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
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.
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.
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
Israel targets Hamas leaders in Qatar airstrike
Speed Read Hamas said five low-level leaders were killed in the attack
-
September 10 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include Donald Trump's doodles, a hidden message in the Jeffrey Epstein birthday book, and rising sea levels
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'