional Intermediaries that received grants directly from the state. These boots on the ground conducted direct census outreach and education through an array of channels and in multiple languages. Through canvassing, community events, press and social media events, food and masks distribution, and phone calls the state was able to conduct one of the most significant census efforts in the nation and achieved the top self-response rate of the 10 most populous states.”
Leader McConchie…
“The 2020 Census numbers show that Americans continue to vote with their feet,” said Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods). “People are leaving states where they can’t find economic opportunity and heading to states where they can. If we want to keep our talent and our tax base, our top priority should be passing pro-growth policies that will make Illinois more attractive to students, employers and families.”
