This data brief, produced by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute research team, provides detailed information on Texas’ Latino population using the 2015-19 American Community Survey data.

1. Latinos are the second largest racial or ethnic group in Texas at 39% of the population (Figure 1). This is more than double the national share of Latinos (18%). Since 2000, the Latino population has grown 76%, almost double the state rate of 41%.

Figure 1: Population by Race and Ethnicity in Texas, 2019

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata.
Note: AAPI refers to the Asian American and Pacific Islander population.

2. Latinos in Texas are young. With a median age of 28, Latinos in Texas are younger than both Texans overall (34) and Latinos nationally (29). As of 2019, 20% of Texas Latinos are 10 or younger, compared to just 16% of the state population overall.

3. Latino ancestries in Texas reflect the state’s history. The three largest descent groups were Mexicans (86% of all Texas Latinos), followed by Latinos of other ancestry (4%) and Salvadorans (3%). The large presence of Latinos who identify as having other ancestry may reflect the presence of “Tejanos”—the descendants of the Spaniards and Native Americans in Texas—and predate the state’s entrance into the United States.

4. More than one-third of Latinos in Texas did not complete high school (34%), the highest share of any group. This is more than double the state’s high school incompletion rate overall (16%).

5. More Latinas have completed college than Latino men (Figure 2). In Texas, 16% of Latinas possess a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to just 13% of Latino men. Although gender differences in Texas follow national patterns, Latino college completion rates are lower than their respective national averages (18% for Latinas and 15% for Latino men nationally).    

Figure 2: Population with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Texas, 2019

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata. 

6. Latino men participate in the labor force at the highest rate (77%) compared to men of the other major racial and ethnic groups in Texas (Figure 3). Latinas have the third highest labor force participation rate among women (58%), behind Black and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women (67% and 59%, respectively).

Figure 3: Labor Force Participation Rates by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Texas, 2019

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata.
Note: Data are for the civilian non-institutionalized population.

7. Latinos possess the second lowest median household income in Texas at $48,900. Texas Latinos have lower household incomes than Latinos nationally ($52,000). Additionally, Texas Latinos’ median household income is roughly $12,000 less than the overall state median.

8. Despite Latinos’ high levels of workforce participation, Latino children are the most likely of any racial or ethnic group to experience poverty. Overall, 29% of Latino children live below the poverty line as of 2019, compared to 22% of Latino children nationally.

9. Latinos have the second lowest homeownership rate in Texas at 57%. Despite their low homeownership rate relative to other Texans, Latinos in Texas are ten percentage points more likely to own a home than Latinos nationally (47%). 

10. Latinos possess the lowest median home values in Texas at $120,000 (Figure 4). The median value of homes owned by Latinos is $50,000 lower than the state median home value ($170,000). 

Figure 4: Median Home Values by Race and Ethnicity in Texas, 2019

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata.
Note: Data reflect race and ethnicity of head of household.

11. More than half of Latinos are housing cost-burdened (51%), meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. This is three percentage points higher than Texans overall (48%), but four percentage points lower than Latinos nationally (55%). 

12. Latino children in Texas are three times more likely than white children in Texas to live in overcrowded households (27% and 8%, respectively)—meaning they live with more than one person per room. Similarly, one-tenth of all Latino households are overcrowded.

13. Latinos are the most likely group to be uninsured among the major ethnic and racial groups in Texas (28%). Out of all Latino subgroups, noncitizen Latinos are the most likely to be uninsured (59%). 

14. Similarly, Latino children are the most likely to be uninsured (14%) compared to children of other major racial and ethnic groups (Figure 5). This rate is almost double the uninsured rate for Latino children nationally (8%). 

Figure 5: Uninsured Children by Race and Ethnicity in Texas, 2019

Source: LPPI analysis of 2015-2019 5-Year American Community Survey public use microdata.

15. Across all racial and ethnic groups in Texas, Latinos are the most likely to be covered by Medicaid (24%). The same is true among children, but the percentage is much higher (52% of Latino children).

Featured photo by Clark Van Der Beken on Unsplash.