Electoral Votes by State in 2020

Which states gained and lost electoral votes in the 2010 census?

Electoral College
An elector places his vote within the House of Representatives chamber of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building.

Mark Makela / Getty Images

The Electoral College is the method by which the United States selects the president of the United States every four years. As established in Article II of the Constitution and amended in 1804 by the 12th Amendment, when voters cast a ballot for a presidential candidate, they are in fact voting to instruct the Electoral College electors representing their state to cast their votes for the same candidate.

How the Electoral College Works

Under the Constitution, each state is allowed a number of electors equal to its number of members in the U.S. House of Representatives plus one for each of its two U.S. senators. The District of Columbia gets three electors. Since each state’s number of electors is based on its congressional representation as determined by the population-based system of apportionment, states with larger populations get more Electoral College votes.

The method by which the electors are chosen is set by state laws. They are typically selected by the state’s political party committees. The party committees often choose individuals as electors to recognize their service and dedication to the party.

When the Electoral College meets on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December following the November presidential election, each elector from each state gets one vote. There is currently a total of 538 electors, with the votes of a simple majority of 270 votes needed to be elected president.

The Role of the US Census

The number of Electoral College votes to be cast by each state was last adjusted by state population totals from the 2010 decennial census conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Results of the decennial census are also used in apportionment—the process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is divided among the states.

Here is the list of electoral votes to be cast by each state in the 2020 presidential election.

  • Alabama - 9, unchanged. The state's population increased by 332,636 or 7.5 percent to 4,779,736 in 2010. 
  • Alaska - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 83,299 or 13.3 percent to 710,231 in 2010. 
  • Arizona - 11, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 1,261,385 or 24.6 percent to 6,392,017 in 2010. 
  • Arkansas - 6, unchanged. The state's population increased by 242,518 or 9.1 percent to 2,915,918 in 2010. 
  • California - 55, unchanged. The state's population increased by 3,382,308 or 10 percent to 37,253,956 in 2010. 
  • Colorado - 9, unchanged. The state's population increased by 727,935 or 16.9 percent to 5,029,196 in 2010. 
  • Connecticut - 7, unchanged. The state's population increased by 168,532 or 4.9 percent to 3,574,097 in 2010. 
  • Delaware - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 114,334 or 14.6 percent to 897,934 in 2010. 
  • District of Columbia - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 29,664 or 5.2 percent to 601,723 in 2010. 
  • Florida - 29, an increase of 2 electoral votes. The state's population increased by 2,818,932 or 17.6 percent to 18,801,310 in 2010. 
  • Georgia - 16, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 1,501,200 or 18.3 percent to 9,687,653 in 2010. 
  • Hawaii - 4, unchanged. The state's population increased by 148,764 or 12.3 percent to 1,360,301 in 2010. 
  • Idaho - 4, unchanged. The state's population increased by 273,629 or 21.1 percent to 1,567,582 in 2010. 
  • Illinois - 20, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 411,339 or 3.3 percent to 12,830,632 in 2010. 
  • Indiana - 11, unchanged. The state's population increased by 403,317 or 6.6. percent to 6,483,802 in 2010. 
  • Iowa - 6, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 120,031 or 4.1 percent to 3,046,355 in 2010. 
  • Kansas - 6, unchanged. The state's population increased by 164,700 or 6.1 percent to 2,853,118 in 2010. 
  • Kentucky - 8, unchanged. The state's population increased by 297,598 or 7.4 percent to 4,339,367 in 2010. 
  • Louisiana - 8, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 64,396 or 1.4 percent to 4,533,372 in 2010. 
  • Maine - 4, unchanged. The state's population increased by 53,438 or 4.2 percent to 1,328,361 in 2010. 
  • Maryland - 10, unchanged. The state's population increased by 477,066 or 9 percent to 5,773,552 in 2010. 
  • Massachusetts - 11, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 198,532 or 3.1 percent to 6,547,629 in 2010. 
  • Michigan - 16, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population fell by 54,804 or 0.6 percent to 9,883,640 in 2010. 
  • Minnesota - 10, unchanged. The state's population increased by 384,446 or 7.8 percent to 5,303,925 in 2010. 
  • Mississippi - 6, unchanged. The state's population increased by 122,639 or 4.3 percent to 2,967,297 in 2010. 
  • Missouri - 10, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 393,716 or 7 percent to 5,988,927 in 2010. 
  • Montana - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 87,220 or 9.7 percent to 989,415 in 2010. 
  • Nebraska - 5, unchanged. The state's population increased by 115,078 or 6.7 percent to 1,826,341 in 2010. 
  • Nevada - 6, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 702,294 or 35.1 percent to 2,700,551 in 2010. 
  • New Hampshire - 4, unchanged. The state's population increased by 80,684 6.5 percent to 1,316,470 in 2010. 
  • New Jersey - 14, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 377,544 or 4.5 percent to 8,791,894 in 2010. 
  • New Mexico - 5, unchanged. The state's population increased by 240,133 or 13.2 percent to 2,059,179 in 2010. 
  • New York - 29, a decrease of 2 electoral votes. The state's population increased by 401,645 or 2.1 percent to 19,378,102 in 2010. 
  • North Carolina - 15, unchanged. The state's population increased by 1,486,170 or 18.5 percent to 9,535,483 in 2010. 
  • North Dakota - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 30,391 or 4.7 percent to 672,591 in 2010. 
  • Ohio - 18, a decrease of 2 electoral votes. The state's population increased by 183,364 or 1.6 percent to 11,536,504 in 2010. 
  • Oklahoma - 7, unchanged. The state's population increased by 300,697 or 8.7 percent to 3,751,351 in 2010. 
  • Oregon - 7, unchanged. The state's population increased by 409,675 or 12 percent to 3,831,074 in 2010. 
  • Pennsylvania - 20, a decrease of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 421,325 or 3.4 percent to 12,702,379 in 2010. 
  • Rhode Island - 4, unchanged. The state's population increased by 4,248 or 0.4 percent to 1,052,567 in 2010. 
  • South Carolina - 9, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 613,352 or 15.3 percent to 4,625,364 in 2010. 
  • South Dakota - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 59,336 or 7.9 percent to 814,180 in 2010. 
  • Tennessee - 11, unchanged. The state's population increased by 656,822 or 11.5 percent to 6,346,105 in 2010. 
  • Texas - 38, an increase of 4 electoral votes. The state's population increased by 4,293,741 or 20.6 percent to 25,145,561 in 2010. 
  • Utah - 6, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 530,716 or 23.8 percent to 2,763,885 in 2010. 
  • Vermont - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 16,914 or 2.8 percent to 625,741 in 2010. 
  • Virginia - 13, unchanged. The state's population increased by 922,509 or 13 percent to 8,001,024 in 2010. 
  • Washington - 12, an increase of 1 electoral vote. The state's population increased by 830,419 or 14.1 percent to 6,724,540 in 2010. 
  • West Virginia - 5, unchanged. The state's population increased by 44,650 or 2.5 percent to 1,852,994 in 2010. 
  • Wisconsin - 10, unchanged. The state's population increased by 323,311 or 6 percent to 5,686,986 in 2010. 
  • Wyoming - 3, unchanged. The state's population increased by 69,844 or 14.1 percent to 563,626 in 2010. 

