Population represented by state legislators

From Ballotpedia

Features of State Legislatures

2012 Session Topics • Standing committees analysis for 2011-2012 session • Length of terms of state representatives • How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run laws

Every ten years after the federal census, states re-draw the boundaries of their state legislative districts in order to keep the population of every district roughly equal. Each state, besides Kansas, uses federal population figures to determine the new, ideal population of state districts. (Kansas uses a state adjusted figure based on federal census data.) To calculate ideal districts, each state divides the number of residents by the number of representative or senators in the state legislature.

Out of all state senates, California's senators represent the most residents, 931,349 per senator, while North Dakota's senators represent the fewest, 14,310 per senator. Out of all state houses, California's assembly members also represent the most residents, 465,674 per representative, while New Hampshire representatives represent the fewest, 3,291 residents per representative. Since representation tracks exactly with population growth, Nevada saw the largest increase in the ratio of residents to representatives. Michigan, the only state with a shrinking population, saw the only decrease in this ratio.

Minnesota has the largest state senate with 67 members, and New Hampshire has the largest state house with 400 members.

Sortable chart

To sort columns, click on the icon at the top of any column.

Source: 2010 Census, Resident Population of the 50 States; 2000 Census, Population in 2000 of the American states

* Nebraska has a unicameral legislature

v • d • e State legislatures Legislatures Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S) 2012 State legislative elections (2012) • Election Results (2012) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2012 Session Dates • Impact of term limits on 2012 elections • Official Lists of Candidates • List of candidates on 2012 ballot • State Session Topics 2011 State legislative elections (2011) • Election Results (2011) • State Senate elections (2011) • State House elections (2011) • Special elections (2011) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2011 Session Dates • List of candidates on 2011 ballot • Candidates removed from 2011 ballot • Impact of term limits on 2011 elections • Incumbents defeated in 2011's state legislative elections • Official Lists of Candidates • Election Analysis 2010 State legislative elections (2010) • Election Results (2010) • State Senate elections (2010) • State House elections (2010) • Special elections • Primary dates • Dates of sessions • Impact of term limits on 2010 elections • Political parties with candidates in the 2010 legislative elections • Official lists of state legislative candidates, 2010 • Competitiveness Index • Election Projections • 2010 Session Dates 2009 State legislatures in 2009 • State legislative special elections in 2009 Features of state legislatures Analysis of 2011-2012 standing committees • How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State Legislative Tracker • Official names of state legislatures State senates Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected to senate • State senate elections State houses Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected • State house elections Leadership positions President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House