Texas Lege Redistricting

With 4 new congressional seats, Texas of course grew. While we get to increase our congressional delegation, our legislature will stay the same. This means, that state senators will continue to have even larger constituencies and districts than members of congress.

Everyone has speculated where the new congressional districts will be, and looking at the state legislature, especially the house, you can also get a good visual of the growth.

The new population of 25,145,561 means that State Senate districts (31) should have an ideal population of 811,147 and State House districts (150) 167,637.

Which districts will need to grow and which will need to shrink?

Green colored districts (green because they grew over the past decade) are those that are currently over the ideal population and will need to lose people.  White/non-colored districts are those that will need to add population.

Right now 15 State Senate districts will need to shrink and 16 will need to grow. Half and half.









































































































District Population Deviation Party
1 731,108 (80,039) R
2 856,525 45,378 R
3 818,359 7,212 R
4 790,149 (20,998) R
5 899,155 88,008 R
6 643,019 (168,128) D
7 1,015,027 203,880 R
8 940,963 129,816 R
9 807,907 (3,240) R
10 834,265 23,118 D
11 838,090 26,943 R
12 1,013,641 202,494 R
13 730,086 (81,061) D
14 872,176 61,029 D
15 824,336 13,189 D
16 641,007 (170,140) R
17 847,887 36,740 R
18 861,831 50,684 R
19 766,044 (45,103) D
20 836,938 25,791 D
21 752,602 (58,545) D
22 789,412 (21,735) R
23 749,622 (61,525) D
24 778,148 (32,999) R
25 984,664 173,517 R
26 721,704 (89,443) D
27 786,946 (24,201) D
28 704,340 (106,807) R
29 758,901 (52,246) D
30 823,594 12,447 R
31 727,1151 (84,032) R
Total: 25,145,561

As the list shows, the two largest districts right now, population wise, are 7 & 12. 7 is represented by Republican Dan Patrick who is committed to solving the budget crisis with his abortion sonogram bill. 12 is represented by Republican Jane Nelson.

Patrick and Nelson each represent more people than the states of Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota, Delaware, and Montana. (not combined, just each state individually)

Out of the districts that need to lose population 4 have Democratic state senators (10, 14, 15, 20), with the other 11 having Republican state senators.

Of the districts that need to add people, it’s exactly 8 Democratic districts (6, 13, 19, 21, 23, 26, 27, 29) and 8 Republican districts (1, 4, 9, 16, 22, 24, 28, 31).














































































































































































































































































































































































































































































