They say everything is big in Texas; as of late, it’s just getting bigger.

U.S. Census data shows the Texas population has surpassed 30 million. The Lone Star State is the only state besides California to reach such a milestone.

Texas is also the fastest-growing state, having added 470,708 people since July 2021. Florida followed in second, adding 416,754 people in the same span to bring its total population to just over 22 million, according to census data.

Natural increase only accounted for 118,159 of the population growth, proving that Texas’ increase has come more from domestic (230,961) and international migration (118,614) than from births.

Compared to other states like California, Texas’ population growth has been on an upward trend. From 2010 to 2019, Texas’ population growth rate remained relatively even, in a slow climb.

However, in the Golden State, the trend is reversed. In the last two years, California has lost nearly half a million residents, the primary cause being a drop in domestic migration.

This contrasts with Texas, where 54.7% of migration from 2020 to 2021 was domestic. Many new Texas residents have come directly from California.

Economic growth often follows population growth. By the end of the year, Dallas-Fort Worth is predicted to have the nation’s fifth fastest-growing economy due to abundant jobs and tech expansion.

“The area’s addition of 97,290 people between June 2020 and July 2021 was not entirely surprising, as the area has reported robust and positive population growth each year since 1950,” researchers from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise wrote.

Though the broader metroplex is benefitting from these trends, many newcomers are staying away from Dallas itself, as the city fails to deal with the dual crises of vagrancy and crime. As The Dallas Express previously reported, Dallas County lost more than 27,000 residents between 2020 and 2021, even amid the statewide population boom.