Texas added more Hispanic, Asian and Black residents than any other state last year
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the number of residents from different racial and ethnic backgrounds who joined the state’s population last year.
The Lone Star State led all others in the number of new Hispanic, Asian and Black residents in 2023. Among U.S. metropolitan areas, Houston added the most Spanish-speaking residents, and Dallas the most Asian And Black residentsaccording to population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Texas also had the biggest jump last year in the total population, with 473,000 people.
“We’re adding more people, and that would include all different types of people, and more diversity,” said Xiuhong “Helen” You, associate director and senior demographer of the Texas Demographic Center. “Whether it’s people looking for employment, or people starting to start a family and looking for affordable housing.”
Nationally, Hispanic residents fueled U.S. growth last year, accounting for nearly three-quarters of the country’s population growth, according to the agency’s 2022-2023 population estimates.
Latinx people, who can be of any race, are now the country’s second-largest demographic group, and the number of births exceeding deaths made up the bulk of Latinx growth last year.
“The Hispanic population is growing significantly faster than the non-Hispanic population,” said Kristie Wilder, demographer for the Census Bureau.
The Spanish population grew by about 1.2 million people last year, for a total U.S. population increase of more than 1.6 million, raising the number of Hispanics in the country to 65.2 million people, or nearly a fifth of the total U.S. population, according to agency estimates.
The largest racial or ethnic group in the U.S., non-Hispanic white people, who represent 58% of the population, was the only one to experience a year-over-year decline — 461,000 people — as deaths outpaced births . Without immigration, the numbers would have fallen even further. With an average age of 43.2 years, it is the oldest demographic group. South Carolina added the most non-Hispanic white residents of the states, and Nashville had the biggest gains among metropolitan areas.
The Asian population grew by more than 585,000 people last year. Unlike Latin American growth, Asian growth has been driven by immigration and not natural growth. The Asian population last year amounted to more than 20.6 million people.
The black population grew by half a million people last year, driven by natural growth, and would total 42.3 million people in 2023.
The American Indian and Alaska Native population grew by 8,227 people, largely through natural growth, and now stands at 2.4 million people.
The average age in the US grew slightly from 38.9 in 2022 to 39.1 last year. Among urban areas, The Villages retirement community in central Florida had the highest median age last year at 68, while Provo, Utah was the youngest at 26.1.
Of all states, Texas had the largest Hispanic gain last year, an increase of 242,000 residents, with 30% of the increase occurring in metro Houston. The Lone Star State added nearly 92,000 new Asian residents and 91,000 new Black residents, with metro Dallas accounting for nearly half of the state’s increase in Asian residents and 40% of the increase in Black residents.
“Our state is a younger state than the rest of the country, and our Hispanic population is also a younger group, and at the same time we have an aging white population,” said Coda Rayo-Garza, research and data director at Every Texan, an advocacy group and research group. “We’re only going to experience more and more growth in the non-white demographic.”
___
Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform X: @MikeSchneiderAP.