Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Texas
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
Counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Texas
The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.
But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.
Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Texas using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.
Read on to find out where the most loyal Texas residents live.
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#50. Scurry County
– Population: 16,883
– Born in Texas: 13,411 (79.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,388 (14.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 44 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,040 (6.2% of population)
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#49. Ward County
– Population: 11,347
– Born in Texas: 9,015 (79.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,408 (12.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 114 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 810 (7.1% of population)
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#48. Culberson County
– Population: 2,181
– Born in Texas: 1,738 (79.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 176 (8.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 70 (3.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 197 (9.0% of population)
Kasey Englehart // Shutterstock
#47. Freestone County
– Population: 19,599
– Born in Texas: 15,627 (79.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,805 (14.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 137 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,030 (5.3% of population)
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#46. San Saba County
– Population: 5,779
– Born in Texas: 4,619 (79.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 755 (13.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 55 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 350 (6.1% of population)
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xradiophotog // Shutterstock
#45. Atascosa County
– Population: 49,403
– Born in Texas: 39,579 (80.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,347 (10.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 627 (1.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,850 (7.8% of population)
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#44. Throckmorton County
– Population: 1,439
– Born in Texas: 1,155 (80.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 242 (16.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 4 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 38 (2.6% of population)
Edward H. Campbell // Shutterstock
#43. Dimmit County
– Population: 8,672
– Born in Texas: 6,968 (80.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 756 (8.7% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 948 (10.9% of population)
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#42. Motley County
– Population: 1,223
– Born in Texas: 983 (80.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 227 (18.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 13 (1.1% of population)
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#41. Crosby County
– Population: 5,157
– Born in Texas: 4,150 (80.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 604 (11.7% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 89 (1.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 314 (6.1% of population)
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#40. Victoria County
– Population: 91,209
– Born in Texas: 73,419 (80.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 11,275 (12.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 716 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 5,799 (6.4% of population)
Roberto Galan // Shutterstock
#39. Jasper County
– Population: 33,032
– Born in Texas: 26,601 (80.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,359 (16.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 179 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 893 (2.7% of population)
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#38. Dickens County
– Population: 1,570
– Born in Texas: 1,268 (80.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 221 (14.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 2 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 79 (5.0% of population)
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#37. Kleberg County
– Population: 30,860
– Born in Texas: 24,982 (81.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,717 (12.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 277 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,884 (6.1% of population)
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#36. Sutton County
– Population: 3,345
– Born in Texas: 2,710 (81.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 213 (6.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 20 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 402 (12.0% of population)
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#35. Reagan County
– Population: 3,308
– Born in Texas: 2,682 (81.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 204 (6.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 11 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 411 (12.4% of population)
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#34. Karnes County
– Population: 14,805
– Born in Texas: 12,043 (81.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,446 (9.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 87 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,229 (8.3% of population)
Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock
#33. Houston County
– Population: 22,107
– Born in Texas: 17,999 (81.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,312 (15.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 147 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 649 (2.9% of population)
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#32. Runnels County
– Population: 9,858
– Born in Texas: 8,061 (81.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,201 (12.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 84 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 512 (5.2% of population)
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#31. Baylor County
– Population: 3,475
– Born in Texas: 2,844 (81.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 538 (15.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 93 (2.7% of population)
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#30. Bee County
– Population: 30,977
– Born in Texas: 25,384 (81.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,124 (13.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 181 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,288 (4.2% of population)
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#29. Mason County
– Population: 3,959
– Born in Texas: 3,249 (82.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 591 (14.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 12 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 107 (2.7% of population)
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#28. Robertson County
– Population: 16,912
– Born in Texas: 13,886 (82.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,013 (11.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 359 (2.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 654 (3.9% of population)
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#27. Wharton County
– Population: 41,614
– Born in Texas: 34,184 (82.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,466 (8.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 120 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,844 (9.2% of population)
