Saturday, March 2, 2013

WHERE DO AMERICANS LIVE? (and why population isn't everything)

From Barry Ritholtz' blog. Where people live in America (click to enlarge).



One interesting fact is that California's population of 38 million translates into 1 in 9 Americans living in the state (11.9% of our nation's population). Yet California only gets two U.S. Senators. The 20 smallest U.S. states have about 35 million people combined and get 20 U.S. Senators.

This helps explain why California only gets about 80 cents back from the federal government from every tax dollar it sends to Washington while smaller states get up to, and beyond, $2 for every $1 they send to Washington (yes, the smaller and especially southern states are net takers). Simply put, California's representation in the U.S. Senate is dwarfed by the smaller states, while its potential advantages in the lower chamber (53 seats) are muted by a split in who California sends (34 Dems vs. 19 Reps) to the House of Representatives.

And, no, having California's Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) as the #3 guy in the GOP leadership isn't bringing California any big dividends either.

- Mark 

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