As the population of Southern states boomed last year, Americans chose to move to Texas more than any other state.
A year-end review from the U.S. Census Bureau noted that the South “was the fastest-growing and largest-gaining region last year, increasing by 1.1%, or 1,379,163.”
Domestic migration largely came from the Northwest and Midwest, which saw respective decreases of 218,851 and 48,910 people.
Of all states in the South, however, the Lone Star shone the brightest, with an increase of 470,708 people. This was enough to make Texas just the second state to count more than 30 million residents — with California being the other.
For its part, California saw 343,230 people leave in 2022. Other states in decline included New York, with a loss of 180,341, and Illinois, which decreased by 141,656.
The flight to Texas comes as the state enjoys historic economic success, with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) recently announcing 14 consecutive months of job growth.
“Texas remains the best place to do business month after month,” suggested TWC Commissioner Aaron Demerson, according to a January press release.
Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Gov. Greg Abbott, commented on the population and job growth to The Dallas Express.
“People and businesses vote with their feet, and they are choosing to move to Texas more than any other state in the country,” Mahaleris said.
“Texas is the economic engine of the nation, leading with the fastest annual jobs growth rate and with the most Fortune 500 corporate headquarters,” he continued.
“Our state continues to dominate for the 18th year in a row as the Best State for Business and a record-shattering 10th year in a row winning the Governor’s Cup for the most economic development projects in the country.”
Mahaleris concluded, “Texas remains number one because people and businesses are choosing our state over any other for the unmatched competitive advantages we offer: no corporate or personal income taxes, a predictable regulatory climate, and a young, growing, and skilled workforce.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson echoed the governor’s sentiments in a newsletter, adding, “And who is leading the way within Texas? You guessed it: Dallas.”
“The Dallas-Fort Worth region produced 5.9% job growth in 2022 — a faster pace than the red-hot 5% growth for the entire state,” the mayor asserted. “The entire nation came in at 3% growth.”
“That, friends, is what you call ‘Big Dallas Energy,’” Johnson suggested.
However, while the DFW metroplex is booming, the city of Dallas itself has struggled to keep up in recent years, losing nearly 16,000 people from 2020 to 2021 — the most recent numbers available from the Census Bureau.
CEO of the Metroplex Civic & Business Association Louis Darrouzet recently suggested to The Dallas Express that the city has begun “to struggle with more of the same issues that other major cities are having.”
Among these challenges are the high rates of crime, homelessness, and vagrancy — all of which have been worsening in Dallas in recent years — that drive citizens and businesses away from urban centers.
“The suburbs are starting to grow and pull people away from the core of the city,” Darrouzet added.
“They have higher performing school districts and many other benefits, including permitting processes that are much quicker, zoning, and building entitlement processes that are easier to get through. It’s easier for companies to work with.”