The U.S. House of Representatives has 435 members, but those seats aren't divided equally among the 50 states. California has 52 representatives while Wyoming has just 1. This disparity reflects the constitutional principle of proportional representation: states with larger populations get more House seats. Understanding how congressional seats are distributed - a process called apportionment - reveals how population shifts affect political power.

Constitutional Basis: Representation by Population

Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution establishes that House representation is based on population:

This means more populous states get more representatives, ensuring that each representative serves roughly the same number of constituents. The Founders designed this system to balance state interests (represented equally in the Senate) with population-based representation (in the House).

Key constitutional requirements:

• Each state must have at least one representative (guaranteed minimum)
• Seats are distributed proportionally based on population
• The census counts population every 10 years to update apportionment
• Congress determines the total number of House seats (currently fixed at 435)

The 435-Seat Cap

The House hasn't always had 435 members. In the early years of the Republic, the House grew as new states joined and the population expanded. By 1913, the House had 435 members.

In 1929, Congress passed the Permanent Apportionment Act, fixing the size of the House at 435 seats (temporarily expanded to 437 when Alaska and Hawaii joined, then returned to 435 after the 1960 census).

Why 435?

• Physical space: The House chamber was designed for roughly this number of members
• Manageable size: Larger bodies become unwieldy for debate and decision-making
• Political compromise: States feared losing seats if the House grew proportionally with population

Because the House size is capped, reapportionment is a zero-sum game: when one state gains seats, others must lose them.

The Census and Reapportionment Process

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the entire U.S. population. This count determines how House seats are distributed among states for the next decade.

The most recent census was conducted in 2020, and the new apportionment took effect for the 2022 elections (118th Congress).

Method of Equal Proportions

The Census Bureau uses a mathematical formula called the Method of Equal Proportions to allocate the 435 House seats among the 50 states.

How it works (simplified):

1. Guarantee one seat per state: All 50 states automatically receive 1 seat each (constitutional minimum). This leaves 385 seats to distribute.
2. Calculate priority values: For each state, the formula calculates a "priority value" for receiving the next seat based on the state's population and current seat count.
3. Assign seats sequentially: The remaining 385 seats are awarded one at a time to the state with the highest priority value until all 435 seats are allocated.

The formula minimizes the percentage difference in representation between states. In other words, it ensures that no alternative allocation would produce a more proportional distribution of seats.

Why not just divide population by 435? Simple division doesn't work because:

• You can't have fractional representatives
• Every state must get at least 1 seat
• Rounding creates discrepancies that the Method of Equal Proportions minimizes

2020 Census: Winners and Losers

The 2020 census revealed significant population shifts, leading to several states gaining or losing House seats:

These changes reflect population migration from the Northeast and Midwest ("Rust Belt") to the South and West ("Sun Belt"). This trend has been ongoing for decades and significantly impacts political power in Congress and the Electoral College.

Current Distribution: States by Number of Representatives

As of the 2020 census (effective 2023-2033):

Why Representation Isn't Perfectly Equal

While apportionment strives for proportional representation, perfect equality is mathematically impossible. Some states inevitably have slightly more or fewer constituents per representative:

• Rounding: You can't have fractional representatives, so rounding creates small discrepancies
• One-seat minimum: Wyoming's single representative serves about 580,000 people, while California's 52 representatives each serve about 760,000 people
• Population changes between censuses: Apportionment is updated only once per decade, but populations shift constantly

The Method of Equal Proportions minimizes these disparities, but perfect equality would require either unlimited House seats or allowing fractional representation (neither is practical).

Apportionment vs. Redistricting

These related but distinct processes often cause confusion:

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