Missed it by that much.
New York will lose one seat in the House of Representatives next year based on population data released by the US Census Bureau on Monday — and was just 89 residents short of keeping all of its seats.
The Empire State’s delegation will shrink from 27 to 26 as a result of the 2020 census, officials said.
But that fate could have been avoided had 89 more New Yorkers been counted, said Kristin Koslap, senior technical expert for 2020 Census Apportionment.
“There were 435 seats. The last seat went to Minnesota and New York was next in line,” Koslap said in a news conference. “If you do the algebra equation that determines how many they would have needed, it’s 89 people.”
Overall, New York saw actually its population grow by 4 percent, with the census finding about 20.2 million living in the state, up from just under 19.4 million in 2010. That rise, however, wasn’t on pace with big jumps in other parts of the country.
Census officials said the Empire State experienced “negative net domestic migration,” meaning there were more people fleeing than moving into the state over the last decade.
How voters’ districts will change won’t be known until August at the earliest, when more detailed census data is expected.
In New York, the redistricting process begins with a 10-member commission, which draws maps that are then submitted to the Legislature for approval.
New York is one of seven states poised to lose a seat in the House. The others are California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Five states will gain one seat — Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon — while Texas will gain two.
The once-a-decade national head count determines how the 435 seats in the House are divided among the 50 states based on the population changes recorded.
The data released Monday leaves New York with fewer seats than Florida for the first time ever.
The Sunshine State has surpassed New York as the third-largest state in the country, behind California and Texas.
The loss of a congressional seat isn’t just a sign of New York’s dwindling political clout in Washington. The census also determines the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal funding each year.
State and local officials had urged residents to participate in the count — but critics charge that the Cuomo administration dragged its feet to dole out millions in funding for census outreach. The funds weren’t released until summer of 2020, when the census was already underway.
“Today’s news that New York will lose another congressional seat is a sad but unsurprising commentary on Andrew Cuomo’s failed leadership,” said Nick Langworthy, the chairman of the New York Republican Party. “We have no future as a state when our federal representation continues to shrink, our jobs continue to be destroyed and our residents continue to flee to other states.”
With Post wires