Fastest growing group in Texas: Asian Americans

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The Asian American population in Texas is growing fast.

Asian Texans made big gains from 2022 to 2023, growing faster than any other racial group in the state, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. Their numbers increased by 5.5%, or 91,921, over the previous year's count. This was faster than the overall population growth of the state, which grew by 1.6%.

The increase reflects several decades of steady growth in the group’s population and diversity in the state. And within that growth, the figures reflect another trend seen across the state: the increase in seniors. As Texas gets older, research groups raise questions about the resources available for older adults.

The rise in Asian Americans in Texas can be attributed to an increase in migration, both domestic and international. While the state has seen the most migration from Latin American countries, there has been an increase in migration from Asian countries in the last ten years.

"We're continuing the trend we have seen from the last decade," Xiuhong “Helen” You, associate director and senior demographer with the Texas Demographic Center, said regarding her biggest takeaway from the data.

Even with the growth, the group remains relatively small. Non-Hispanic Asians make up about 5.8% of the entire Texas population. That means an outsized growth rate from a relatively small numerical increase.

"Any additional change leads to a higher percentage increase," said Holly Heard, vice president of data and analytics for Texas 2036, a nonprofit research group. "But also, certainly with immigration, that helps to grow the population; and Texas being a state that receives a lot of immigrants, also receives a lot of immigrants from Asia."

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had the largest numerical growth of the Asian American population of any U.S. metro area, adding 44,437 from 2022 to 2023 and bringing the group’s population to 692,382.

The fastest growing numbers were in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area, which had a 10.5% increase in Asian Americans from 2022 to 2023, putting it first among metro areas with an Asian population of at least 10,000.

Among all age categories for Asian Texans, the biggest growth was in the older populations with the 80-and-up group growing by 11.4% and 70- to 79-year-olds growing by 7.6%. The next highest growth from an age group was with 30- to 39-year-olds, which grew by 6.6%

This increase in older Texans was seen more broadly across all groups in the state.

Older age groups overall saw the largest percentage increase from 2020 to 2023. The number of Texans aged 65 and older increased by 11%, roughly double the increase of the next fastest growing age group.

Texas continues to remain a relatively young state, with the median age of Texans being 35.7 compared to the nationwide median age of 39.1 in 2023. But the portion of Texans over 65 will only continue to grow as the youngest cohort of baby boomers enters that age group, survival rates among older Texans increase and maternity rates decrease.

"After 2010, we actually have seen every birth cohort to be smaller than the previous one," You said.

She warned that the decline in birth rates could lead to a workforce shortage, something the state has avoided so far because of international and domestic migration.

“Our rates are stable now but imagine when these cohorts of 18 and under begin entering the labor force years,” You said. “You will probably see a decline in that.”

As the slice of seniors grows, Heard said she's concerned they may lack the resources they need, especially as many delay retirement.

"Texas is kind of interesting in that our older population, some are more likely to be in the labor force relative to the U.S. as a whole," Heard said, which raises questions about what jobs they're doing and what needs or accommodations will be addressed as they keep working.

She's also interested in related questions: Are they working out of necessity? Are they receiving the assistance they need? And is that assistance as accessible in rural areas as in larger cities?

"Do we have enough services and enough care to provide for them?" she added.

An increase among older Texans could prompt a higher demand for health care services and there would be questions about whether seniors would be able to afford housing and other benefits when they enter retirement, You said.

Heard, the data expert from Texas 2036, also looked ahead, saying, “We have these populations that are growing older and we’re going to have to be prepared.”

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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