The Changing Face of Texas: Population Projections and Implications


D'Ann Petersen and Laila Assanie

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

October 2005

Rich natural resources, abundant land, a central location within the United States and a business-friendly environment have long attracted both immigrants and U.S. natives to Texas. As a result, the state’s population is faster growing, younger and more diverse than the nation’s.

These rapid demographic changes present challenges for the future. As the state’s baby boomer population ages, more demands will be placed on housing, health care and social services. Hispanics, already a dominant force in Texas, are expected to become the majority population group by 2020. The significant increase in this population (both immigrant and native) has far-reaching implications for education, housing and the labor force. The key issue facing Texas will be to reduce the economic and educational disparities prevalent among the state’s ethnic groups as the population continues to grow and evolve.

This article looks at population growth and demographic changes of recent decades. Then, with projections from the Texas State Data Center, we examine some sectors of the economy that will be challenged by these demographic forces in the coming decades.

LINK

Does Texas' Future Add Up?

The state struggles with an education crisis, income inequality and a growing generation gap.

by Melissa del Bosque | Texas Observer
9 Dec 2010

If state leaders don’t change course now, they’ll face a host of problems later: lower wages, a greater need for social services and a decline in the quality of living for Texans.

Read it here...

Texas would lose $15 billion in federal funds if it opted out of Medicaid, study finds

By Dave Montgomery
Friday, Dec. 03, 2010

AUSTIN - State policymakers were warned Friday that Texas would face the loss of $15 billion in federal matching funds and would see an additional 2.6 million residents added to the ranks of the uninsured if the state opted out of the federal Medicaid program.

The findings by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission are designed to guide legislators as they examine the rising cost of Medicaid while grappling with a state budget shortfall that could exceed $20 billion.

Gov. Rick Perry and leading conservative lawmakers have suggested that Texas could fashion a less expensive and more efficient state-run healthcare program by freeing itself from burdensome Medicaid requirements.

But Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, who sponsored a 2009 law that required the agency's study, said the potential downsides outlined in the report essentially rule out withdrawal from Medicaid. He said the state should concentrate on trying to press for changes in federal policy to improve the Medicaid program and give Texas a bigger proportional share of Medicaid funds.

"I don't think [opting out] of Medicaid is really viable," said the Houston-area physician. "If you dropped out today, the human and economic consequences are pretty immediate."

LINK

Legal Experts Question Willie Nelson Pot Bust

Texas personality (and perennial gubernatorial candidate) Kinky Friedman also believes agents overstepped their boundaries. "The real crime here is that it occurred in a county that is one of the headquarters of the Zetas," he says, referring to the growing Mexican criminal drug cartel. "These guys don't have bigger fish to fry? The Zetas are taking over their county and they're busting Willie Nelson. That shows a real lack of priorities.""

LINK