They're also part of Texas' largest migratory outflow in the past decade, when about 26,000 more people moved away from El Paso than moved in, according to an analysis of recently released census information by the Texas State Data Center. The exodus could be damaging to El Paso's future, especially if those leaving are better educated with higher income prospects, demographers and economists say. But most experts are hedging their analysis while they wait for more detailed census information to emerge during the next 18 months. El Paso County had a modest growth of 15 percent the past decade, when it grew by more than 88,000 people to almost 680,000, according to the latest census figures. That suggests the city lost nearly 26,000 people from the migratory flow of people moving in and out, demographers said.
Migration is sensitive to economic change and economic opportunity.
Area demographers and other experts said it was too soon to conclude who is leaving and for what reasons. For that, they'll need to wait until more detailed data, such as age, gender, education and income levels, are released by the census. There's not a true profile yet. Notably, El Paso also had the third-largest decline of Anglos in Texas, behind Houston and Dallas. Nearly 30,000 fewer Anglos lived in El Paso in 2000 than in 1990.