Texas has most Black migrants of any state

The South is on track to become the U.S.'s population center for the first time in history, AP reports.

Why it matters: Texas population growth is largely fueled by increases in communities of color, outpacing the increase in white residents.

• The state has gained the most Black migrants of any state in the past decade, per a Brookings analysis of Census Bureau data.

Driving the news: Black History Month begins today.

The big picture: While growth in the Hispanic population in Texas draws the most attention, the Lone Star State has been a key part of the growth of the "New South."

• Texas, Georgia and North Carolina lead all other states in Black migration, even when other parts of the South started to see fewer Black residents move in.

Zoom in: Dallas is second to only Atlanta in major metro areas with the highest migration of Black residents.

Flashback: Georgia outpaced every other state from 1985 through 2010 for most Black residents moving in but fell to Texas after 2010.

• And Texas has been a top destination for Black Californians since 2015.

Yes, but: Texas doesn't lead in Black life expectancy, educational achievement and wealth, and Dallas-Fort Worth falls in the middle of the road on the Brookings' Black Progress Index.

• Dallas County has a predicted Black life expectancy rating of 74.1 years on the index, compared to 75.4 in Tarrant County, 77.4 in Denton County and 78.4 in Collin County.