Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for July 23, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
July 23, 2018: Census Bureau data projects that 49.5% of the total U.S. population will live in just eight states by 2040: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, and North Carolina.[1]
Going a bit further, 69% of the population will live in the 16 largest states. Some pundits have expressed concern that these states will be underrepresented in the U.S. Senate.[2]
As I noted in a recent column, this would be problematic if America was supposed to be a pure democracy. However, our nation was founded on a belief in freedom as well as democracy. The architects of our Constitution recognized that one of the greatest threats to individual freedom would be a tyranny of the majority. Allowing 51% of voters to set rules for the other 49% to live by would be a recipe for disaster, not democracy.
Without the Senate, majorities in coastal America could ignore the concerns of those who live in the middle of the country. They could pass laws that make sense in New York and California but are inappropriate in Missouri or Wisconsin. The Senate protects against such an outcome.
It’s important to note that this does not give the smaller states the ability to ignore the wishes of the coastal states. Those larger states have plenty of power in the House. In practical terms, as the Washington Post notes, “The House and the Senate will be weighted to two largely different Americas.” For the federal government to work, the two Americas need to recognize each other's concerns and find ways to address them.[3]
Below is a table with projected state populations by the year 2040 produced by the University of Virginia's Demographics Research Group:[1]
| State | Projected population |
|---|---|
| California | 48,286,484 |
| Texas | 40,698,640 |
| Florida | 28,235,139 |
| New York | 21,380,610 |
| Pennsylvania | 12,976,425 |
| Georgia | 12,808,892 |
| Illinois | 12,697,149 |
| North Carolina | 12,524,753 |
| Ohio | 11,704,452 |
| Virginia | 10,201,530 |
| Michigan | 9,873,234 |
| New Jersey | 9,556,978 |
| Washington | 9,478,722 |
| Arizona | 9,103,179 |
| Massachusetts | 7,901,128 |
| Colorado | 7,828,749 |
| Tennessee | 7,758,137 |
| Indiana | 7,129,926 |
| Maryland | 7,068,866 |
| Missouri | 6,398,634 |
| Minnesota | 6,306,239 |
| South Carolina | 6,253,488 |
| Wisconsin | 6,042,354 |
| Louisiana | 5,251,460 |
| Alabama | 5,128,561 |
| Oregon | 4,990,011 |
| Kentucky | 4,739,798 |
| Oklahoma | 4,651,753 |
| Utah | 4,279,204 |
| Nevada | 3,892,449 |
| Connecticut | 3,585,765 |
| Iowa | 3,435,150 |
| Arkansas | 3,213,755 |
| Kansas | 3,129,638 |
| Mississippi | 3,040,865 |
| Nebraska | 2,210,599 |
| New Mexico | 2,160,402 |
| Idaho | 2,087,293 |
| Hawaii | 1,779,125 |
| West Virginia | 1,760,989 |
| New Hampshire | 1,366,803 |
| Maine | 1,302,889 |
| Montana | 1,236,013 |
| Delaware | 1,181,045 |
| District of Columbia | 1,107,014 |
| South Dakota | 1,076,362 |
| Rhode Island | 1,049,098 |
| North Dakota | 1,044,934 |
| Alaska | 866,600 |
| Wyoming | 688,396 |
| Vermont | 612,877 |
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- July 20, 2018 – 3.8 formal meetings per week between lobbyists and federal regulators
- July 19, 2018 – 1,370 percent increase in overdose death rates since War on Drugs was launched
- July 18, 2018 – 52 lower court rulings overturned by Supreme Court in most recent term
- July 17, 2018 – 34 percent of American adults enjoy driving a great deal
- July 16, 2018 – 72 percent of adults very proud to be an American
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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