Colorado To Gain 8th Congressional Seat: U.S. Census

DENVER, CO — Colorado will gain an 8th Congressional District, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday.

The new 2020 Census data reflects Colorado's growing population, and our state was expected to gain a new seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The population in Colorado increased by 14.8 percent since the 2010 census, with the 2020 total population recorded as 5,782,171.

The Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commissions will determine where the new district will be placed, and the seat will be up for election in 2022. Colorado's 7th Congressional District was created in 2001.

Five other states will also gain congressional seats. Texas will gain two seats, while Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon will each gain one, census officials said in a Monday afternoon news conference.

Seven states — California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia — will lose one congressional seat each.

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The population of the United States totaled 331,449,281, an increase of 7.4 percent since the 2010 census, said Ron Jarmin, acting director of the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s the second-lowest decade-long growth in population in United States history, just one-tenth of a percent more growth than the 7.3 percent growth shown from 1930 to 1940.

The population growth from 2010 to 2020 was highest in Utah, which saw an 18.4 percent increase. West Virginia, with a 3.4 percent decrease, was one of only three states to see an overall population loss, and it had the largest population decrease since 2010.

Despite losing a congressional seat, California remains the most-populous state with a head count of 39,538,223. Wyoming is the least-populous state, the census found, with 576,851 residents.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said participation in the 2020 census was “overwhelming,” despite having been held during a year that brought the global coronavirus pandemic, deadly wildfires and civil unrest.

The Census Bureau released only state-level data Monday, with data to come regarding counties and municipalities in the coming months.