House of Representative seats are fixed at a total of 435, and are pro-rated on the basis of population in each state. Each state has two Senators, regardless of population. Congressional district boundaries are fixed by each state’s legislature, to divide the number of representatives more or less equally among the population.

Under minority voting rights mandated by the U.S. courts, minorities may not be discriminated in fixing boundaries.

Census numbers released in late December from the ten-year population count, show Louisiana with a population of 4,533,372 in 2010, up 1.4 percent from 4,468,976 in 2000. Only one state showed a net loss in population—Michigan, down 0.6 percent to 9,882,640.

Next-door Texas is the largest gainer among the big states, up 20.6 percent to a total of 25,145,561. Nevada, with a smaller gross population, gained 35.1 percent, to a total of 2,700,651.

Among the Southern states, Arkansas gained 9.1 percent; Oklahoma, 8.7; Mississippi, 4.3; Alabama, 7.5; Georgia, 18.3.

Populations by state as of April 1, 2010, were listed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as follows:
Alabama . . . . . . . . . 4,779,736
Alaska  . . . . . . . . .	   710,231
Arizona . . . . . . . . .	 6,392,017
Arkansas . . . . . . . . . 2,915,918
California. . . . . . . . 37,253,956
Colorado. . . . . . . . .  5,029,196
Connecticut. . . . . . . . 3,574,097
Delaware. . . . . . . . .    897,934
D.C.. . . . . . . . . . . .  601,723
Florida . . . . . . . . . 18,801,310
Georgia. . . . . . . . .   9,687,653
Hawaii. . . . . . . . .    1,360,301
Idaho . . . . . . . . . .  1,567,582
Illinois . . . . . . . . .12,830,632
Indiana. . . . . . . . .   6,483,802
Iowa . . . . . . . . . .   3,046,355
Kansas . . . . . . . . .   2,853,118
Kentucky . . . . . . . . . 4,339,267
Louisiana . . . . . . . .  4,533,372
Maine . . . . . . . . . .  1,328,361
Maryland . . . . . . . . . 5,773,552
Massachusetts . . . . . .  6,547,629
Michigan . . . . . . . . . 9,883,640
Minnesota . . . . . . . .  5,303,925
Mississippi . . . . . . .  2,967,297
Missouri. . . . . . . . .  5,988,927
Montana . . . . . . . . .    989,415
Nebraska . . . . . . . . . 1,826,341
Nevada . . . . . . . . .   2,700,551
NewHampshire . . . . . .   1,316,470
New Jersey . . . . . . .   8,791,894
New Mexico . . . . . . .   2,059,179
New York . . . . . . . .  19,378,102
North Carolina . . . . .   9,535,483
North Dakota . . . . . .     672,591
Ohio . . . . . . . . . .  11,536,504
Oklahoma . . . . . . . .   3,751,351
Oregon . . . . . . . . .   3,831,074
Pennsylvania . . . . . .  12,702,379
Rhode Island . . . . . .   1,052,567
South Carolina . . . . .   4,625,364
South Dakota . . . . . .     814,180
Tennessee . . . . . . . .  6,346,105
Texas . . . . . . . . . . 25,145,561
Utah . . . . . . . . . .   2,763,885
Vermont . . . . . . . . .    625,741
Virginia . . . . . . . . . 8,001,024
Washington . . . . . . . . 6,724,640
West Virginia . . . . . .  1,852,994
Wisconsin . . . . . . . .  5,868,986
Wyoming . . . . . . . . .    563,625
TOTAL . . . . . . . . .  308,745,538
Puerto Rico . . . . . .    3,725,786
TOTAL RESIDENT . . . . . 312,471,327

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