Hispanics account for nearly 70 percent of Texas' population growth this decade. Hijole!

Texas's population grew by approximately 4.5 million people in the past decade. As a result, Texas will gain 4 seats in the US House of representatives. Hispanics are a major reason for the states growing political clout. This is because according to some experts, Hispanics are responsible for a major portion (70%) of the state's population increase.

The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports:

Texas' numbers add up to one word for Texas demographer Steve Murdock: "Phenomenal." "I was a little bit surprised about how large the change was," said Murdock, a Rice University professor and former U.S. Census director. "I thought it would be about 25 million, but that 4.2 million increase is unprecedented in Texas history."

Demographers point to Hispanics as the primary force behind Texas' growth.

"When we look at our projections, they suggest that somewhere around 70 percent of those new Texans added to the state are of Hispanic descent," state Demographer Lloyd Potter said.
Murdock agreed "Hispanics' high birth rate is a big part of that equation".

"A couple of years ago, demographers looked at the birth-to-death ratios across the country," he said. "They looked at all groups except Hispanics and there were 1.3 births per death. For Hispanics it was eight births to one death. Growth is increasingly dependent on non-Anglo populations."

A recession-based surge in out-of-state job seekers migrating to Texas has also plumped up the numbers, experts say. "Jobs and population increases go hand in hand", Potter said.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/21/2721584/texas-population-grows-206-to.html#ixzz18okCTRLw