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#26. Mitchell County
– Population: 8,947
– Born in Texas: 7,353 (82.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,345 (15.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 11 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 238 (2.7% of population)
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#25. Haskell County
– Population: 5,408
– Born in Texas: 4,470 (82.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 623 (11.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 22 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 293 (5.4% of population)
SevenMaps // Shutterstock
#24. La Salle County
– Population: 6,965
– Born in Texas: 5,757 (82.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 651 (9.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 133 (1.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 424 (6.1% of population)
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#23. Lavaca County
– Population: 20,379
– Born in Texas: 17,065 (83.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,176 (10.7% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 53 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,085 (5.3% of population)
xradiophotog // Shutterstock
#22. Lynn County
– Population: 5,619
– Born in Texas: 4,712 (83.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 661 (11.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 50 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 196 (3.5% of population)
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#21. Zavala County
– Population: 9,700
– Born in Texas: 8,136 (83.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 722 (7.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 94 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 748 (7.7% of population)
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#20. Borden County
– Population: 686
– Born in Texas: 579 (84.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 102 (14.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 5 (0.7% of population)
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#19. Shackelford County
– Population: 3,134
– Born in Texas: 2,649 (84.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 442 (14.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 2 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 41 (1.3% of population)
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#18. Delta County
– Population: 5,278
– Born in Texas: 4,465 (84.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 720 (13.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 23 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 70 (1.3% of population)
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#17. Stonewall County
– Population: 1,331
– Born in Texas: 1,128 (84.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 180 (13.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 23 (1.7% of population)
Edward H. Campbell // Shutterstock
#16. Dawson County
– Population: 12,342
– Born in Texas: 10,500 (85.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,132 (9.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 37 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 673 (5.5% of population)
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#15. Brooks County
– Population: 7,059
– Born in Texas: 6,018 (85.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 384 (5.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 16 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 641 (9.1% of population)
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#14. Fisher County
– Population: 3,680
– Born in Texas: 3,153 (85.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 380 (10.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 16 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 131 (3.6% of population)
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#13. Refugio County
– Population: 6,718
– Born in Texas: 5,778 (86.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 766 (11.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 8 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 166 (2.5% of population)
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#12. Cottle County
– Population: 1,647
– Born in Texas: 1,420 (86.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 214 (13.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 13 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 0 (0.0% of population)
xradiophotog // Shutterstock
#11. Irion County
– Population: 1,561
– Born in Texas: 1,351 (86.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 146 (9.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 4 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 60 (3.8% of population)
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#10. Goliad County
– Population: 7,092
– Born in Texas: 6,141 (86.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 539 (7.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 39 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 373 (5.3% of population)
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#9. DeWitt County
– Population: 19,826
– Born in Texas: 17,180 (86.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,066 (10.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 39 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 541 (2.7% of population)
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#8. Menard County
– Population: 1,964
– Born in Texas: 1,704 (86.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 185 (9.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 75 (3.8% of population)
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#7. Foard County
– Population: 1,075
– Born in Texas: 933 (86.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 132 (12.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 10 (0.9% of population)
Barna Tanko // Shutterstock
#6. Jim Wells County
– Population: 39,060
– Born in Texas: 33,998 (87.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,064 (7.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 232 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,766 (4.5% of population)
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Gestalt Imagery // Shutterstock
#5. Terrell County
– Population: 862
– Born in Texas: 752 (87.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 81 (9.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 9 (1.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 20 (2.3% of population)
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#4. McMullen County
– Population: 670
– Born in Texas: 599 (89.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 39 (5.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 31 (4.6% of population)
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#3. Kent County
– Population: 635
– Born in Texas: 569 (89.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 53 (8.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 6 (0.9% of population)
– Born in another country: 7 (1.1% of population)
Roberto Galan // Shutterstock
#2. Jim Hogg County
– Population: 4,830
– Born in Texas: 4,553 (94.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 146 (3.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 51 (1.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 80 (1.7% of population)
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#1. Duval County
– Population: 9,960
– Born in Texas: 9,536 (95.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 232 (2.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 22 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 170 (1.7% of population)
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.
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