There’s been a drastic and dramatic shift in the demographic makeup of the Lone Star State.
Now, it may not be a massive margin and it does involve some technicalities, but the numbers do speak for themselves: Hispanics outnumber non-Hispanic white people (a Hispanic person can be white, creating some technicalities) in Texas.
According to The Hill, this is the first time this has happened since the mid-19th century, according to the 2022 Census Bureau data these findings are based on.
The Dallas Morning News said the Hispanic demographic accounts for over 12 million Texans, while the non-Hispanic white population accounts for just 11.9 million Texans.
The Dallas-based outlet also noted that Harris, Bexar and Dallas counties account for the largest populations of Hispanics.
Harris County includes 2.1 million Hispanic residents, which makes up 45 percent of its total population. That amounts to an increase of 34,000 from July 2021 to July 2022.
Bexar County includes 1.2 million Hispanic residents, and gained 19,000 in that same July-to-July time span.
Dallas County, meanwhile, has 1.07 million Hispanic residents, which accounts for 41 percent of its residents. Dallas County gained 8,774 Hispanic residents in the same time frame.
The Hill said the Hispanic population has been significantly outpacing the non-Hispanic white population in terms of growth.
Over the last 10 years, the non-Hispanic white population in Texas has grown by 4.7 percent.
During that same span, the Hispanic population in Texas has grown by a whopping 27.5 percent.
Interestingly, despite what feels like an ideological chasm between the two states and their respective leaderships, Texas and California now share a couple of milestones in common, according to the Census data.
First and foremost, California and Texas represent the two largest states in the country — and both are also predominately Hispanic now, according to the Census data.
Secondly, Texas and California are the only two states with over 30 million residents.
The findings of the Census Bureau do paint a fascinating path forward, with critical 2024 elections rapidly approaching.
While California is still comfortably a deep-blue state and Texas is largely a red state, the rapid growth of the Hispanic population, particularly juxtaposed against the muted growth of the non-Hispanic white population, does mean that capturing that demographic’s vote is more important than it’s ever been — and downright critical for any upset-minded candidates.
Texas will certainly be key for what many presume is a looming GOP primary showdown between former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Critically, a Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation poll shows Trump holding a lead over DeSantis among Texas Republicans.
If the Florida governor wants to turn that around, the path forward seems pretty clear.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.