
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
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.

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Dallas.
More Dallas stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Dallas.