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Population Growth,
High Plains REGION
The 41-county High Plains region covers about 39,500 square miles in the Texas Panhandle, stretching from the Oklahoma state line in the north and east to the Lubbock metro area in the south and the New Mexico state line in the west.
METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Amarillo, Lubbock
MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Borger, Dumas, Hereford, Pampa, Plainview
HIGH PLAINS REGION
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, 2023
$78.1
BILLION
3.0% OF TEXAS’ GDP
Population Growth,
2014 to 2024
THE HIGH PLAINS REGION’S POPULATION ROSE 2.5% BETWEEN 2014 AND 2024.
Randall and Lubbock counties saw the greatest percentage gains at 16.9% and 11.1%, respectively.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
IN 2023, 84.7% OF THE REGION HAD AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND 25.2% HAD EARNED AT LEAST A BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
Demographics
Population Change by Age Group,
2014 to 2024
| Age 0 to 4 years: | -7.5% |
|---|---|
| Age 5 to 19 years: | 0.3% |
| Age 20 to 34 years: | -1.3% |
| Age 35 to 49 years: | 11.6% |
| Age 50 to 64 years: | -8.1% |
| Age 65 years or older: | 20.7% |
COMPONENTS OF ANNUAL POPULATION CHANGE, 2014 to 2024
Population Data
| Year | Natural Increase | Net International Migration | Net Domestic Migration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 16,764 | 8,062 | 34,173 |
| 2015 | 16,934 | 9,293 | 34,847 |
| 2016 | 16,762 | 8,588 | 36,484 |
| 2017 | 15,263 | 7,823 | 31,669 |
| 2018 | 14,854 | 5,633 | 31,778 |
| 2019 | 14,039 | 5,437 | 43,353 |
| 2020 | 13,780 | 4,392 | 51,383 |
| 2021 | 12,075 | 3,588 | 48,024 |
| 2022 | 14,444 | 16,650 | 41,028 |
| 2023 | 16,311 | 23,212 | 25,639 |
| 2024 | 15,766 | 28,252 | 16,215 |
Jobs and Wages
ABOUT 388,000 PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED IN THE REGION IN 2024, UP 6.1% FROM 2014.
AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGES IN THE REGION WERE $57,360.
Industry
Industries often aggregate based on unique regional characteristics, such as natural resources or worker skill sets, which give the region a comparative advantage.
- CATTLE RANCHING AND FARMING;
- OIL AND GAS EXTRACTION;
- ANIMAL SLAUGHTERING AND PROCESSING
are eight to 26 times more concentrated in the High Plains region on average than anywhere else in the U.S.
EXPLORE MORE DATA ON ALL THE REGIONS OF TEXAS.
Data current as of September 2025
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; JobsEQ; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
KELLY HANCOCK
ACTING TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS