On Monday, the U.S. Census Bureau announced 2020 Census population totals for each state. From 2010 to 2020, the United States population grew 7.4% and Minnesota’s population grew by 7.6%, or about 400,000 people.
Most importantly, Minnesota will keep all eight congressional seats, having narrowly received the 435th of the 435 seats allotted. According to Bureau officials, Minnesota won out over New York, who was just 89 people short from maintaining all their congressional seats. Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower later stated that based on the complicated formula used to calculate the distribution of seats, she calculated that if Minnesota had just 26 fewer people, the 435th seat would have gone to New York! If Minnesota had lost a congressional seat, it would have required the seven remaining congressional districts, particularly in Greater Minnesota, to grow geographically.
Minnesota had the highest self-response rate for filling out the Census in the nation. The strong population count from Minnesota during a global pandemic (a particularly difficult year to count people) is very good news. A higher census population count means more federal funding for the state. Local government population data is expected to be available in August. This will kick off the legislative redistricting process which will have to be completed by February 2022.
