State’s Population Declines

Census data released last week show West Virginia’s population continues to wane, posing a threat to one of three of its congressional seats. The U.S. Census Bureau said West Virginia’s population, as of July 1, is 1.815 million, down by 0.7 percent from 1.828 million in 2016. There is speculation that West Virginia will lose one of its three congressional seats by 2022, after another census in 2020. For West Virginia to keep its seat, it would need to draw about 19,500 new residents by the time the 2020 census is taken, assuming the population of all other states holds steady. There are nine other states in danger of losing a congressional seat with the next census.