Texas just keeps getting bigger!  For the year ending July 1st, Census Bureau numbers show that Texas added 478,000 people - more than any other state. A couple of the obvious reasons are that the unemployment rate in Texas is 8% compared to the national average of 10%. Additionally, real estate in Texas is stable and affordable with a $198,948 average sales price of homes in Houston - much lower than the national average. Now Texas boasts 24.8 million people which is second only to California's population. If this growth trend continues, Texas could gain four seats in the House of Representatives.