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Nebraska will retain three congressional seats, based on official 2020 U.S. Census data released Monday for purposes of congressional apportionment.

The state’s population grew by 7.4%, with 1,961,504 people residing in the Cornhusker State.

That number is up from 1,826,341 from the 2010 census.

Landing as the 37th largest state, Nebraska’s growth rate was on track with national trends.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced the 2020 Census shows resident population of the United States on April 1, 2020, was 331,449,281.

The U.S. resident population represents the total number of people living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The resident population increased by 22,703,743 or 7.4%, from 308,745,538 in 2010, according to the bureau.

Nebraska’s growth-rate rank is 21st highest among all states, according to David Drozd, research coordinator with the University of Omaha’s Center for Public Affairs Research.

“That is an improvement from where we were either last decade in the 2000s when we ranked 30th or in the 1990s, when we were in about the bottom quarter of states,” Drozd said during a Zoom press conference, held Monday.

In the last decade, approximately 100,000 more births than deaths were recorded. Drodz also reported 37,000 more people moved into Nebraska than left the state.

Drodz said, “This is a little bit higher than what we projected or what our last estimates from the Census Bureau themselves would have stated.

Census counts released Monday did not include population counts for individual towns or counties.

Since those counts will not be available until late summer, Nebraska’s legislature will likely need to call a special session to draw boundaries for congresstional districts and legislative seats.

According to Drodz, if the state’s population growth continues to match or closely trail the U.S. rate, Nebraska should be able to maintain its three congresstional seats until at least until the 2040 Census.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said residents are responsible for the state’s growth.

“Thanks to their efforts, we have been able to work together to promote fiscal responsibility and keep government out of the way. This has allowed Nebraskans to grow their farms, create jobs and invest in their communities. The last 10 years has created great momentum that we will continue to build on as we emerge from the pandemic,” he said.

Collecting census data proved to be a challenge, due to COVID-19 concerns.

“The American public deserves a big thank you for its overwhelming response to the 2020 Census,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. “Despite many challenges, our nation completed a census for the 24th time. This act is fundamental to our democracy and a declaration of our growth and resilience. I also want to thank the team at the U.S. Census Bureau, who overcame unprecedented challenges to collect and produce high-quality data that will inform decision making for years to come.”