New York lost a House seat by only 89 people in 2020 census count


New York was one of seven states to lose a House seat and Electoral College vote after the 2020 census count, and, boy, was it a close call.
The Empire State was neck-in-neck with Minnesota in the race to avoid a seat loss, but New York needed 89 more people and Minnesota ultimately kept its delegation intact (if 26 fewer Minnesotans sent in their information, the story would have been different, as well). That's the narrowest population margin by which the last seat in Congress was decided since at least 1940, surpassing a difference of 231 in 1970.
The news prompted many people to point out the importance of filling out census forms, though others grimly noted that the census is a count of the population as of April 1, 2020. At that point, New York, and especially New York City, was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and had already reported 447 COVID-19 deaths. Tim O'Donnell
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
The dubious nature of de-extinction
The Explainer Is it a vanity project backed by billions, or the future of animal conservation?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
6 display-ready homes for art collectors
Feature Featuring hand-painted floors in Louisiana and 13-foot beamed ceilings in New York City
By The Week US Published
-
How might AI chatbots replace mental health therapists?
Today's Big Question Clients form 'strong relationships' with tech
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
South Korea court removes impeached president
Speed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clash
speed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel strikes Gaza, breaking ceasefire
Speed Read 326 Palestinians were killed in the first major attack since Netanyahu's government signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Houthis vow retaliation amid US airstrikes
Speed Read Trump promises the US will use 'overwhelming lethal force' against the Houthis until they stop attacking Red Sea ships
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published