What if there were No Cap,
HOW BIG WOULD the HOuse BE TODAY?
In 1929, the Reapportionment Act permanently capped the U.S. House at 435 seats. Before that, the House grew with the country. This tool applies the 1920-era ratio of one representative per 243,727 people to modern population figures and shows what today's House would look like.
WHO GAINED POWER UNDER THE CAP?
The House was fixed at 435 seats by the Reapportionment Act of 1929. This map compares each state's representation following the 1930 Census with its current House delegation.
HOW MUCH HAS REPRESENTATION BEEN DILUTED?
A representative today serves far more people than a representative did when the House was capped. This map shows how much each state's people-per-representative ratio has increased since 1930.
STATE-BY-STATE COMPARISON
This table returns to the 1920-ratio thought experiment. It compares each state's current delegation with the delegation produced by the selected people-per-representative ratio. Click a column heading to sort.
| STATE | POPULATION | CURRENT SEATS | 1920-RATIO SEATS | CHANGE | PEOPLE PER REP — CURRENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | — | 435 | — | — | — |
WHAT THIS SHOWS
Before the House was permanently capped, representation generally expanded as the country expanded. The 1929 law changed that relationship.
States have since competed for shares of a fixed pool of 435 seats. Growth in one region can increase its representation only when another part of the country gives up representation.
At the same time, the number of Americans represented by each House member has increased dramatically. The second map shows that dilution directly.
The simulator asks a different question: what would the House look like if representation had continued growing with population instead of remaining frozen at 435?
SOURCES + METHODOLOGY
Historical House delegation figures and historical representation ratios are based on U.S. Census Bureau historical apportionment data.
Alaska and Hawaii are not included in the 1930 comparison because neither was a state during the 1930 apportionment.
Simulator population data uses 2020 Census apportionment figures and 2024 population estimates. The default historical ratio is one representative per 243,727 people.
Paid for by Project No Cap. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.