Minnesota is just under 1,800 people away from losing its eighth congressional seat, according Ryan Dolan, the coordinator for the State Demographic Center’s 2010 census campaign.

We predict we’re 1,787 people away from losing the last seat. We have about 1,700 townships in the state, so if we miss one person in every township, we lose a congressional seat. That’s just one person in every small town in our state.

This is a significant loss of power to the state of Minnesota. We already know what if feels like to be one senator short. If we’re one House member short, that’s a whole quagmire we’ll be dealing with in redrawing the (apportionment) map.

About $300 billion is tied to the Census numbers every single year in federal money to the states. With the new administration, it’s nearly $400 billion.

Every person missed in Minnesota’s census costs Minnesota $1,000 to $1,200 in federal aid.

Let’s hope Michele Bachmann changes her mind and decides not to cost Minnesotans over $12,000 over the next ten years.

(h/t MinnPost)