The first numbers are being released from the latest U.S. Census.
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. population has risen to 331,449,281, a 7.4 percent increase that is the second slowest ever.
States that have gained new U.S. House seats — and Electoral College votes — from the Census are Texas (two), Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, and North Carolina. States that are losing seats are reported to be California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Georgia has kept all of its congressional seats.
The release marks the official beginning of the once-a-decade redistricting battles. The numbers released Monday, along with more detailed data expected later this year, will be used by state legislatures or independent commissions to redraw political maps to account for shifts in population.
The numbers highlight what experts were expecting, according to CNN: expected: political power in the nation is shifting from states in the Midwest and Northeast to Southern and Western states.
This story is developing.
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