Thread by @nytimes

Breaking News: In the past decade, the U.S. population grew at its slowest rate since the 1930s, driven by lower rates of immigration and births, the Census Bureau said. nyti.ms/3tUW2LX

Based on the new Census data:
— California lost a congressional seat for the first time in its history.
— New York lost one seat.
— Texas gained two seats and Florida gained one, a boost for two Republican strongholds in the Trump era.
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The census count is critical for billions in federal funding and state and local planning, on everything from schools to hospitals.

It also changes the U.S. political map, with the South and West continuing to gain congressional representation over the Northeast and Midwest.

For the first time in its 170-year history, California will lose a congressional seat.

Dampened by declining birthrates and federal policies that drastically slowed immigration, the state’s population increased by less than the national average. nyti.ms/3xrhWbP

Texas has added 12 congressional districts in the last 4 decades. Just 10 states have more members of Congress than Texas has added in that period alone. nyti.ms/3nlkGD0

In most states, legislatures — still largely dominated by Republicans — control the new district lines that will define congressional districts. The results will play a significant role in which party controls Congress throughout the 2020s. nyti.ms/3nlkGD0

The census numbers come after a process that was fraught with controversy and delays, and of course the count was done during a pandemic. Last summer, the Trump administration pushed it to stop the count sooner than planned. nyti.ms/2QVl4fg

The U.S. may be entering an era of substantially lower population growth, putting it with the countries of Europe and East Asia that face serious long-term challenges with rapidly aging populations. “This is a big deal,” said one demographer. nyti.ms/2QVl4fg