District Population Deviation Party
1 146,509 (21,128) R
2 149,622 (18,015) R
3 145,984 (21,653) R
4 181,882 14,245 R
5 159,305 (8,332) R
6 170,168 2,531 R
7 161,276 (6,361) R
8 149,393 (18,244) R
9 145,381 (22,256) R
10 184,699 17,062 R
11 151,703 (15,934) R
12 149,506 (18,131) R
13 156,600 (11,037) R
14 182,078 14,441 R
15 222,505 54,868 R
16 203,299 35,662 R
17 166,171 (1,466) R
18 150,998 (16,639) R
19 139,948 (27,689) R
20 228,091 60,454 R
21 137,058 (30,579) R
22 126,184 (41,453) D
23 144,933 (22,704) D
24 181,472 13,835 R
25 141,704 (25,933) R
26 180,729 13,092 R
27 225,449 57,812 D
28 263,682 96,045 R
29 208,164 40,527 R
30 147,611 (20,026) R
31 165,121 (2,516) D
32 157,055 (10,582) R
33 148,929 (18,708) R
34 143,582 (24,055) R
35 151,882 (15,755) R
36 201,386 33,749 D
37 142,621 (25,016) D
38 182,363 14,726 D
39 172,273 4,636 D
40 215,412 47,775 R
41 185,698 18,061 D
42 171,951 4,314 D
43 148,370 (19,267) D
44 194,258 26,621 R
45 205,670 38,033 R
46 172,464 4,827 D
47 198,311 30,674 R
48 161,817 (5,820) D
49 141,144 (26,493) D
50 191,756 24,119 D
51 158,774 (8,863) D
52 219,345 51,708 R
53 145,845 (21,792) R
54 196,447 28,810 R
55 176,215 8,578 R
56 155,303 (12,334) R
57 144,556 (23,081) R
58 169,146 1,509 R
59 149,195 (18,442) R
60 148,990 (18,647) R
61 176,054 8,417 R
62 154,792 (12,845) R
63 218,386 50,749 R
64 219,345 51,708 R
65 224,883 57,246 R
66 160,543 (7,094) R
67 145,358 (22,279) R
68 135,942 (31,695) R
69 140,554 (27,083) R
70 300,801 133,164 R
71 146,722 (20,915) R
72 139,868 (27,769) R
73 187,204 19,567 R
74 143,566 (24,071) D
75 219,408 51,771 D
76 132,715 (34,922) D
77 132,567 (35,070) D
78 168,785 1,148 R
79 147,172 (20,465) D
80 149,638 (17,999) D
81 159,026 (8,611) R
82 163,234 (4,403) R
83 173,230 5,593 R
84 157,068 (10,569) R
85 143,267 (24,370) R
86 154,914 (12,723) R
87 152,193 (15,444) R
88 141,962 (25,675) R
89 253,976 86,339 R
90 141,349 (26,288) D
91 164,484 (3,153) R
92 154,749 (12,888) R
93 179,024 11,387 R
94 143,509 (24,128) R
95 155,511 (12,126) D
96 231,782 64,145 R
97 168,045 408 R
98 239,343 71,706 R
99 231,238 63,601 R
100 149,033 (18,604) D
101 163,601 (4,036) R
102 131,327 (36,310) R
103 117,346 (50,291) D
104 131,900 (35,737) D
105 164,238 (3,399) R
106 159,716 (7,921) R
107 140,457 (27,180) R
108 143,531 (24,106) R
109 175,255 7,618 D
110 150,703 (16,934) D
111 163,374 (4,263) D
112 148,911 (18,726) R
113 161,303 (6,334) R
114 126,576 (41,061) R
115 140,868 (26,769) R
116 142,944 (24,693) D
117 220,360 52,723 R
118 152,809 (14,828) D
119 157,106 (10,531) D
120 163,187 (4,450) D
121 158,873 (8,764) R
122 246,846 79,209 R
123 132,442 (35,195) D
124 178,044 10,407 D
125 162,162 (5,475) D
126 172,274 4,637 R
127 187,102 19,465 R
128 148,817 (18,820) R
129 150,798 (16,839) R
130 252,386 84,749 R
131 152,889 (14,748) D
132 264,426 96,789 R
133 155,296 (12,341) R
134 147,146 (20,491) R
135 166,937 (700) R
136 146,854 (20,783) R
137 137,876 (29,761) D
138 136,881 (30,756) R
139 150,919 (16,718) D
140 139,275 (28,362) D
141 184,720 17,083 D
142 154,794 (12,843) D
143 127,381 (40,256) D
144 169,715 2,078 R
145 132,730 (34,907) D
146 143,120 (24,517) D
147 146,857 (20,780) D
148 140,946 (26,691) D
149 169,836 2,199 D
150 212,484 44,847 R
Total: 25,145,561

The district with the largest population is 70 represented by Republican Ken Paxton.

54 House districts need to lose population, while 96 House districts need to add people.

Of the districts that need to lose population, 13 are represented by Democrats (27, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 46, 50, 75, 109, 124, 141, 149) and 41 are represented by Republicans.

Of the districts that need to add population, 36 are represented by Democrats (22, 23, 31, 37, 43, 48, 49, 51, 74, 76, 77, 79, 80, 90, 95, 100, 103, 104, 110, 111, 116, 118-120, 123, 125, 131, 137, 139, 140, 142, 143, 145-148) and 60 are represented by Republicans.

Of the 24 seats that Republicans picked up last November (I’m also counting the 2 turn coats), 8 districts (40, 45, 47, 52, 78, 93, 96, 117) will need to lose population and 16 districts (1, 3, 12, 21, 33-35, 57, 69, 85, 101, 102, 106, 107, 133, 134) will need to add people.

10 thoughts on “Texas Lege Redistricting”

  1. But i think we must add political element to it – redistricting in Texas will be done by Republicans. And looking at statistical data i am reasonably sure that they geo enough areas to shuffle from quick-growing districts to more slow-growing to preserve (and may be – even slightly increase) their majority..

  2. This is a great post, but there should be just a few words of caution.  First, of a the deviations are less restrictive in the state lege than they are in congress.  Essentially, congress has to be down to almost a single person, whereas the state lege has a much higher tolerance.  I don’t recall what the percentege is though.  Greg Wythe, whose blog is must read for anyone interested in Texas or Houston redistricting, would probably know.  

    Second, there is a county rule in the House.  For large counties, such as Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, and Travis, and maybe a few others, they take the number of districts owed to the county, round that value, and then that county gets exactly that number of districts contained within it.  In fact, I think the numbers are: Harris 24 districts, Dallas 14, Tarrant 11, Bexar 10, and Travis 6.  I.e., Harris loses 1, Dallas loses 2, and Tarrant gains 1.  Because the number is rounded, the averages  in the large counties may be a little different from the state wide average.  For medium sized districts, they will give whole districts plus a fraction of a district.  In fact, El Paso dropped in population, so it may go from a county that received the whole number 5 to a 4 + a fraction of a district.

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