122,698,190

STATES & CITIES

About an adding machine at the Census Bureau headquarters in Washington one day last week U. S. officials pressed excitedly as a column of 49 figures was clicked into place. The apparatus whined and buzzed. All eyes sought the result: 122,698,190.

That figure represented the official U. S. population for April 1--men, women & children, red, white, yellow & black.* It was obtained by adding for the first time the State and District of Columbia totals. Subject to minor revisions, the figure was a gain of 16,987,570 over the 1920 census.

As expected, California led all States in relative gain. Unexpectedly it nosed out New York to lead in absolute gain as well. Massachusetts dropped from sixth to eighth place. New Jersey forged ahead of Missouri into ninth place. Georgia showed the least gain. Montana showed a loss. The decade's average gain of 16.1% was the smallest in U. S. census history, except for 1920 when population was only 14.9% over 1910, because of War conditions.

Of prime political importance was the figure 122,698,190 because upon it the House of Representatives will be reapportioned. Last year Congress voted to hold the House membership at its present level (435) and distribute House seats among the States accordingly (TIME, June 10, 1929). The new apportionment of representatives will first come into effect for the 1932 election when the 73rd Congress is chosen. Under the new law, if Congress fails to vote reapportionment in the next short session, the Secretary of Commerce is authorized to compute the changes in State representation on the basis of the new census and certify the result to the Clerk of the House who will notify each Governor how many Congressmen his State may send to Washington after 1932. It would then be up to the Legislatures to redistrict their individual States to accord with any change in their representative strength in the House.

Threatened last week was another contest in the next Congress by Representatives where States stand to lose political power by reapportionment. For ten years these losers have blocked legislative action to execute this mandate of the Constitution. Now the winners are armed and ready to block any action by the losers.

In serious dispute is the manner whereby representation is now to be apportioned. Unless the law is changed, the 73rd Congress will be divided up on the basis of major fractions--dealing out House seats in round numbers, counting as a unit any remainder more than half, chopping all remainders of less than half. By this process the average Congressional District after 1932 will have a population of 280,762 as compared with the present quota of 211,877.

The official population by States and the unofficial change in Congressional representation, as figured by the Census Bureau, are as follows:

State 1930 Population Increase over 1920 Gain or loss of House Seats

Alabama ........ 2645,297 12.7% --1

Arizona........... 435,833 30.4% +1

Arkansas..... 1,853,981 5.8% . .

California.... 5,672,009 65.5% +9

Colorado..... 1,035,043 10.2% . .

Connecticut.. 1,604,711 16.2% +1

Delaware..... 238,380 6.9% . .

Dist. of Columbia 486,869 11.3% . .

Florida......... 1,466,625 51.4% +1

Georgia........ 2,902,443 0.2% --2

Idaho............ 445,837 3.2% . .

Illinois.......... 7,607,684 17.3% . .

Indiana......... 3,225,600 10.1% --2

Iowa.............. 2,467,900 2.7% --2

Kansas......... 1,879,946 6.3% --1

Kentucky..... 2,623,688 8.6% --2

Louisiana..... 2,094,496 16.5% --1

Maine.......... 800,056 4.2% --1

Maryland.... 1,629,321 12.4% . .

Massachusetts.4,253,646 10.4% --1

Michigan..... 4,842,280 32.0% +4

Minnesota... 2,566,445 7.5% --1

Mississippi.. 2,007,979 12.1% --1

Missouri...... 3,620,961 6.4% --3

Montana......536,332 --2.3% . .

Nebraska.....1,378,900 6.4% --1

Nevada.........90,891 17.5% . .

New Hampshire.465,293 5.0% . .

New Jersey...4,028,027 27.6% +2

New Mexico...427,216 18.6% +1

New York........12,619,503 21.5% +2

North Carolina..3,170,287 23.9% +1

North Dakota....682,448 5.5% --1

Ohio...................6,689,837 15.3% +2

Oklahoma..........2,391,777 17.9% +1

Oregon...............952,691 21.6% . .

Pennsylvania......9,640,802 10.6% --2

Rhode Island......687,232 13.7% --1

South Carolina....1,732,567 2.9% --1

South Dakota......690,755 8.5% --1

Tennessee...........2,608,759 11.6% --1

Texas...................5,821,272 24.8% +3

Utah.....................502,582 11.8% . .

Vermont...............359,092 1.9% --1

Virginia................2,419,471 4.8% --1

Washington..........1,561,967 15.1% +1

West Virginia.......1,728,510 18.1% . .

Wisconsin.............2,980,282 11.3% --1

Wyoming...............224,597 15.5% . .

*The Government's advance estimate of U. S. population: 122,186,893.

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