Economic Snapshot Overview by Dr. Reid Cummings - June 2018
Posted on June 13, 2018 by Dr. Reid Cummings
Greetings, and welcome to the June 2018 Mobile Bay Economic Snapshot.
Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution creates the House of Representatives. It calls for Member elections every two years, with one representative for every thirty thousand people. The prescribed mandate to conduct a census every ten years is important because of population apportionment among the States.
Currently, each of the 435 Congressional Districts contains approximately 750,000 people. Equal weighting causes those States with higher populations to have more Districts and more Members. Each year, hundreds of billions of Federal dollars flow to States based on Congressional representation. As the population shifts, so does Congressional representation and Federal government funding.
Many often overlook how the Census impacts the Presidential election process. The Electoral College’s membership corresponds to each State’s Congressional body—two members for each Senator, and one for each House Member. As the population shifts, so does Electoral College representation and Elector voting.
The first census occurred in 1790, identifying only head count, age, sex, and race. The next census occurs in 2020, using more than 200 unique demographic and population surveys. As the Census Bureau prepares for the 2020 count, there is much current discussion about how it will do so, and there are a number of ongoing challenges about the format of the final surveys used. A key question concerns citizenship. The Census is critically important for all citizens, and however it ultimately occurs, we must hope that we get it right.
As the Census conversation continues and the count draws near, we are working hard
to do our bit. Please visit our website’s Local and National Economic Data section
to find our newest dashboard. Population in 8 Southwest Alabama Counties includes population distributions beginning with the 2000 Census for Baldwin, Choctaw,
Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington Counties; city populations
are also available. This highly interactive, dynamic dashboard provides a wealth of
population data, and we are working to add additional demographics soon. As always,
we encourage you to use all of the information presented in our multiple dashboards
in any way, just please remember to let folks know where you got it.
Until next time, from everyone at the Center, we wish you and yours all of the best.