The U.S. House of Representatives E Pluribus Unum in Action The United States is a large, fractured, diverse and yet still unified nation, and few government bodies reflect the paradox that is this country better than the House of Representatives. Metrics of the House The House is the lower of the two legislative bodies in the U.S. government. It has 435 members, with the number of representatives per state dependent upon that state's population. House members serve two-year terms. Rather than represent their entire state, as Senate members do, they represent a specific district. This tends to give House members a closer link to their constituents-and more accountability, since they have but two years to satisfy voters before having to run for re-election. Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, all sprawling but sparsely populated states, have just one representative each in the House; tiny states like Delaware and Vermont also send just one representative to the House. By contrast, California sends 53 representatives; Texas sends 32; New York sends 29; and Florida sends 25 representatives to Capitol Hill. The number of representatives each state is allotted is determined every 10 years in accordance with the federal census . Although the number has changed periodically through the years, the House has remained at 435 members since 1913, with shifts in representation occurring among different states. The Powers of the House While the Senate's more exclusive membership may make it seem the more powerful of the two chambers of Congress,