(CNN) Most Americans will live under Democratic governors come next year.

In the 2018 midterms, Democrats picked up seven governorships , to bring their nationwide total to 23. Republicans picked up one from an independent in Alaska, giving them control of 27 governorships.

But those numbers don't tell the whole story. Democrats won where a lot of people live.

Before the election, just 42% of Americans were represented by Democratic governors. Come January, it will be 53%. That 11-point jump is greater than the 9-point increase Democrats saw in the percentage of House seats they controlled pre- and post-midterm.

Democrats picked up two governorships in states that rank in the top 10 in population: Illinois and Michigan. Next year, they will hold nine governorships out of the 13 states with the highest populations.

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