Today's census numbers show that rural America will have to fight to keep political influence in states and U.S. House

Today the Census Bureau is releasing population data for congressional and legislative redistricting which will show rural areas (which are disproportionately white and conservative) have lost people overall in the past decade, and are in line to lose power in statehouses and the U.S. House. 

"An analysis of recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates shows that "rural areas lost 226,000 people, a decline of about 0.5 percent, between 2010 and 2020, while cities and suburbs grew by about 21 million people, or 8%," Tim Henderson reports for Stateline. "Republican state legislatures will try to draw districts that preserve the political power of mostly conservative rural voters, but that task will become increasingly difficult as the population balance shifts toward cities."

Rural interests in some states have organized keep as much representation as they can, Henderson reports: "Pro 15, a group that advocates for largely rural northeastern Colorado, asked the state redistricting commission not to dilute the power of rural counties by dividing those voters into districts dominated by urban voters. Colorado’s rural counties grew 4%, a fraction of the state’s 17% urban growth, according to the census estimates."

The Census Bureau is holding a news conference at 1 p.m. ET today to discuss the first local-level results from the 2020 census, which states use to redraw federal and state legislative districts. After the presser on the Census Live page, credentialed news media can participate in a Q&A session with presenters. Click here to register for the press conference and access. The new data will be released today on the Census Bureau's FTP site, and will be released in easier-to-use formats by Sept. 30.