According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2023, Texas was the second largest state in population after California, with a population of 30,503,301, an increase of more than 1.3 million people, or 4.7%, since the 29,145,505 of the 2020 census. Its apportioned population in 2020 was 29,183,290. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the state of Texas has experienced strong population growth. Texas has many major cities and metropolitan areas, along with many towns and rural areas. Much of the population is concentrated in the major cities of Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, McAllen, Brownsville, El Paso, and their corresponding metropolitan areas. The first four aforementioned main urban centers are also referred to as the Texas Triangle megaregion.
Population
Texas is the second-largest U.S. state in population, after California. The state is also the most populous state in the South Central United States, and the most populous state in the South.Population and Population Centers by State: 2010 . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 5, 2017. Texas' population growth between 2000 and 2010 represents the highest population increase, by number of people, for any U.S. state during this time period.
At the 2020 United States census it was reported that Texas had a resident population of 29,145,505, a 15.9% increase since the 2010 U.S. census. Its apportioned population in 2020 was 29,183,290. At the 2010 census, Texas had a population of 25.1 million—an increase of 4.3 million since the year 2000, involving an increase in population in all three subcategories of population growth: natural increase (births minus deaths), net immigration, and net migration. Texas added almost 4 million people between the 2010 and 2020 census'.
Increasing by 470,708 people since July 2021, Texas was the largest-gaining state in the nation, reaching a total population of 30,029,572. By crossing the 30-million-population threshold, Texas joins California as the only states with a resident population above 30 million as of 2023. Growth in Texas was fueled by gains from all three components: net domestic migration (230,961), net international migration (118,614), and natural increase (118,159).
As of 2012, the state had an estimated 4.1 million foreign-born residents, constituting approximately 15% of the state population at the time. An estimated 1.7 million people were undocumented immigrants in 2014. The undocumented population of Texas decreased to an estimated 1,597,000 at the 2016 American Community Survey. Of the undocumented immigrant population, 960,000 have resided in Texas from less than 5 up to 14 years. An estimated 637,000 lived in Texas from 15 to 19 and 20 years or more. The undocumented immigrant population rebounded to 1,730,000 in 2018.
The center of population of Texas is located at in Bell County, in the town of Holland.
Net domestic migration YearIn-migrantsOut-migrantsNet migration2010486,558411,64174,9172011514,726404,839109,8872012507,752402,187105,5652013548,034409,977138,0572014538,572435,107103,4652015553,032445,343107,6892016531,996444,34087,6562017524,511467,33857,1732018563,945462,140101,8052019559,661453,015106,646
Race, ethnicity, and tribal affiliation
+Texas – Racial and Ethnic Composition (NH = Non-Hispanic)Race / EthnicityPop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)10,933,31311,397,34511,584,597Black or African American alone (NH)2,364,2552,886,8253,444,712Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)68,85980,58685,425Asian alone (NH)554,445948,4261,561,518Pacific Islander alone (NH)10,75717,92027,8570.10%Some Other Race alone (NH)19,95833,980113,5840.10%Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)230,567319,558886,095Hispanic or Latino (any race)6,669,6669,460,92111,441,717Total20,851,82025,145,56129,145,505100.00%100.00%100.00% +Texas racial breakdown of population (1900–2023)Racial composition18501900191019201930194019501960197019801990200020102020White72.5%79.6%82.2%84.0%85.3%85.5%87.2%87.4%86.8%78.7%75.2%71.0%70.4%50.1%Non-Hispanic White67.2%––––74.1%––71.0%65.7%60.6%52.4%45.3%39.7%Black27.5%20.4%17.7%15.9%14.7%14.4%12.7%12.4%12.5%12.0%11.9%11.5%11.9%12.2%Hispanic (of any race)5.3%–7.1%9.9%13.8%11.5%13.3%14.8%16.4%21.0%25.5%32.0%37.6%39.3%Asian––––––0.1%0.1%0.2%0.8%1.9%2.7%3.8%5.4%Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander––––––0.1%0.1%0.1%Native–––––––0.1%0.2%0.3%0.4%0.6%0.7%1.0%Other race––––––––0.4%8.2%10.6%11.7%10.5%13.6%Two or more races––––––––––2.5%2.7%17.6%
In 2021, 40.2% of the population was Hispanic and Latino American of any race, 39.3% non-Hispanic white, 11.6% Black or African American, 1.5% American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.1% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.4% some other race, and 3.1% two or more races. At the 2020 census, the racial and ethnic composition of the state was 42.5% white (39.7% non-Hispanic white), 11.8% Black or African American, 5.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 13.6% some other race, 17.6% two or more races, and 39.3% Hispanic and Latin American of any race.
In 2015 non-Hispanic whites made up 11,505,371 (41.9%) of the population, followed by Black Americans at 3,171,043 (11.5%); other races 1,793,580 (6.5%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) 10,999,120 (40.0%). At the 2010 United States census, the racial composition of Texas was the following: White American 70.4 percent, (Non-Hispanic whites 45.3 percent), Black or African American 11.8 percent, American Indian 0.7 percent, Asian 3.8 percent (1.0 percent Indian, 0.8 percent Vietnamese, 0.6 percent Chinese, 0.4 percent Filipino, 0.3 percent Korean, 0.1 percent Japanese, 0.6 percent other Asian), Pacific Islander 0.1 percent, some other race 10.5 percent, and two or more races 2.7 percent. In addition, 37.6 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino (of any race) (31.6 percent Mexican, 0.9 percent Salvadoran, 0.5 percent Puerto Rican, 0.4 percent Honduran, 0.3 percent Guatemalan 0.3 percent Spaniard, 0.2 percent Colombian, 0.2 percent Cuban). In 2011, 69.8% of the population of Texas younger than age1 were minorities (meaning they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white).
