AUSTIN, Texas — For the first time in state history, the Hispanic and Latino populations have surpassed the number of white residents, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.
Federal statistics released Thursday revealed that after 172 years as a state, white residents no longer made up the largest demographic of its nearly 30 million residents.
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Bureau officials believed Hispanics overtook the No. 1 spot in July 2022, shifting to 40.2% of the population. Non-Hispanic white residents fell short at 39.8%.
The state's shifting demographics were no overnight occurrence. Up until 2004, white Texans had made up the majority, or more than 50% of the total population. That year, it dropped below 50% and has continued to decline.
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The U.S. Census Bureau defines Hispanic and Latino "as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race."
The Hispanic/Latino population in Texas is expected to make up the majority of Texans down the road. Already, nearly half, 49.3%, of Texas residents under the age of 18 identify as Hispanic.