Among the many reasons Texas looms in the national conscience: its explosive growth in the last several years, adding to its political weight.
Over 30 million people now call Texas home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. New population estimates covering the past year show that the state's growth is unevenly distributed, with 158 counties gaining residents and 95 seeing a decline. Only one, San Saba County, about two hours northwest of Austin, shows no change.
Helen You, the associate director of the Texas Demographics Center, said Texas is the only state besides California that has crossed the threshold of 30 million residents.
"You'll find that six of the top 10 U.S. counties with the largest numeric growth are in Texas: Harris, Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Bexar and Montgomery. And as you can tell, these counties are usually large urban counties in the core of the metropolitan areas," she said. "On the other side, five other Texas counties also made it to the list of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the U.S. These counties, like Kaufman, Rockwell, Parker, Comal and Chambers, are usually suburban ring counties surrounding the core."
You said most of this growth is driven by migration.
"In fact, in 2022, almost 50% of the growth was due to people moving from other states to Texas," she said. "About 25% was because of people from other countries to Texas; only 25% was due to the natural increase, which was births minus deaths."
You said another factor is where folks in Texas are moving within the state.
"Each Texas county, of course, in terms of how population changes, has its own unique patterns," she said. "Some of the counties you mentioned really depend mostly on international migration and natural increase as their source of growth. That includes Dallas, Harris and El Paso. So the domestic out-migration we're seeing in these counties are mostly to the surrounding counties."
Most of the counties losing population are rural areas in West Texas, which continues the trend of urbanization the state has seen for decades. Growth numbers have significant political and economic implications, You said.
"The growth is good for the economy, especially now that we're kind of seemingly in a tight labor market," she said. "Studies show that migrants are usually younger, more likely to be in the labor force and more likely to be employed. And of course, it's good for our revenue, like what we saw with the big surplus that Texas had."
However, fast growth can also cause challenges, You said.
"The other side of the coin is the pressure that it puts on our infrastructure. Our studies have shown that median house value has increased more than household income," she said. "And transportation, if you're in one of the high growing areas, you don't need to tell you how much time you spend on the road."
For counties losing population, challenges can look like a lack of infrastructure.
"More than 90 counties in Texas, mostly in West and South Texas, have lost population," she said. "They, of course, are facing a different challenge in terms of access to services like the Internet and health care."
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.
But certainly, we're seeing those counties that are in the what used to be the suburban ring, but now are becoming very, very urbanized – are growing very fast – and much of their growth is occurring from domestic migration, meaning people are moving from either other places in Texas or other states in the country into ...
The number of U.S. residents moving into counties in Texas is a major contributing factor to its population growth. International migration, birth rates and death rates also affect a state's population growth.
When looking at percentage change, Texas is the third-fastest-growing state, with a population increase of 1.58% between 2022 and 2023. South Carolina and Florida both saw higher rates of population growth, 1.71% and 1.64% respectively. New York's population declined by 0.52%, more than any other state.
In Texas, the population has been booming for years as the state's robust job growth and relatively affordable real estate draw more residents. The three most populous metro areas — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — reported declines in the latest tally.
Growth in the state's major counties boosted Texas' overall population. The state grew more than any other in the country in 2023, by nearly half a million people, according to earlier Census estimates.
For example, four southern states — Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia — accounted for 93% of the nation's population growth in 2022, but only 67% in 2023. Texas experienced the largest numeric change in the nation, adding 473,453 people, followed by Florida, which added 365,205 residents.
The vast infrastructure in Texas ensures the state remains a leading exporter. Texas offers the largest transportation network in the nation, comprised of more than 313,200 miles of public roads, 10,400 miles of rail, 380 airports, and 16 seaports.
Georgetown topped the list with a population increase of 14.4%. “Georgetown, Texas, remained the fastest-growing city by percent change in 2022, with the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau's Population Division.
“Georgetown, Texas, remained the fastest-growing city by percent change in 2022, with the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people.
The largest numerical decreases in populations were in the following counties: Hale County (1,553) • Houston County (991) • Falls County (877) • Presidio County (842) • Anderson County (831).
South Carolina and Florida were the two fastest-growing states in the U.S., as the South dominated population gains in 2023, and the U.S. growth rate ticked upward slightly from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic due to a drop in deaths, according to estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The story of New York, the country's fastest shrinking state as of the latest Census release, is similar in this regard. New York lost 0.5% of its population between July 2022 and June 2023 and the previous Census had recorded a decreasing population in the state since 2016.
Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State because in 1836, when the Republic of Texas declared itself an independent nation, it flew a flag with a single star on it.
About half of Texas's population gain since 2000 resulted from natural increase (more births than deaths); around 29% from net domestic migration gains; and 22% from net international migration gains.
Texas has a large and diverse population due to a combination of factors, including its historical and cultural heritage, its large land area, and its relatively strong economy.
A new study projects Texas will have nearly 100 million people living in the state by 2100, pushing it ahead of all other U.S. states. The analysis from moveBuddha predicts Texas will reach a total population of 95,699,438 people by 2100, which would be a 213.8% increase from 2023.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
9(MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001) "Texas is growing – and fast. But that growth is not evenly distributed across the state. | Houston Public Media (2)")
