Which term describes the number of people living in a state that affects its number of Representatives?

The term that describes the number of people living in a state, which directly affects its number of Representatives in Congress, is "Population." In the context of the U.S. political system, the population of a state determines how many congressional seats it is allocated after the decennial census. This process is crucial because it helps ensure that representation in the House of Representatives is proportional to the population of each state, reflecting the principle of representative democracy.

While demographics refer to the statistical characteristics of populations (such as age, race, and income), it is the sheer number of individuals, or population, that influences representation. Area pertains to the physical size of a state and does not inherently impact the number of Representatives. Economics relates to the financial resource management and systems within a state, which is also irrelevant to the count of Representatives.