Not So Little: RI Keeps 2nd House Seat Following 2020 Census

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's second congressional district is secure, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday.

Initial estimates from the bureau showed that the Ocean State was expected to lose one of its two Congressional seats following the 2020 Census, the Providence Journal reported in 2018. The change would have taken effect during the midterm elections in 2022.

Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea said the result was "a prime example of why community advocacy matters."

"Not only has Rhode Island retained our representation in Congress and our four Electoral College votes – we have also ensured our share of billions of dollars in federal funding each year," Gorbea said. "This would not have happened without the tireless effort of community and good government groups like Common Cause Rhode Island who encouraged all Rhode Islanders to fill out their census. The fight for fair representation for Rhode Islanders does not end here."

As the new Secretary of Commerce, former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo's department oversees the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the major hurdles presented by the coronavirus pandemic, Raimondo praised the efforts of census workers and American citizens to ensure the undertaking was completed.

"A complete and accurate count would not have been possible without those who took a few minutes to respond to the survey," Raimondo said during Monday's news conference. "As a former governor, I know how critical census data is for communities."

Although it managed to cling to its second seat, Rhode Island was ranked among the 10 least-populous states, coming in at around 1 million people. Because of that, Rhode Island's average resident-to-representative ratio is considerably lower than the national average of 761,169 to 1, instead about 500,000 to one.

Overall, seven states lost a House seat each: California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.