Minnesota just barely held on to all eight of its congressional seats, according to the first round of population numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week. More detailed state population and demographic numbers aren't due until Sept. 30 at the latest, but here's what we know so far:
• Minnesota's resident population grew by 7.6% to 5,706,494 as of April 1, 2020, outpacing most Midwestern states and keeping pace with the national average.
• The Midwest as a region grew at a rate of 3.1%, slower than any other region in the country. The fastest growing region was the South, which grew by 10.2% over the past decade, and the West, which grew by 9.2%.
• Minnesota took the 435th and final seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, snubbing out New York. Based on the complex formula used by the U.S. Census Bureau, if Minnesota had counted 26 fewer people, or if New York had counted 89 more people, the results would have been reversed.
• That's the smallest margin since 1940. In 1970, Oregon was 231 people shy of gaining another congressional seat.
• If Minnesota had lost a seat, each of the remaining seven districts would have had to grow by 101,960 people.
• Minnesota had the highest census self-response rate in the nation, with 75.1% of people filling out their forms on their own, without the prodding of a census taker.
