Demographics of Dallas–Fort Worth

As of the 2010 United States census,^[1] there were 6,371,773 people. The racial makeup of the MSA was 50.2% White, 15.4% African American, 0.6% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 10.0% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 27.5% of the population.

The median income for a household in the MSA was $48,062, and the median income for a family was $55,263. Males had a median income of $39,581 versus $27,446 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $21,839.

Ethnic groups

Hispanics and Latinos

Mexicans

Dallas-Fort Worth has a very large Mexican-American population.

Salvadorans

As of 2009, Salvadoran Americans are the second largest Hispanic and Latino ethnic group in DFW. They often settle in the same areas occupied by Mexican-Americans. In 2000, of the Salvadorans in Dallas County, 47% are in the City of Dallas. That year, 3.6% of the foreign-born in Dallas were from El Salvador. There is a small Salvadoran settlement in East Dallas.^[2] As of 2009, in Irving the Salvadoran-origin people are 11.8% of those born outside of the United States; this percentage is larger than the average percentage of Salvadorans in Dallas-Fort Worth area cities.^[3] There are also Salvadoran populations in Farmers Branch and Garland.^[2]

In the 1990s the number of people of Salvadoran origins increased by 172%. As of 2009, many Salvadorans work legally in the U.S. due to their "Temporary Protected Status".^[2]

The Consulate of El Salvador is in central Dallas.^[4]

Blacks

African-Americans

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex gained approximately 233,000 new African-Americans between 2000 and 2010. Second only behind Atlanta, Georgia during that time span.^[5]

In 1995, the city of Dallas elected its first black mayor Ron Kirk. He held office from 1995 to 2002. Dallas' Black Chamber of Commerce was established in 1926 and is the oldest in the United States.^[6] Fort Worth and some surrounding cities also have a black chamber of commerce.

Notable African-American cultural point of interest includes the African-American Museum of Dallas in Fair Park and the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and The Black Academy of Arts and Letters both in downtown.^[6] In Fort Worth, The Lenora Roll Heritage Center Museum and National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum houses history highlighting African-American culture primarily in the North Texas region.^[7] In Irving, the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center is a museum that tells the story of Bear Creek of West Irving, one of the oldest established black communities in North Texas.^[8]

In northern DFW suburbs, the black population rate has grown 178 percent since the 1990s. The strongest growth is in the southern suburbs, for example Cedar Hill was approximately 51.9 percent black in 2010, after a gain of more than 12,500 new black residents since the last decade.^[9] The southern suburbs (DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster, Cedar Hill) have been noted as the core of the African-American middle class and upper middle class community in the metroplex.^[5] Historically, the black community was strongly concentrated in the inner-city of Dallas and Fort Worth but that has slowly changed since the 1980s.^[10]

Black Enterprise magazine has consistently ranked Dallas as a "Top 10 city for African-Americans".^[11]

The Dallas Weekly is the largest African-American centric publication based in the region.^[12] The Dallas Examiner is the other most widely circulated African-American centric publication based in the metroplex.

Dallas Black Pride is a celebration event established by the metroplex's growing black gay community.

Paul Quinn College is the only HBCU in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The metroplex is also home to one of the largest HBCU football classics in the country with the State Fair Classic.

Nigerians

As of 2000, of the recent Nigerian immigrant population in DFW, 61% live in Dallas County, and of the total number in Dallas County 49% live within the Dallas city limits.^[13] DFW has one of the largest Nigerian-American populations in the country.^[14]

Nigerians have a strong presence among top performers at the local universities in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area.

The main area of Nigerian settlement in Dallas, also occupied by African-Americans, includes a market frequented by Nigerians, a Nigerian-centered restaurant, and many rental units.^[15] It is in proximity to U.S. Highway 75.^[13]

Ethiopians

As of 2012 there are about 35,000 ethnic Ethiopians in the DFW area. Every year Ethiopian Day is held in Plano; the Mutual Assistance Association for Ethiopian Community organizes this festival.^[16] As of 2012 there were several Ethiopian restaurants in Dallas.^[17]

Asians

The Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber serves the DFW Asian community.^[18]

The Asian American Heritage Festival is held every year.^[19]

Chinese

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 5,762 ethnic Chinese lived in Dallas County.^[20]

Plano, along with Houston, has one of the state's two major settlements of Chinese Americans.^[21] As of 2011, 5% Plano's population is ethnic Chinese.^[22] As of the 2000 U.S. Census, of the foreign-born residents of Plano, 17% originated from China.^[23] Richardson also has a Chinese immigrant community.^[24] In 2010 over 15% of the people in Richardson are ethnic Chinese. The D-FW China Town is located in Richardson.^[25]

