Op-Ed By Gregory Morgan, Concerned Citizen and Disabled Veteran
Collin County is changing — and the numbers make that clear.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the county’s population grew from 782,341 in 2010 to just over 1.25 million based on recent estimates, making it one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. Much of that growth has occurred within a single generation.
For many residents, this evolution is energizing. For others, it has produced a quieter and more uncomfortable reaction: the fear that people of color are “taking over” the county.
That phrase appears — sometimes explicitly, sometimes implied — in public school board comments, neighborhood social media discussions, and local political conversations. But what is often described as a “takeover” is not a seizure of power. It is participation.
Rapid Change Can Feel Personal — Even When It Isn’t
Demographic shifts in Collin County have been swift.
In 2010, non-Hispanic white residents made up roughly 63 percent of the county. By 2022, that share had declined to just over 51 percent, according to Census Bureau and American Community Survey estimates. During that same period:
- The Asian population more than doubled, growing from about 89,000 residents in 2010 to over 214,000 by 2022.
- Black residents now make up roughly 12 percent of the county.
- Hispanic residents account for about 16 percent.
- Nearly one in four residents is foreign-born.
These changes unfolded quickly enough that many longtime residents now find themselves living in a county that looks very different from the one they grew up in. When communities change at this pace, diversity can be misread as displacement — even when no one is being pushed out.
How Politics Turns Change Into Anxiety
Political messaging can intensify that unease.
Rhetoric about “protecting our way of life” or warnings about cultural threats often frames demographic change as something to fear. Against that backdrop, ordinary civic engagement by people of color — running for school boards, speaking at public meetings, advocating for curriculum changes — can be misinterpreted as an effort to seize control rather than participate.
But the data suggests something far less dramatic: Collin County is becoming more representative of North Texas and of Texas itself.
Schools Reflect the County We Live In
Nowhere is this shift more visible than in public schools.
While Census estimates show the county is just under 50 percent non-Hispanic white, many school districts are already majority-minority. Parents see the change daily:
- About 30 percent of households speak a language other than English at home.
- Classrooms reflect a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
- Students increasingly expect curriculum and leadership to reflect that diversity.
For some families, these changes feel sudden. In reality, they mirror the population of the county as it exists today — not as it once was.
Participation Is Not a Threat
People of color in Collin County are not “taking over.” They are doing what residents have always done:
- Buying homes in a county with more than 470,000 housing units
- Raising families
- Contributing to an economy that generated over $27 billion in retail sales in 2022
- Voting
- Serving on boards and commissions
- Engaging in civic life
These activities are not signs of takeover. They are signs of belonging.
The fear many describe is not rooted in the loss of rights or representation. It is rooted in the discomfort that arises when long-standing assumptions about identity and community are challenged.
A County at a Crossroads
Collin County now faces a choice.
It can cling to an outdated idea of who belongs here — or it can accept that growth, diversity, and participation are not threats, but strengths. The county’s future will not be defined by who supposedly “takes over,” but by whether residents choose to see participation as something shared rather than something to fear.
Change is not the enemy. How we respond to it is.
TX3DNews Editor’s Note:
This op-ed reflects the views of the author, not TX3DNews. Submissions are published with light editing for clarity and length. Publication does not imply endorsement. TX3DNews welcomes responses and counter-op-eds from readers with differing perspectives. To submit an op-ed or article for consideration, email staff@tx3dnews.com.
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