In the past 10 years, the Dallas area has grown by almost 1.3 million people, according to the Census Bureau’s recently released annual metropolitan area population estimates. In 2009, both Houston and Dallas gained more than 140,000 new residents each.
Since the 2000 census, Dallas moved up to the fourth most populated U.S. metro area, behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
This growth puts Dallas at the very top of the country’s growth chart — which means more federal funds. As a whole, Texas grew enough (with Austin and San Antonio also on the top 20) to likely gain another three more seats (at least) in Congress, according to Election Data Services.
10 comments
Am I the only person troubled by the “fill out your census to get your fair share” ads?
So, this is ultimately good news for the area. I just wish things like this wouldn’t be put in terms of “which means [we get] more federal funds.” The main issue is that they are NOT federal funds; they are our funds. As a simplistic view, if the money stayed here – then we wouldn’t need federal funds… IJS
Thanks, amanda. This series of census ads has to be one of the creepiest bits of statist propaganda I’ve seen from our government. Can you imagine Microsoft running ads that said “If we don’t know how many of you there are, how will we know how many PCs to make?”
@Future Politician: Excellent point! Seems like an obvious one…yet soo few seem to realize it. Standing…clapping.
how much does this pay? I need a job (plus I hear the healthcare is great).
Filled out mine, sent it in. For the first time ever there are only two of us. We lost one to CA, but the other one brought in a mate from OK (but never admits to it, really from Houston) so I guess we are still 4 from Texas. Maybe I should have counted the dogs?
@Randy, I have yet to see one compelling reason to fill out the census other than House seats. Don’t transit authorities keep ridership statistics? Don’t schools have enrollment numbers? Don’t hospitals collect data on patient numbers?
@Future P – Are you trying to tell us that it doesn’t make sense for us to send our tax dollars to Washington so they can take their cut out of them before sending them over to the Department of Education so they can take their cut out of them before sending them back to Austin so they can take their cut out of them before sending them to the school districts so they can take their cut out of them before sending them to the local schools along with the mandatory requirements for getting the meager leftovers to help fund our childrens’ education?
The ad should say, aren’t you glad we have so many illegal immigrants? Because they help us get more House representatives per voter than most states.
Those 1.3 million people have made the traffic even worse. Maybe some of that “federal funding” could be used to make actual useable mass transit around here, not just building more highways for people to sit on. But that would be PROGRESS and this city can’t do that very well. Hell, at least re-pave some streets.