Indians

In 2000, a number slightly over 50% of the Asian Indians in the DFW area lived in Dallas County, and almost 20% lived in Collin County. Most Indians live in suburbs northwest, north, and east of Dallas. Many Indians work for telecommunications companies, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and Texas Instruments, and Asian Indians tend to live near their workplaces. They also tend to live in public school districts with good reputations.^[23]

As of 2000, 40% of the Asian Indians in Dallas County lived in the City of Dallas. The remainder lived in suburban cities.^[23] Of the suburbs in the DFW area, Richardson in Dallas County had one of the earliest Indian settlements.^[24] As of 2009 the largest Asian ethnic group in Irving is the Asian Indians.^[3] As of 2009 the Indians have mainly settled into an area in western Irving along Texas State Highway 114.^[26] In order to absorb the Indian population, dense condominium and rental properties have opened in western Irving.^[27] This area is in proximity to high technology companies.^[27] Mesquite has a group of Indian Americans, mostly Kerala-origin Indian Christians.^[23] Their settlement, one of the earliest of the Indian Americans in DFW, was influenced by proximity to Dallas-based hospitals such as Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas and Parkland Hospital as well as having initial low income and difficulties moving to mostly-white northern suburbs; people from Kerala have relatively dark skin, and at the time this made them potential discrimination targets.^[28]

As of 2000, of the foreign-born residents of Plano, 9% originated from India. The reputation of the Plano Independent School District has attracted many Indian residents.^[23]

The India Association of North Texas headquarters are in Richardson.^[24] Taj Mahal Imports, the main Indian-American grocery store of DFW, is located in an Indian-oriented strip shopping center west of U.S. Highway 75.^[23]

Koreans

As of 2014 there were about 86,000 ethnic Koreans in North Texas.^[18]

The Korean Society of Dallas serves the Korean community. There is a South Korean consular office in Dallas. The office opened in June 2013 and is the first consul officer is Dong-Chan Kim.^[18]

As of 2012 there was a dispute between ethnic Korean business owners and African-Americans in the DFW area. Mayor of Dallas Mike Rawlings attempted to mediate this dispute.^[29] American Airlines began nonstop flights from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Incheon Airport near Seoul in May 2013. In January 2014 Shin-Soo Choo was scheduled to visit Dallas.^[18]

Vietnamese

As of 2014, the DFW area has almost 72,000 people of Vietnamese origins.^[30]

As of 2000 12% of the foreign-born population of Garland originated from Vietnam. There are two strip-style shopping malls along Walnut Street that cater to Vietnamese people, and there is also a community center that as of 2009 hosts first generation Vietnamese immigrants.^[31] Garland Road serves as a center of the Vietnamese community.^[32] During the same year, 14% of the foreign-born population of Arlington originated from Vietnam. Within Arlington most Vietnamese live in the southern portion.^[33] That year 4% of the foreign-born of Plano originated in Vietnam. As of 2009 there is also a first-generation Vietnamese population in East Dallas, in the "Little Asia" area. As of 2000 there are fewer Vietnamese in the northern suburbs, which are wealthier compared to other parts of the DFW area.^[23]

The first people of Vietnamese origins began arriving in the DFW area in the 1970s.^[31] They were refugees from the Vietnam War.^[32]

The St. Peter Vietnamese Catholic Church opened in 1998. It, as of 2014, has about 1,350 members and 75 families. As of that year, Pham Minh is the pastor. St. Peter opened because the Vietnamese congregation at St. Pius X Church, which began taking in Vietnamese in 1975, had become so large.^[32]

After the 2014 opening of the Banh Shop, a Vietnamese-style restaurant owned by Yum! Brands, a petition that asked for a change of the restaurant's logo opened. This petition argued that the logo was too similar to the star of the Vietnamese Communist Party. The president of the Vietnamese-American Community of Greater Dallas, Thanh Cung, signed this petition. As a result, the company changed the logo.^[34]

Religion

As of 2000 the Dallas Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), an LGBT-friendly church, has 3,000 members, making it the largest MCC in the United States.^[35]

Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in Downtown Dallas

According to a study by the Pew Research Center Dallas is 78% Christian,1% Jewish,1% Muslim,and 18% Non Religious.^[36]

LGBT

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has a robust and diverse LGBT population. The Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs Road area serves as Dallas's gayborhood.^[37]

See also

• Demographics of Dallas

References

• Brettell, Caroline B. '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis' (Chapter 3). In: Singer, Audrey, Susan Wiley Hardwick, and Caroline Brettell. Twenty-First Century Gateways: Immigrant Incorporation in Suburban America (James A. Johnson metro series). Brookings Institution Press, 2009. ISBN 0815779283, 9780815779285. Start p. 53.

Notes

External links

• Kerala Association of Dallas