Texas: The Largest State in the U.S. South by Area and Population

By any standard measure, Texas is the largest state in the American South.

Area Dominance

• Total area: 268,596 sq mi (695,662 km²)
• Land area: 261,232 sq mi (676,587 km²)
• Rank nationally: 2nd (after Alaska)
• Southern peers: 2.2× larger than 2nd-place Florida (65,758 sq mi); larger than 11 smallest states combined.

Population Leadership

• 2023 estimate: 30.5 million
• National rank: 2nd (after California)
• Southern rank: 1st – ahead of Florida (22.6M), Georgia (11.0M), North Carolina (10.8M).
• Growth: +1.6%/yr (2020–2023) – fastest among large states.

Economic & Cultural Weight

• GDP: $2.4T (2023) – 9% of U.S. total; would be 8th largest globally.
• Energy: #1 oil, gas, wind; Port of Houston = #1 tonnage.
• Diverse metros: Dallas-Fort Worth (7.6M), Houston (7.1M), Austin (2.3M), San Antonio (2.6M).

Defining "The South"

The Census Bureau's "South" region includes 16 states + DC. Texas anchors the "West South Central" division. Culturally, East Texas is Deep South; West Texas is Southwest; South Texas is borderland. But politically, economically, and statistically, Texas is the South's giant.