A new Pew Research Center study finds 1,592 journalists assigned to U.S. state capitol buildings. The number of reporters covering the statehouse varies widely from state to state, with some capitals filled with dozens of full-time reporters and others playing host to only two or three. Among several state level indicators Pew Research analyzed, population and the length of legislative session were the only two that showed correlation with the number of statehouse reporters. Those state by state data are available below in a sortable database.
You can also read the full report which provides a first-ever detailed accounting of the nation’s statehouse press corps.
| State | Full-Time | Session Only | Part-Time | Students (Temp.) | Other | Total | Avg. Legis. Session (months) | Population (2012) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3.4 | 4,779,736 |
| Alaska | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 3.0 | 710,231 |
| Arizona | 13 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 40 | 4.3 | 6,392,017 |
| Arkansas | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2.5 | 2,915,918 |
| California | 43 | 1 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 81 | 12.0 | 37,253,956 |
| Colorado | 7 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4.0 | 5,029,196 |
| Connecticut | 16 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 4.0 | 3,574,097 |
| Delaware | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5.8 | 897,934 |
| Florida | 33 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 62 | 2.0 | 18,801,310 |
| Georgia | 17 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 2.6 | 9,687,653 |
| Hawaii | 8 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 3.5 | 1,360,301 |
| Idaho | 12 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 2.8 | 1,567,582 |
| Illinois | 22 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 45 | 8.4 | 12,830,632 |
| Indiana | 15 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 28 | 3.7 | 6,483,802 |
| Iowa | 10 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4.2 | 3,046,355 |
| Kansas | 8 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 28 | 4.7 | 2,853,118 |
| Kentucky | 13 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 3.0 | 4,339,367 |
| Louisiana | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2.4 | 4,533,372 |
| Maine | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 6.1 | 1,328,361 |
| Maryland | 12 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 43 | 3.0 | 5,773,552 |
| Massachusetts | 15 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 32 | 12.0 | 6,547,629 |
| Michigan | 19 | 0 | 26 | 16 | 2 | 63 | 11.6 | 9,883,640 |
| Minnesota | 21 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 40 | 4.0 | 5,303,925 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 3.5 | 2,967,297 |
| Missouri | 15 | 6 | 9 | 51 | 1 | 82 | 4.8 | 5,988,927 |
| Montana | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 3.6 | 989,415 |
| Nebraska | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4.2 | 1,826,341 |
| Nevada | 6 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 30 | 4.0 | 2,700,551 |
| New Hampshire | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 5.8 | 1,316,470 |
| New Jersey | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 12.0 | 8,791,894 |
| New Mexico | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1.6 | 2,059,179 |
| New York | 39 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 57 | 12.0 | 19,378,102 |
| North Carolina | 18 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 47 | 4.8 | 9,535,483 |
| North Dakota | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3.9 | 672,591 |
| Ohio | 32 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 1 | 62 | 11.8 | 11,536,504 |
| Oklahoma | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4.1 | 3,751,351 |
| Oregon | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3.1 | 3,831,074 |
| Pennsylvania | 24 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 41 | 11.5 | 12,702,379 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5.8 | 1,052,567 |
| South Carolina | 15 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 6.0 | 4,625,364 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2.4 | 814,180 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 3.6 | 6,346,105 |
| Texas | 53 | 7 | 25 | 17 | 5 | 107 | 4.6 | 25,145,561 |
| Utah | 7 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 1.5 | 2,763,885 |
| Vermont | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4.1 | 625,741 |
| Virginia | 17 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1.7 | 8,001,024 |
| Washington | 12 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 2.7 | 6,724,540 |
| West Virginia | 7 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2.7 | 1,852,994 |
| Wisconsin | 19 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 12.0 | 5,686,986 |
| Wyoming | 6 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1.2 | 563,626 |
| Grand Total | 741 | 163 | 402 | 223 | 63 | 1,592 |
Note: Other reporter category includes interns, videographers or other supporting staff
Source: Pew Research Statehouse Data Aug. 2013 to March 2014, U.S. Census Bureau 2012 population estimates & The Book of the States 2013
