Method of Equal Proportions · Full Seat Log
All 435 Seats: Citizen Population Apportionment Methodology Breakdown
Every seat allocation in order, from seat #1 (all 50 states guaranteed) through seat #435. Seats #1–50 are the guaranteed minimums. Seats #51–435 are awarded by priority value = Citizen Pop ÷ √(n × (n+1)), where n is the state's current seat count.
Total seats
435
Fixed since 1929
Guaranteed seats
50
One per state
Contested seats
385
Awarded by priority value
Nat. citizen pop.
311.7M
2024 ACS B01001 + B05001
Overview
How the 435 seats are calculated
Apportionment under the citizen population scenario follows the same Method of Equal Proportions
used by the Census Bureau since 1941, the only change is the population input.
Instead of total residents, each state's citizen population is used, derived by
subtracting estimated non-citizens (from ACS table B05001) from the total (ACS table B01001).
The algorithm then distributes all 435 seats in two phases: a guaranteed round and a contested round.
Step 1
Citizen population by state
Formula:
The national citizen population totals 311,657,408 - down from
334,241,205 total residents, a reduction of roughly 22.6 million people from the apportionment base.
Citizen Pop = Total Pop × (1 − Non-Citizen %)
Every state's non-citizen count is subtracted from its total population.
The three states with the largest reductions:
| State | Total pop | Non-cit % | Removed | Citizen pop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 39,287,377 | 12.3% | 4,832,347 | 34,455,030 |
| Texas | 30,188,424 | 10.2% | 3,079,219 | 27,109,205 |
| New York | 19,852,366 | 9.2% | 1,826,418 | 18,025,948 |
Step 2
Guaranteed seats: the first 50
Every state is constitutionally entitled to at least one House seat regardless of population.
The first 50 of the 435 seats are distributed one per state, these appear
in the table below as Guaranteed rows.
This leaves 385 seats to be allocated competitively across all 50 states based on their citizen population and the priority formula.
This leaves 385 seats to be allocated competitively across all 50 states based on their citizen population and the priority formula.
Why 435? The total number of House seats was fixed at 435 by the
Reapportionment Act of 1929. It has remained unchanged ever since, meaning every
seat gained by one state must be lost by another.
Step 3
Contested seats: the Method of Equal Proportions
Each of the 385 remaining seats is awarded one at a time to whichever state has the highest
priority value at that moment:
The first ten contested seats (seats #51–60) go to the largest states in rapid succession, with California and Texas each winning multiple seats before smaller states enter the competition:
By the final rounds, priority values have converged dramatically, the last ten seats (seats #426–435) are separated by a total spread of just ~18,000 points, meaning a relatively small shift in any state's citizen population could change the outcome:
Priority = Citizen Pop ÷ √(n × (n + 1))
where n is the state's current seat count before the next seat is added.
The divisor grows with every seat a state already holds, which naturally slows down
the largest states and gives smaller states the opportunity to catch up.
The first ten contested seats (seats #51–60) go to the largest states in rapid succession, with California and Texas each winning multiple seats before smaller states enter the competition:
| Seat # | Awarded to | Now holds | Priority value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | California | 2 | 24,363,385 |
| 52 | Texas | 2 | 19,169,103 |
| 53 | Florida | 2 | 14,376,458 |
| 54 | California | 3 | 14,066,207 |
| 55 | New York | 2 | 12,746,270 |
| 56 | Texas | 3 | 11,067,287 |
| 57 | California | 4 | 9,946,310 |
| 58 | Pennsylvania | 2 | 8,892,578 |
| 59 | Illinois | 2 | 8,348,217 |
| 60 | Florida | 3 | 8,300,252 |
By the final rounds, priority values have converged dramatically, the last ten seats (seats #426–435) are separated by a total spread of just ~18,000 points, meaning a relatively small shift in any state's citizen population could change the outcome:
| Seat # | Awarded to | Now holds | Priority value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 426 | Oregon | 6 | 737,888 |
| 427 | New York | 25 | 735,906 |
| 428 | New Jersey | 12 | 727,880 |
| 429 | Arizona | 10 | 725,685 |
| 430 | California | 48 | 725,409 |
| 431 | Rhode Island | 2 | 724,555 |
| 432 | Michigan | 14 | 723,856 |
| 433 | Texas | 38 | 722,976 |
| 434 | West Virginia | 3 | 720,210 |
| 435 | Utah | 5 | 719,862 |
Step 4
Final results vs. current law
After all 435 rounds, the citizen population apportionment produces seat changes in
9 states compared to the 2020 Census apportionment currently in effect.
The 6 seats lost by California, New York, and Illinois are redistributed to the 6 gaining states,
the total remains 435.
| State | Citizen pop | Current seats | Citizen seats | Change | Avg district size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 34,455,030 | 52 | 48 | −4 | 717,813 |
| New York | 18,025,948 | 26 | 25 | −1 | 721,037 |
| Illinois | 11,806,162 | 17 | 16 | −1 | 737,885 |
| Arizona | 6,884,456 | 9 | 10 | +1 | 688,445 |
| Michigan | 9,765,350 | 13 | 14 | +1 | 697,525 |
| Ohio | 11,515,036 | 15 | 16 | +1 | 719,689 |
| Utah | 3,219,322 | 4 | 5 | +1 | 643,864 |
| West Virginia | 1,764,146 | 2 | 3 | +1 | 588,048 |
| Idaho | 1,872,366 | 2 | 3 | +1 | 624,122 |
Margin note: As an example of how contested these final steas are, Utah's 5th seat (seat #435, priority value 719,862) was the
closest call in the entire allocation, the next state in line had a priority value of roughly
718,000, a gap of less than 2,000 points. A shift of approximately 3,000 citizens in the
estimates could flip this seat.
Full seat log
All 435 seat allocations in detail
Search, filter by phase or state, and sort any column. Guaranteed seats (#1–50) are shaded gray.
| Seat # | State | Seats after | Priority value | Phase |
|---|