Why does Wyoming have 1 Representative?

The number of representatives a state has in the U.S. House of Representatives is based on its population. According to the 2020 census, Wyoming has a population of 578,759. This is the lowest population of any state in the United States. The size of a state's population determines the number of seats it gets in the House of Representatives.

The rule for apportioning House seats is based on the total U.S. population, not the populations of individual states. The total U.S. population is divided by 435, which is the total number of seats in the House, to get a number called the "divisor". This number is then used to divide the population of each state to determine how many seats that state gets.

For example, Wyoming's population of 578,759 is divided by the divisor of 802,015, which gives a quotient of 0.721609. This means that Wyoming is entitled to 0.721609 seats in the House. Since it is not possible to have a fractional number of representatives, Wyoming is rounded down to 1 representative.

Wyoming is not the only state with a low population. In fact, there are six other states that have only 1 representative in the House: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Vermont.