70% of rural land loss was related to POPULATION GROWTH: About 4,644 square miles of rural land were developed to handle the additional consumption needs caused by Texas having approximately 13 million (an 85% increase) more people in 2017 than in 1982.
30% of rural land loss was related to GROWTH OF DEVELOPED LAND PER RESIDENT resulting from ALL OTHER FACTORS: About 1,990 square miles of sprawl between 1982 and 2017 were rural land lost because of dozens of factors that increased the average amount of developed land per person in the state. This developed land provides not only the residence for each person but also the share of shopping malls, streets, schools, government buildings, utility infrastructure, waste treatment facilities, parking lots, vacation homes, resorts, highways, and places of employment, worship, and entertainment. On average, while many Texans were living more densely, this was not enough to offset the increased number of Texans.
