Alabama won’t lose any seats in Congress after 2020 census

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Alabama will not lose any seats in Congress following the 2020 census, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Alabama’s population climbed from 4.8 million in 2010 to 5.03 million in 2020, enough to keep it from losing any representation.

The state was widely expected to lose at least one congressional seat, which would have reduced the state’s representatives to six and its Electoral College power to eight electors.

In the run-up to the official count, Gov. Ivey’s administration made efforts to turn out participation through the state’s Alabama Counts! program, aligning efforts with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, or ADECA.

The governor’s office said, as a result, the state increased its self-response rate from 2010′s count, saw 47 of the state’s 67 counties exceed 2010 self-response rates, and even saw many Black Belt counties perform above 2010 levels.

Alabama has held steady at seven congressional districts since the 1970 Census was finalized.

“This data reveals what we’ve known all along,” said Ivey. “Alabama is a great state to call home, and many are choosing to do so. I am extremely pleased that we will keep all seven of our current seats in the U.S. House to provide valued and needed voices to advocate for our state and our people for the next 10 years. Our success in the census was certainly a group effort across the entire state, and I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part.”

Mayor Tommy Battle told us,

“This is great news for Huntsville and the State of Alabama. I am exceptionally proud of how the Huntsville community turned out to be counted, and we look forward to seeing our local numbers later this year. With the dramatic growth in the Huntsville area, I believe we played a significant role in boosting the state’s numbers. Keeping all seven House seats is crucial to capturing our share of federal resources and representation. We’re grateful for the partnership with Governor Kay Ivey and her team in making the 2020 Census count successful.”

There was speculation Alabama would lose a seat due to stagnant growth. Madison, Limestone, and Baldwin County accounted for more than half of the state’s growth since 2018.

Congressman Robert Aderholt said, “I’m pleased that Alabama’s representation in Congress will remain at seven seats. Two years ago, I and other members of the Alabama delegation began to express the importance of Alabama having a good 2020 Census count. The people of our great state responded and made sure that our collective voice was not diminished in Washington. In the coming months, the Alabama Legislature will have to redraw the district lines to reflect the expected population shift northward. I look forward to working with the rest of the Congressional delegation and members of the Alabama Legislature as this process begins.”

The Census Bureau announced that the nation’s population following the 2020 count at 331,449,281, a rate of 7.4% growth since the 2010 census. That’s the nation’s second slowest rate of growth in U.S. history.

The U.S. House has 435 seats, which are apportioned to the states based on their population sizes.

Following the 2020 census, California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia will lose one House seat.

Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon will gain one House seat while Texas will gain two.

The data released Monday is limited to statewide populations. The Census Bureau will release more detailed data on counties and cities, which are needed for legislative redistricting, in August.

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