While it will not change their number of Electoral College votes, population changes in three key presidential battleground states since the 2016 election could affect their influence on the outcome of the 2020 election. The continued population boom in Florida (29 electoral votes) all but assures its long-held status as a key swing state. Arizona (11 electoral votes) jumps onto the list of 2020 swing states, while Nevada’s (6 electoral votes) record-setting growth could place the state even further out of reach for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

How the 2020 Census Could Change the Electoral Map

While it will not affect the 2020 state-by-state Electoral College vote, the results of the 2020 U.S. Census could transform the electoral map going forward. The resulting decennial reapportionment process promises to reshape the political makeup of the House of Representatives in 2022 and the Electoral College for the 2024 presidential election.

View Article Sources
  1. Status of National Popular Vote Bill in Each State.” National Popular Vote, 18 Aug. 2020.

  2. Daniel Diorio, Ben Williams. The Electoral College, ncsl.org.

  3. Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010. U.S. Census Bureau, March 2011.

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Murse, Tom. "Electoral Votes by State in 2020." ThoughtCo, Feb. 10, 2021, thoughtco.com/electoral-votes-by-state-in-2016-3322035. Murse, Tom. (2021, February 10). Electoral Votes by State in 2020. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/electoral-votes-by-state-in-2016-3322035 Murse, Tom. "Electoral Votes by State in 2020." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/electoral-votes-by-state-in-2016-3322035 (accessed March 19, 2024).