In every decade since the 1930 census, Pennsylvania has lost seats in Congress.
The new apportionment numbers that the U.S. Census Bureau released Monday show that the Keystone State is about to lose another.Â
But don t panic.Â
- Advertisement - It s probably not going to be a major change, Dr. Tim Blessing, a political science professor at Alvernia University, said in an interview Wednesday. You re talking about one seat.
The state will have 17 seats instead of 18 when new congressional districts are drawn for the 2022 midterm elections. Historically, Pennsylvania has lost at least one seat after every census.Â
Given how Pennsylvania is growing â most of of the population increases over the past decade have been in the southeastern corner, according to year-by-year population estimates â Blessing expects the new apportionment won t affect the political parties much.