Minnesota keeps all 8 congressional districts by margin of 89 people

Minnesota will retain all eight of its congressional districts by the slim margin of 89 people, the U.S. Census Bureau revealed on Monday.

The Census Bureau revealed how recent demographic changes would impact representation in the U.S. House, with Minnesota at risk of losing a seat because it has been growing at a slower rate than other states.

In December, the state was estimated at being 25,554 people short of holding onto a seat, but as it turned out Minnesota finished just within the cutoff, getting the last seat available during reapportionment.

So close was the margin that if New York had reported 89 more people than it did, Minnesota would have lost one of its congressional seats, which would potentially have been one of the 7th or 8th Districts.

Minnesota may well have benefited from being one of the better states when it comes to Census returns, with its 75.1% Census response rate the highest in the nation.

Despite this, Minnesota's congressional districts will still need to be redrawn to reflect population changes, as happens every 10 years.

MPR News notes that the metro area has grown at a faster rate than rural areas in the past 10 years, so the districts must be redrawn to reflect that. If no agreement on the redrawing can be reached in the split Legislature, it will have to be determined by the courts.