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Texas gaining more than 1,000 residents a day, but North Dakota growing faster

Texans for Reliable Power made its claim about Texas growing in this Jan. 9, 2014, newspaper advertisement. Texans for Reliable Power made its claim about Texas growing in this Jan. 9, 2014, newspaper advertisement.

Texans for Reliable Power made its claim about Texas growing in this Jan. 9, 2014, newspaper advertisement.

By W. Gardner Selby January 16, 2014

In a full-page advertisement, Texans for Reliable Power recently suggested a need for more electricity generation in the state by presenting "facts" starting with: "Texas is experiencing the fastest population growth in the country. As we add more than 1,000 people a day, each new Texan and new business increases demand on our grid."

Is Texas (still) growing that fast?

In 2010, we rated as Mostly True a claim by Gov. Rick Perry that more than 1,000 people move to Texas every day. With help from the U.S. Census Bureau, we learned that about 635 people were then coming to Texas every day, on average. A census official based that number on average daily net migration from other states (393) plus average daily net migration from other countries (242). IRS data, meanwhile, suggested that about 1,353 a day switched their residence to Texas between the time they filed their tax returns in 2007 and when they filed in 2008.

Now see us tackle this topic afresh--and how less populous states such as North Dakota have been growing faster than the Lone Star State. Click!

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Texas gaining more than 1,000 residents a day, but North Dakota growing faster