The new US Census data is out, and Washington is among eight states to add a seat in Congress. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced the 2010 data this morning.
The state's added 830,000 in population since 2000, and the gains mean a new 10th Congressional District by 2012.
A statement from the US Commerce Department shows states with new seats in the West and South.
In the West, Arizona, Utah and Nevada also added seats. In the Southwest and South, Texas gained four seats, with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina also gaining.
Nine states, mostly in the midwest and northeast, lost seats. There are a total of 435 seats in Congress, a static number re-apportioned among the states with each ten-year census count.
Overall, the US population rose 9.8%, to more than 308 million.
Washington's population has grown by 14.1% since 2000, to 6,724,540.
Among the states, Nevada grew the fastest and California remained the nation's most populous state. Washington added 830,419 people during the decade.
Oregon's grew 12 percent to 3,831,074.
