Editorial: Census numbers chance for fair redistricting

The 2020 U.S. Census results are out, and Pennsylvania did what was expected.

The population nudged up a bit, about 2.4%, but not enough to balance larger growth in other states such as Florida, Arizona and Colorado. That shift in where people are choosing to live will mean Pennsylvania, ever a swing state, will lose one key seat in Congress.

The question is where. And when it comes to state government, where will the house and senate lines be drawn?

The answers could come from the other results of the census — where Pennsylvania’s numbers are rising and falling.

Allegheny County was a winner. The population went up by 27,223, or 2.2% — not quite the state’s gain but close enough to make up for other dips. It also showed a hiccup in a trend. Nationwide, cities are growing. New York is up. Phoenix showed the most increase of any metro area. Texas cities are ballooning.

But Pittsburgh lost 2,733 people, dropping a percentage point. With Allegheny’s gains, it might point to the county, like Philadelphia, moving more toward being a single entity. Don’t worry — there still are enough smaller municipalities and isolated pockets in Allegheny that it isn’t likely to become a monolith anytime soon. After all, this was the first growth in the county’s census in 60 years.

Westmoreland stayed on the track that was predicted in its comprehensive plan. It posted the largest drop in numbers, losing 10,506 residents in 10 years. It was just 2.9% of the population, not the 6.3% of Indiana or the 7.1% of Greene, but those smaller counties had smaller total losses.

The redistricting isn’t done. The pencils have barely been broken out to erase the lines of the state’s 18 Congressional districts and sketch out 17 new ones.

But it seems clear Allegheny County shouldn’t lose much, as it wasn’t one of the areas that posted losses. Unfortunately, Westmoreland — with a total population equal to about half of a Congressional district’s average of 700,000 — seems likely to see some carving.

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, holds the 14th district, which includes a large swath of Westmoreland. It also covers Washington, Greene and Fayette counties. Only Washington posted any gains, a slim 0.7%. That would seem to indicate the 14th will need adjustment.

The problem is redistricting doesn’t always mean that kind of obvious move because of how political the process is. However, it is in the hands of the redistricting commission, helmed by former Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg, to make fairness and equity a priority over power and politics.