Although minorities comprise a growing portion of the U.S. population, whites still hold disproportionately large majorities in many state legislatures and Congress. Highlights from an AP demographic analysis (figures are rounded to the nearest whole number, so some gap totals may appear slightly higher or lower):
REPRESENTATION BY RACE
White: U.S. population 62 percent; Congress 82 percent; state legislatures 83 percent.
Hispanic: U.S. population 17 percent; Congress 7 percent; state legislatures 4 percent.
Black: U.S. population 12 percent; Congress 9 percent; state legislatures 9 percent.
Asian: U.S. population 5 percent; Congress 2 percent; state legislatures 1 percent.
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TOP 5 STATES FOR WHITE OVERREPRESENTATION
1. Delaware: population 64 percent; state legislature 90 percent; gap 27 percentage points.
2. Alaska: population 62 percent; state legislature 85 percent; gap 23 percentage points.
3. California: population 38 percent; state legislature 61 percent; gap 23 percentage points.
4. Texas: population 43 percent; state legislature 65 percent; gap 22 percentage points.
5. Washington: population 70 percent; state legislature 91 percent; gap 21 percentage points.
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TOP 5 STATES FOR HISPANIC UNDERREPRESENTATION
1. California: population 39 percent; state legislature 19 percent; gap 19 percentage points.
2. Texas: population 39 percent; state legislature 23 percent; gap 16 percentage points.
3. Nevada: population 28 percent; state legislature 14 percent; gap 14 percentage points.
4. Colorado: population 21 percent; state legislature 9 percent; gap 12 percentage points.
5. Idaho: population 12 percent; state legislature 0 percent; gap 12 percentage points
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TOP 5 STATES FOR BLACK UNDERREPRESENTATION
1. Delaware: population 21 percent; state legislature 6 percent; gap 15 percentage points.
2. Louisiana: population 32 percent; state legislature 22 percent; gap 10 percentage points.
3. Mississippi: population 38 percent; state legislature 28 percent; gap 10 percentage points.
4. Virginia: population 19 percent; state legislature 12 percent; gap 7 percentage points.
5. Maryland: population 29 percent; state legislature 23 percent; gap 6 percentage points
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TOP 5 STATES FOR ASIAN UNDERREPRESENTATION
1. New Jersey: population 9 percent; state legislature 1 percent; gap 8 percentage points.
2. Nevada: population 8 percent; state legislature 0 percent; gap 8 percentage points.
3. New York: population 8 percent; state legislature 0 percent; gap 8 percentage points.
4. Illinois: population 5 percent; state legislature 0 percent; gap 5 percentage points.
5. California: population 14 percent; state legislature 9 percent; gap 5 percentage points.
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TOP 5 STATE HOUSE DISTRICTS WITH HISPANIC MAJORITIES BUT WHITE REPRESENTATIVES
1. Texas District 80, Laredo north to Uvalde. Hispanic population 89 percent. Rep. Tracy King.
2. Texas District 79, El Paso area. Hispanic population 82 percent. Rep. Joe Pickett
3. California District 69, Anaheim area. Hispanic population 76 percent. Assemblyman Tom Daly.
4. Illinois District 1, Chicago. Hispanic population 75 percent. Rep. Daniel Burke.
5. Illinois District 22, Chicago. Hispanic population 68 percent. House Speaker Michael Madigan.
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TOP 5 STATE HOUSE DISTRICTS WITH BLACK MAJORITIES BUT WHITE REPRESENTATIVES
1. Mississippi District 16, Tupelo area. Black population 64 percent. Rep. Stephen Holland.
2. Massachusetts 12th Suffolk District, south Boston area. Black population 63 percent. Rep. Daniel Cullinane.
3. Georgia District 153, Albany. Black population 62 percent. Rep. Darrel Ealum.
4. Wisconsin District 18, Milwaukee. Black population 62 percent. Rep. Evan Goyke.
5. Georgia District 86, suburban Atlanta. Black population 61 percent. Michele Henson.
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Notes: National and state population figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey one-year estimates. Legislative district population figures come from the bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey three-year estimates. State legislative figures come from the National Conference of State Legislatures’ “Who We Elect” report released in December 2015. Congressional figures come from the U.S. House History, Art and Archives website, the U.S. House Press Gallery and the U.S. Senate’s Ethnic Diversity website, all of which were accessed this year.
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