State officials were expecting the loss, the first since 1992, and legislative leaders recently formed a redistricting committee. There will now be nine representatives, down from 10.

 

The state joins Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, Louisana with states that will lose one representative; New York and Ohio will both lose two.

 

Texas gained the most seats with four. Washington, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Georgia and South Carolina all gained one seat and Florida two.

 
The Bay State's population did increase, but at a slower rate than other states. The population increased by 3.1 percent to 6,547,629. The data also shows that the state is the fifth most dense in the country.

 

U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, in a statement, vowed that the long-anticipated announcement does not curtail his plans to run for re-election in 2012.

 

"The loss of a seat in Massachusetts was expected. The Census Bureau released some interim population data over the last decade, and all of the academic models predicted that Massachusetts would likely lose a seat," said Olver. "Given this announcement, the Massachusetts Legislature must now re-apportion the state into nine congressional districts of equal population instead of 10.  

"No one can know what the extent of district changes will be until the Legislature finishes its job, but some districts will inevitably undergo significant change as all of the remaining nine will have to add population. Specific redistricting options will be weighed and considered by the Legislature, and the final decision on what to do rests with the Legislature alone."

 

The 1st Massachusetts District, which covers nearly the entire western half of the state, could get larger. Urban areas in the central part of the state could be added and the redistricting will have a major impact on federal funding. 

 

Berkshire Middle Register of Deeds Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. has requested a series of local hearings to ensure that the interests of small cities and towns are fairly represented in the redistricting process. Nuciforo, also a Democrat, announced last year that he will challenge Olver.

The changes could also affect the number of state representatives in the western end of the state.