- Texas Ahead Demographic Fact Sheet (PDF, 96KB)
- Texas EDGE Data Center Reports
- Texas State Data Center
- Texas Workforce Commission
- Texas Online: Population and Demographics
- Office of the Governor, Business and Industry Data Center: Population/Demographics
- Teacher Retirement System of Texas: A Great Value for All Texans
- University of Texas Libraries: Statistics and Demographics
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2000 Decennial Census
- U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey, 2006
Demographic Advantage
Texas stands strong with a solid economy, abundant natural resources and some of the nation’s best infrastructure, but its biggest asset may be its dynamic and growing population. Between 2000 and 2007, Texas’ population grew at more than double the national rate—14.6 percent versus 7.2 percent.
Dallas-Fort Worth led all other U.S. metro areas in its numerical population gain between 2006 and 2007, adding more than 162,000 residents. The Houston-Sugarland-Baytown, Austin-Round Rock and San Antonio metro areas also were in the top ten for numerical growth. The Austin area also ranked fifth nationwide in its rate of growth between 2006 and 2007, expanding by 4.3 percent in that year.
In addition, Five of the ten U.S. counties registering the highest numerical growth between 2006 and 2007 are located in Texas. Eleven Texas counties were among the 25 U.S. counties with the highest numerical growth. No other state came close to Texas’ performance.
Other key data points:
- According to the 2006 Census data, the median age of the Texas population is 33.1 years, versus 36.4 years for the nation as a whole. Texas has the youngest median population by far among the ten most populous states.
- Texas has the fifth-youngest work force in the nation, with a median age of 39.4 years, according to the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research.
- Three Texas cities—Frisco, Cedar Park and McKinney—ranked first, second and third, respectively, in U.S. labor force growth between 2000 and 2005.
- The Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research reports that Texas added more than 600,000 college graduates between 2000 and 2006, placing the state third in the nation by this measure.
- Texas is attracting many of the nation’s college-educated workers who choose to relocate within the U.S. In 2006, more than 42,000 college-educated workers moved from other states to join the Texas labor force. Texas ranked second only to California by this measure, and well ahead of California when the new arrivals are considered as a share of the total work force.