Garland is a city located in Dallas County Texas. Garland has a 2023 population of 235,293. Garland is currently declining at a rate of -1.4% annually and its population has decreased by -4.15% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 245,478 in 2020.
The average household income in Garland is $82,635 with a poverty rate of 12.74%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Garland is 34.5 years, 33 years for males, and 36.1 years for females.
Garland is a city that is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in the state of Texas. Garland is located almost entirely in Dallas County, with a small portion located in Collin and Rockwall counties.
According to the 2010 United States Census, Garland’s racial makeup was 57.5% white, 14.5% black, 0.8% Native American, 9.4% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 14.4% other races, and 3.3% of two or more races. Non-Hispanic whites comprised 36.7% of the population, down from 86.5% in 1980.
English is the official language of Garland. 51.74% of Garland residents speak only English, while 48.26% speak other languages. The most-spoken non-English language is Spanish, which is spoken by 35.09% of the population.
In 1890, Garland’s population was 478, which grew to 242,507 in 2018.
Between 1900 and 1910, Garland experienced its only decrease in population by 1.8% from 819 people to 804 people.
Garland experienced its largest population growth between 1940 and 1950, where it grew by 373.4% from 2,233 to 10,571. In the following decade, the population grew 264.2% from 10,571 to 38,501.
The population growth rate has decreased significantly. From 2010 to 2018, the population grew 6.9%, less than 1.0% growth per year.
Around 1850, immigrants began arriving to the area of modern-day Garland and two communities formed by 1874: Embree and Duck Creek. The two communities grew a rivalry around the Santa Fe Railroad depot and fought over which town would get the local post office for several years. In 1887, Congressman Joe Abbott submitted a bill to Congress to move the post office to a place between the two towns. The new location was named Garland after President Grover Cleveland’s Attorney General, Augustus H. Garland. Soon after, the Embree and Duck Creek communities joined with Garland to form the city of Garland.
By 1890, Garland had four churches, three gristmills, three cotton gins, a flour mill, and several hotels and businesses. Garland was incorporated on April 21, 1891, and had a population of 819 people by 1904.
In 1920, a local businessman financed a new electrical generator plant, which led to the formation of Garland Power and Light. Garland Power and Light still powers the city today. The first car dealership was built in the 1920s. Unfortunately, a tornado in 1927 destroyed much of the city and killed seventeen people, including the former mayor S.E. Nicholson.
In the late 1930s, the Craddock food company and the Byer-Rolnick hat factory moved into Garland. The first radio tower, the KRLD (Dallas) radio tower, was constructed and is still operational to this day. Kraft Foods bought a motor plant to rebuild for its manufacture. In the 1940s, Garland was a major onion-shipping point.
Garland’s government changed to a city-manager government in 1951, with L.E. Stark becoming the first city manager. Between 1954 and 1957, Garland grew from 6,832 acres to 8,000 acres. By the late 1960s, the city had 80 churches, 28 schools, 15 parks, four banks, and two hospitals.
Garland has one of the lowest poverty rates of U.S. cities. In 1990, Garland’s population was at 180,650 and had 2,227 businesses, making it the second-largest city in Dallas County and the tenth-largest city in Texas.
The 2000s brought several developments for Garland, including the Hawaiian Falls waterpark in 2003, the Garland Independent School District’s Curtis Culwell Center (an arena and conference facility) in 2005, and the Firewheel Town Center in 2005, an outdoor mall with over 100 businesses and an AMC theater. In 2009, the 5th Street Crossing was developed, a mixed-use, transit-oriented project with 189 apartment units, 11,000 square feet of retail, and six live-work units.
On December 26, 2015, the southeast part of Garland was struck by an EF4 tornado causing at least eight fatalities.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Garland was:
3.57
Average Family Size
3.08
Average Household Size
63.0%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
48.9% of Garland residents speak only English, while 51.1% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 36.63% of the population.
12.74%
Overall Poverty Rate
12.02%
Male Poverty Rate
13.46%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Garland is Multiple, with 25.81% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Garland is White, with 7.33% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.18%. Among those working part-time, it was 12.82%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 18.79%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
48.8%
Overall Marriage Rate
51.4%
Male Marriage Rate
46.4%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
5.63%
Veteran Poverty Rate
28.01%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
68.9%
Labor Force Participation
65%
Employment Rate
5.5%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
51.57%
Born in Garland
70.77%
Native Born
30.48%
Foreign Born
18.1%
Non Citizen
12.39%
Naturalized
70.77% of Garland residents were born in the United States, with 51.57% having been born in Texas. 18.1% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.