Hispanic or Latino Americans Hispanics and Latinos are the largest ethnic group in Texas, outnumbering non-Hispanic European Americans as of 2021. More than 11 million people claim Hispanic or Latin American ethnicity. This group forms over 37 percent of Texas's population. People of Mexican descent alone number over 9 million, and made up 31.7 percent of the population. The vast majority of the Hispanic/Latino population in the state is of Mexican descent, the next two largest groups are Salvadorans and Puerto Ricans. There are 385,716 Salvadorans and 269,448 Puerto Ricans in Texas. Other groups with large numbers in Texas include Hondurans, Guatemalans, Nicaraguans, and Cubans, among others. Historically, Hispanics in Texas were more likely than in some other states (such as California) to identify as white; according to the 2010 U.S. census, Texas was home to 6,304,207 White Hispanics and only 2,594,206 Hispanics of "some other race" (usually mestizo), compared to a majority of Hispanics identifying as "some other race" in California. However, self-identification among Hispanics has changed significantly from 2010 to 2020, partly due to changes in census methodology. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, only 2,740,386 Hispanics in Texas identified as White alone, while 9,035,783 Hispanics identified as "some other race" or "two or more races".
White or European Americans
In 1980, German, Irish, and English Americans were the three largest European ancestry groups in Texas. German Americans made up 11.3 percent of the population and numbered over 2.7 million members. Irish Americans made up 8.2 percent of the population and numbered over 1.9 million. There are roughly over 600,000 French Americans, 472,000 Italian Americans, 369,161 Scottish Americans, and 288,610 Polish Americans residing in Texas; these four ethnic groups made up 2.5 percent, 2.0 percent, 1.5 percent, and 1.0 percent of the population respectively. In the 1980 United States census the largest ancestry group reported in Texas was English with 3,083,323 Texans citing they were of English or mostly English ancestry, making them 27 percent of the state at the time. Their ancestry primarily goes back to the original thirteen colonies (the census of 1790 gives 48% of the population of English ancestry, together with 12% Scots and Scots-Irish, 4.5% other Irish, and 3% Welsh, for a total of 67.5% British and Irish; 13% were German, Swiss, Dutch, and French Huguenots; 19% were African American),Colin Bonwick, The American Revolution, 1991, p. 254 thus many of them today identify as "American" in ancestry, though they are of predominantly British stock. In 2012 there were nearly 200,000 Czech Americans living in Texas, the largest number of any state.
Black or African Americans African Americans are a racial minority in Texas. Their proportion of the population has declined since the early 20th century after many left the state in the Great Migration. Blacks of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin made up 11.5 percent of the population in 2015; blacks of non-Hispanic origin formed 11.3 percent of the populace. African Americans of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin numbered at roughly 2.7 million individuals, increasing in 2018 to 3,908,287. The majority of the Black and African American population of Texas lives in the Greater Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, San Antonio, Galveston, Tyler and Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan areas.
Native Americans Native Americans are a smaller minority in the state. Native Americans made up 0.5 percent of Texas's population and number over 118,000 individuals as of 2015. Native Americans of non-Hispanic origin made up 0.3 percent of the population and number over 75,000 individuals. Cherokee made up 0.1 percent of the population, and numbered over 19,400. In contrast, only 583 identified as Chippewa.
Asian Americans Asian Americans are a sizable minority group in Texas. Americans of Asian descent formed 4.5 percent of the population in 2015. They total more than 1.2 million individuals. Over 200,000 Indian Americans make Texas their home. Texas is also home to more than 187,000 Vietnamese and 136,000 Chinese. In addition to 92,000 Filipinos and 62,000 Koreans, there are 18,000 Japanese Americans living in the state. Lastly, more than 111,000 people are of other Asian ancestry groups, such as Cambodian, Thai, and Hmong. Sugar Land, a city within the Houston metropolitan area, and Plano, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, both have high concentrations of ethnic Chinese and Korean residents. The Houston and Dallas areas, and to a lesser extent, the Austin metropolitan area, all contain substantial Vietnamese communities.
Pacific Islander Americans Americans with origins from the Pacific Islands are the smallest minority in Texas. According to the 2019 American Community Survey, only 21,484 Texans are Pacific Islanders. The city of Euless, a suburb of Fort Worth, contains a sizable population of Tongan Americans, at nearly 900 people, over one percent of the city's population. Killeen has a sufficient population of Samoans and Guamanian, and people of Pacific Islander descent surpass one percent of the city's population.
Multiracial Americans Multiracial individuals are also a visible minority in Texas. People identifying as multiracial form 2.9 percent of the population, and number over 800,000 people. Over 80,000 Texans claim African and European heritage. People of European and American Indian ancestry number over 108,800. People of European and Asian ancestry number over 57,600. People of African and Native American ancestry were even smaller in number at 15,300.