Texas: Lao community profile

Live data from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, with community indicators across population, income, education, language, health, and housing.

Lao population (state)

2,540

ACS 2022 B04006

State population

29,243,342

All residents

Counties with Lao residents

ACS B04006

National rank

Featured

Community partner state

Community at a glance

ACS 5-year estimates (2022). Where Lao-specific data is unavailable, Asian-alone is used as a proxy and labeled accordingly.

Asian median household income

$107,347

State median: $73,035

Bachelor's or higher (Asian)

30.9%

State college rate: 30.5%

Less than HS (Asian)

47.8%

Asian-alone proxy

Asian poverty rate

9.2%

State: 13.9%

Homeownership (Asian)

64.5%

Renters: 35.5%

Linguistic isolation (API speakers)

7.5%

Speak English less than 'very well'

Top counties by Lao population

Live from Census ACS B04006. Counties with at least one Lao-ancestry respondent.

County	Lao population	% of ancestry reported
Bexar County	417	0.02%
Travis County	303	0.02%
Harris County	300	0.01%
Cherokee County	173	0.34%
Dallas County	168	0.01%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2022), Table B04006.

Community context

Who, where, and how — in Texas.

Community-partnered narrative. Updates as partnerships evolve.

Texas hosts a geographically dispersed Lao-American population that grew through both direct refugee resettlement and later secondary migration for jobs in agriculture, energy, and food processing. Amarillo, Houston, and the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex are key hubs.

Key community hubs

HoustonDallas–Fort WorthAmarilloAustin

Partner organizations

Lao American Organization of DFW
Buddhist temple networks (Wat Lao Buddharam and others)
(Community partnerships actively forming — contact us to collaborate.)

Research focus areas

Geographic dispersion & service access
Labor market integration in mid-sized cities
Second-generation civic engagement

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