BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts will keep all 9 of its seats in Congress, the U.S. Census Department announced on Monday.
The state's population now officially sits at 7,029,917, which is about 482,000 more than the 2010 census.
The population of each state directly determines how many seats the state gets in the House of Representatives, and how many electoral votes the state has in Presidential elections.
Rhode Island was expected to lose a seat in Congress before the official results were released, but it managed to hang on to both of its seats.
The other four New England states will likewise keep their representatives but not gain any seats in Congress.
Massachusetts and the rest of the country will still undergo redistricting, which determines the shape and political leaning of each state's congressional districts.
There was a 7.4% increase in the U.S. population, which is the second-lowest census increase in U.S. history.
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