Texas counties lead the U.S. in population growth, Census says
Kaufman County, east of Dallas, grew faster than any other in the country from 2022 to 2023. Harris County added the most new residents. Full Story
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![A roofing crew begins to shingle a home under construction in the new Pavilion Park housing development in North Midland Monday, March 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ statewide poverty rate declines, but several rural counties see increase in poor residents
An influx of highly educated people from other states helped shift the state’s economic fortune. But in many parts of Texas, residents are struggling as jobs dry up. Full Story
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![Yuchih Choy loads boxes of food into a pickup. West Texas Food Bank employees and volunteers load donated food into customer's cars during their weekly pick up outside of the food bank in Odessa, TX. Oct. 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Texas leads the country in keeping its native-born residents home
A report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas researchers say that economic growth, low taxes and big cities all can keep residents in their home states. Full Story
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![People sit in Zilker Park on the second night of Austin City Limits Radio’s Blues on the Green concert on July 28, 2021.]()
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U.S. census and other surveys likely undercount the number of LGBTQ+ people living in Texas
Some queer Texans may fear disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity to neighbors or the government. The lack of accurate numbers makes it more difficult to provide appropriate health care, especially in rural areas. Full Story
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![Activists and members of Austin's LGBTQ community gather on the steps of the capitol to celebrate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. These riots signify a key moment in the birth of the modern LGBT movement in America. June 28, 2017.]()
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Hispanics officially make up the biggest share of Texas’ population, new census numbers show
White people had been the state’s largest population group since at least 1850. Sometime in 2022, the Hispanic population surpassed them, new data shows. Full Story
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![Luisa and Antonio Perez danced to the band Tigrillos at the Festival Viva Mexico in Corpus Christi on Sept 8, 2013.]()
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Texas cities again lead population growth, and Austin is now country’s 10th largest
Texas took four of the 10 top spots among the nation’s fastest-growing cities, with the Austin metro area overall seeing some of the most significant growth. Full Story
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![An aerial view of downtown Austin during the coronavirus outbreak on March 23, 2020.]()
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Texas is now home to 30 million people
Texas has joined California as the only other state in the nation with a population of more than 30 million, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Full Story
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![Crowds march through Austin in celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
More Texans turn to home schooling after the pandemic showed them what learning outside of schools could be like
Some new home-schoolers disagree with how race and sex are taught at schools. Others cite safety concerns after the Uvalde shooting and poor academic outcomes. Full Story
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![Teacher and parent Jamie Johnston helps secondary level students complete a worksheet in the College & Career Readiness class she teaches at REACH Homeschool Co-op in Clear Lake, TX.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Hispanic Texans may now be the state’s largest demographic group, new census data shows
For years, the state’s Hispanic population has grown significantly faster than the white population. The new census data is the first to reflect Texas passing a milestone in its cultural and political evolution. Full Story
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![Josie and Santos Ramos dance during a Cinco de Mayo parade and festival on April 30, 2022. The couple has been married for 49 years and raised their family in Texas City.]()
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The U.S. census estimates it missed more than a half-million Texans during 2020 count
Immigrants, people living in poverty and non-English speakers were among the most likely to be missed, yet the crucial count received lackluster promotion by Texas state government. Full Story
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![Glenda Joe, center, advises students during a Make Youth Count planning meeting on Saturday, February 15, 2020. The team is made up of graduates and one current senior of Alief Early College and will be in four Aleif high schools hoping to encourage students to help their parents fill out the 2020 census.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
People of color make up 95% of Texas’ population growth, and cities and suburbs are booming, 2020 census shows
The state’s Hispanic population is now nearly as large as the non-Hispanic white population, with Texas gaining nearly 11 Hispanic residents for every additional white resident since 2010. Those trends set up a pitched battle for political control when state lawmakers redraw legislative districts. Full Story
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![The Houston skyline on Dec. 17, 2018.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Redistricting is boring, and that’s why it’s hazardous to voters
Most voters don’t pay a lot of attention to the redrawing of political maps every 10 years. That’s just the way legislators like it. Full Story
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![The sun sets behind the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., on midterm election day, Nov. 6, 2018.]()
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Texas will gain two seats in Congress as residents of color drive population gains
Texas will have 38 congressional seats as a result of the latest U.S. census. It's one of six states to gain seats, and it's the only state that will get more than one. Full Story
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![A woman walks past the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.]()
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Latest census delay will push Texas' redrawing of political maps into the fall
The Census Bureau now says it will get detailed results of the national population count to states by Sept. 30. That means Gov. Greg Abbott will almost certainly need to call lawmakers back for overtime in the fall to craft new Congressional and legislative districts. Full Story
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![A 2020 Census representative speaks with a resident during a census campaign in New York City in 2020.]()
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Analysis: A delay in drawing new maps this year could slow next year's elections
Delays in the delivery of court-approved political maps have disrupted past elections in Texas. And this year's pandemic-related delays in the U.S. census have raised the possibility of jumbled election plans in 2022. Full Story
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![The 2020 Census questionnaire and other Census documents on April 26, 2020.]()
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Census delays will force Texas lawmakers into a special session to redraw political maps
The Census Bureau revealed Wednesday that the detailed results lawmakers need to reconfigure congressional and state legislative districts won’t be available until at least two months after the end of the regular 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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![The 2020 Census questionnaire on April 26, 2020.]()
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Reversing Donald Trump policy, Joe Biden will include undocumented immigrants in critical census count
President Donald Trump's efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from congressional representation are out with his administration. But Texas lawmakers still face delays in receiving census results needed to redraw the state's political maps. Full Story
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![An activist holds up a sign urging Americans to fill out the 2020 Census during a rally in New York on Aug. 2, 2020.]()
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Supreme Court says challenge to Donald Trump’s plan to not count undocumented people in congressional reapportionment must wait
A Pew Research Center study this summer found that if the country’s undocumented immigrants were excluded from apportionment, Texas would end up with one less U.S. House seat than otherwise expected. Full Story
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![The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 2020.]()
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Republicans kept their grip on Texas government in 2020. In 2021, they'll be able to tighten it.
Because Republicans in the state House and Senate held onto their 20-year majority, they are positioned to further entrench their power until the next redistricting rolls around in 2031. Full Story
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![The Republican Party of Texas office in downtown Austin.]()
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The census doesn’t count Arab Americans. That leaves some Texans feeling invisible.
The census does not include an option for people to identify as Middle Eastern or North African Americans. That leaves Arab Texans to identify as white or “other” on the all-important national count. Full Story
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![Janet Abou-Elias, vice president of the University of Texas at Austin Arab Student Association, outside the Moody College of Communication building on Oct. 16, 2020. Abou-Elias is disappointed by the under-recognition of Arab Texans in the U.S. Census.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune
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