Who's to blame for New York's diminishing House seats? PUBLISHED 6:03 AM ET Apr. 27, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:03 AM EDT Apr. 27, 2021 SHARE New York's loss of a seat in the House of Representatives was met with groans — we were 89 people short of retaining 27 districts — and some quasi-fatalism — we could have lost two! But blame was also cast on New York's business climate for packing off New Yorkers to warmer climates in the south and west, leading to a growth in population that is slower than the rest of the country. To be clear: New York's population in the last decade did not decline as a whole, and in fact grew by more than 4%. But that's slower than states like Texas and Florida, which will have more representatives in the House and more political clout than New York as a result. And in upstate New York, many counties are expected to have a reported decline in their populations.