CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Continuing population decline will cost West Virginia one seat in the U.S. House, according to the 2020 census.
The Associated Press reported the update Monday afternoon.
The AP said the Census Bureau reported it would release the numbers used for determining how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets on Monday.
West Virginia currently has three representatives in the U.S.. House of Representatives, Carol Miller, Alex Mooney and David McKinley, all Republicans.
That makes for tough choices by the three Republican incumbents after the next round of redistricting. The census data confirms a continued economic and population decline linked to the demise of the coal industry. The state’s resident population dipped to 1,793,716 in 2020, down 3.2% from 1,852,994 in 2010. The state once had six House seats, but the delegation has been shrinking since 1960.
More information will be provided on this developing story as it becomes available.