Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district is located in Northwestern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It contains all of Erie County,

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford Count ...

, Mercer County, and Lawrence County, as well as part of Butler County. The district is represented by Republican Mike Kelly. Prior to redistricting on March 19, 2018, the 16th congressional district was located in the southeastern part of the state, just west of Philadelphia. Previously,

Northwestern Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

was represented by the 3rd congressional district. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania redrew the district in February 2018 after ruling the previous map violated the state constitution due to partisan

gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...

. What was the 16th district was modified to become the eleventh district, and the old third district likewise became the 16th, for the 2018 elections and representation thereafter. Adams County (which includes Gettysburg) was in the district in 1863, at the time of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the ...

and the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

. Democrat Alexander Coffroth was the district's representative at the time.

Recent election results

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

Source

U.S. President

Geography

2003-2018

Created after the 2000 Census, the 16th district was composed of a large portion of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, most of Lancaster County, and a sliver of

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

, including the city of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

. The 16th stretched from the southwestern suburbs of Philadelphia in the east to the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

in the west, and north to include areas around Reading. In 2000, the 16th Congressional District was home to 646,328 residents, according to the U.S. Census, and its population has increased since that year. Residents of Lancaster County made up the majority of the district's population, followed by Chester County and Berks County. The district was one of the Pennsylvania districts accused of being the result of

. Before 2018's redistricting, PA-03 was rated a Solid Republican seat by Cook. Pockets of urban areas exist in and around the cities of Lancaster, Reading, and West Chester.

2019

In February 2018, the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

ruled that the previous map was unconstitutional due to gerrymandering and released a new congressional map. The 16th district was relocated to the northwestern part of the state. The new 16th includes the cities of

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, Sharon, Hermitage,

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantry ...

and Meadville. After redistricting, PA-16 was rated as a likely Republican seat by Cook in 2018. It is not considered a competitive district in 2020.

Counties and municipalities within the district

Butler County: partial; portions of county are in the 15th and 17th district. Crawford County: Meadville, Titusville Erie County: Corry, Erie Lawrence County: New Castle Mercer County: Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon

List of members representing the district

The district was created with two seats in 1823

1823–1833: Two seats

1833-Present: One seat

Historical district boundaries

File:Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District.gif, 2003–2013 File:Pennsylvania US Congressional District 16 (since 2013).tif, 2013–2019

References

* *
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

Congressional redistricting in Pennsylvania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District 16 Constituencies established in 1823 1823 establishments in Pennsylvania