Texas, which is holding its presidential primaries on March 4, had a 2007 population of about 24 million that grew 14.6 percent between 2000 and 2007, about double the rate for the nation as a whole during that same time period. Texas’ percentage of the Hispanic population is more than twice the national average, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. About 57 percent of Texas’ voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2004 general election, one of the lowest percentages in the country. The national figure was 64 percent.

     These and other statistics about Texas’ population on topics ranging from language spoken to commute times can be found in the American FactFinder section of the Census Bureau Web site <http://factfinder.census.gov/>. More information can be found at Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 at <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html>.

      Highlights include the following: