Demographics of Texas
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| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 212,592 |
|
|
| 1860 | 604,215 | 184.2% | |
| 1870 | 818,579 | 35.5% | |
| 1880 | 1,591,749 | 94.5% | |
| 1890 | 2,235,527 | 40.4% | |
| 1900 | 3,048,710 | 36.4% | |
| 1910 | 3,896,542 | 27.8% | |
| 1920 | 4,663,228 | 19.7% | |
| 1930 | 5,824,715 | 24.9% | |
| 1940 | 6,414,824 | 10.1% | |
| 1950 | 7,711,194 | 20.2% | |
| 1960 | 9,579,677 | 24.2% | |
| 1970 | 11,196,730 | 16.9% | |
| 1980 | 14,229,191 | 27.1% | |
| 1990 | 16,986,510 | 19.4% | |
| 2000 | 20,851,820 | 22.8% | |
The center of population of Texas is located in Bell County, in the town of Holland [1].
As of 2005, the state has an estimated population of 22.8 million—an increase of 388,419 (1.7%) from the prior year and an increase of 2 million (9.6%) since the year 2000. In all three subcategories—natural (births less deaths), net immigration, and net migration—Texas has seen an increase in population. The natural increase since the last census was 1,155,182 people (1,948,398 births minus 793,216 deaths), immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 663,161 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 218,722 people. The state passed New York in the 1990s to become the second-largest U.S. state in population (after California).
As of 2004, the state has 3.5 million foreign-born residents (15.6% of the state population), of which an estimated 1.2 million are illegal immigrants (illegal immigrants account for more than one-third of the foreign-born population in Texas and 5.4% of the total state population[citation needed]).
Census data reports 7.8% of Texas's population as under 5 years old, 28.2% under 18, and 9.9% over 64 years. Females made up 50.4% of the population.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 68.76% of the population aged 5 and over speak only English at home, while 27.00% speak Spanish. Other languages spoken include Vietnamese by 0.63%, Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese, and Min Nan) by 0.48%, German (including Texas German) by 0.42%, and French (including Cajun French) by 0.32% [2].
[edit] Race and ethnic origins
| Demographics of Texas (csv) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By race | White | Black | AIAN* | Asian | NHPI* |
| 2000 (total population) | 84.54% | 12.09% | 1.09% | 3.13% | 0.16% |
| 2000 (Hispanic only) | 31.14% | 0.42% | 0.40% | 0.13% | 0.06% |
| 2005 (total population) | 84.14% | 12.09% | 1.10% | 3.62% | 0.17% |
| 2005 (Hispanic only) | 34.16% | 0.52% | 0.42% | 0.15% | 0.06% |
| Growth 2000–05 (total population) | 9.10% | 9.62% | 10.56% | 27.02% | 21.27% |
| Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) | 2.59% | 8.66% | 8.69% | 27.07% | 17.81% |
| Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) | 20.26% | 36.40% | 13.80% | 25.99% | 27.72% |
| * AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
As of the 2006 US Census estimates, the racial distribution in Texas are as follows: 69.8% White American, 11.6% African American, 3.3% are Asian American, 0.6 are American Indian, and 13% are of Some other Race. 35.7% are Hispanics or Latino (of any race).[1]
The largest reported ancestry groups in Texas include: Mexican (25.3%), German (10.9%), African American (10.5%), English (7.2%), and Scots-Irish (7.2%). Descendants from some of these ancestry groups is underreported.
Much of east, central, and north Texas is inhabited by Texans of White Protestant heritage, primarily descended from ancestors from the British Isles. Much of central and southeast-central Texas is inhabited by Texans of German descent. African Americans, who historically made up one-third of the state population, are concentrated in those parts of East Texas where the cotton plantation culture was most prominent prior to the American Civil War, as well as in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas.
Other population groups in Texas also exhibit great diversity. Frontier Texas saw settlements of Germans, particularly in Fredericksburg and New Braunfels. After the European revolutions of 1848, German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Czech and French immigration grew, and continued until World War I. The influence of the diverse immigrants from Europe survives in the names of towns, styles of architecture, genres of music, and varieties of cuisine. Lavaca County is predominantly Czech.
More than one-third of Texas residents are of Hispanic origin and are predominantly White, Mestizo, or Amerindian, although other racial groups may be included. Some are recent arrivals from Mexico, Central America, or South America, while others, known as Tejanos in English, have ancestors who have lived in Texas since before Texan independence, or at least for several generations. Tejanos are the largest ancestral group in southern Duval County and among the largest in and around Bexar County. The Hispanic population in Texas is increasing as more immigrants (including illegal aliens) from Latin America—primarily from Mexico—look for work in Texas. The state has the second-largest Hispanic population in the United States—California has the largest Hispanic population. Numerically, Hispanics dominate south, south-central, and west Texas and are a significant part of the residents in the cities of Dallas, Houston, and Austin. This influx of immigrants is partially responsible for Texas having a population younger than the union average.
African Americans, who historically made up one-third of the state population during the 19th century, are concentrated in the parts of East Texas where the cotton plantation culture was most prominent before the American Civil War, as well as in Dallas and Houston.[citation needed] Because of a strong labor market, from 1995–2000, Texas is one of three states in the South that are receiving the high numbers of black college graduates in a New Great Migration.[2] Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas is home to three major evangelical seminaries and several of America's largest megachurches, including the Potter's House pastored by T.D Jakes and Prestonwood Baptist pastored by Jack Graham. Houston is home to the largest "church" in the nation, Lakewood Church, pastored by Joel Osteen. Lubbock, Texas has the most churches per capita in the nation.[3]
In 2000, The religious demographics of Texas were:[4]
- Evangelical Protestant – 24.4%
- Mainline Protestant – 8.1%
- Orthodox – 0.1%
- Roman Catholic – 21.0%
- Hindu,Sikhs,Buddhists,Muslim,others; 2.0%
- Unclaimed – 44.5%
The largest single denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Catholic Church 4,368,969, the Southern Baptist Convention 3,519,459 and the United Methodist Church 1,022,342[4]. Figures further note that there are approximately 400,000 Muslims in Texas.[5]
[edit] Cities and towns
- See also: List of cities in Texas, List of Texas metropolitan areas, and Population of Texas cities in 2000
As of 2000, six incorporated places in Texas had populations greater than 500,000, of which two are global cities: Houston and Dallas.[6] Texas has a total of 25 metropolitan areas, with four having populations over 1 million and two over 5 million. Texas has three cities with populations exceeding 1 million: Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. This is the most cities of this size within one state.[citation needed] These three are also among the 10 largest cities of the United States. Austin, Fort Worth, and El Paso are also among the top 25 largest U.S. cities.[7] The Texas Urban Triangle is a region defined by three interstate highways – I-35 to the west (Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio), I-45 to the east (Dallas to Houston), and I-10 to the south (San Antonio to Houston). The region contains most of the state's largest cities and metropolitan areas, as well as nearly 75 percent of Texas' total population.[8]
