Filipino Americans in Texas — 232K Strong | Houston, San Antonio & the New Frontier | PinoyBuilt

Filipino Americans in Texas — 232K and growing fast. Houston healthcare roots, San Antonio military ties, and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. PinoyBuilt.

🇵🇭 PinoyBuilt Pillar Series · Filipino Americans in Texas

Filipino Americans in Texas

232,000 Strong — Houston Healthcare, San Antonio Military Roots & the New Frontier

By J.F.R. Perseveranda · Founder, PinoyBuilt.com · Updated March 2026

Texas is the new frontier of Filipino American life. With 232,000 Filipino Americans — and growing fast — the Lone Star State is now the third-largest home for Filipinos in the United States, behind only California and Hawaii. The community here was not built by farmworkers or galleon sailors. It was built by nurses at the Texas Medical Center, by Philippine Scouts at Fort Sam Houston, and by the chain migration that followed both — the same pattern that built Vallejo and San Diego, transplanted to the Gulf Coast.

In 2025, the Filipino American story in Texas reached a milestone: Gina Ortiz Jones — a first-generation Filipina American, Air Force veteran, Iraq war intelligence officer, and former Under Secretary of the Air Force — was sworn in as the mayor of San Antonio, the nation's seventh-largest city. The daughter of a single mother from Pangasinan who came to the U.S. as a domestic helper, Ortiz Jones is the most prominent Filipino American elected official in Texas history.

This page is PinoyBuilt's definitive reference on Filipino Americans in Texas — an emerging community that is rewriting the Fil-Am map.

232K

Filipino Americans in Texas

U.S. Census ACS, 2023

#3

Largest Fil-Am state after CA & HI

Pew Research, 2024

5%

Of all U.S. Filipino Americans live here

AAPI Data

45%

Harris County Fil-Am growth, 2000–2010

U.S. Census

16,500

Filipino Americans in Houston (city)

Neilsberg / ACS

1910

First Filipinos recorded in Texas Census

U.S. Census Bureau

A History of Filipinos in Texas

Unlike California, where the Filipino story begins with galleon sailors in 1587, the Texas story begins with a handful — literally. The 1910 Census recorded six Filipinos in the entire state. But from those six, a community was built — first through military service, then through healthcare, and finally through the same chain migration logic that anchors Filipino communities everywhere: one family arrives, plants roots, and the rest follow.

1800s

Francisco Flores. The first Filipino known by name in Texas came via Cuba in the 19th century. Flores lived initially in Port Isabel before moving to Rockport — a solitary figure who predated the community by a century.

1910–1930

The First Handful. The 1910 Census recorded six Filipinos in Texas. By 1920, the number had grown to 30. By 1930, to 288. These were mostly Filipino employees of American military officers who had served in the Philippines and settled in San Antonio near Fort Sam Houston.

1940s

World War II & Fort Sam Houston. When the Philippine Scouts were disbanded after the war, many who remained in the U.S. military settled at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Filipina war brides joined them. Filipino professionals — especially nurses — also began immigrating to Texas. By 1950, there were about 4,000 Filipino Americans in the state.

1965

The Immigration Act & the Nurse Pipeline. The Hart-Celler Act changed everything. Houston's Texas Medical Center — the largest medical complex in the world — began recruiting Filipino nurses aggressively. Methodist Hospital invited Filipinos through an exchange program. The number of foreign-trained nurses in Texas jumped from 60 in 1970 to 1,752 in 1973. Word spread: Houston was welcoming to Filipinos.

1970s–1980s

Houston Boom. Houston's low home prices in the 1970s drew Filipino families who had originally landed on the West Coast. The healthcare pipeline accelerated. By 1990, there were 10,502 Filipinos in Harris County alone. Filipino communities established themselves along the NRG Park corridor, in Alief, and in Fort Bend County suburbs.

2000–Today

Explosive Growth. The Filipino population in Texas more than tripled from 75,226 in 2000 to 232,000 today. Harris County's Filipino population grew 45% between 2000 and 2010 alone. Texas is now the third-largest Fil-Am state in the nation — and the fastest-growing major one.

📖 Did Ya Know?

Texas is part of the Bible Belt — and that has made it a popular destination for emigrating Filipino Protestants, unlike the predominantly Catholic Fil-Am communities in California and Hawaii. While most Filipino Americans are Catholic (57% nationally), the growing Protestant minority has found Texas's evangelical culture a more natural fit.

→ Read PinoyBuilt's Filipino American History archive

→ Explore immigration stories on PinoyBuilt

Where Filipino Americans Live in Texas

The 232,000 Filipino Americans in Texas are concentrated in two metro areas — Houston and San Antonio — with growing pockets in Dallas-Fort Worth and the suburbs. The pattern mirrors the national Fil-Am story: healthcare and military anchor the first generation, and chain migration builds the rest.

City / Area	Filipino American Population	Notes
Houston (city)	16,510	Texas Medical Center pipeline; NRG Park corridor
Harris County	22,575	3rd largest Asian group in the county
San Antonio	13,618	Fort Sam Houston military roots; Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones
Fort Worth	8,847	Growing DFW metro presence
Fort Bend County	Notable presence	Highest % of Filipinos in TX; suburban Houston
Pearland / Alief / Missouri City	Growing	Greater Houston Fil-Am suburban corridor

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS; Neilsberg analysis; Harris County demographic data

City Spotlights

Houston — The Medical Center Pipeline

Houston is the heart of Filipino American Texas. The community here was built by healthcare workers — nurses, doctors, and medical technicians recruited to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world. Methodist Hospital's exchange program in the 1960s was an early catalyst, and the pipeline has never stopped. The area around NRG Park has the highest concentration of Filipino Americans within Houston's city limits, anchored by Cherry Foodarama — a Filipino Asian market and restaurant — and the first Jollibee in Texas, located near the Medical Center where Filipino nurses work. This corridor is being developed into an emerging Little Manila.

San Antonio — The Military Connection

San Antonio's Filipino community traces directly to the military. Fort Sam Houston was home to Philippine Scouts who stayed after World War II, joined by Filipina war brides and, later, Filipino professionals who followed the military connection south. San Antonio's climate, its existing Spanish cultural familiarity, and its affordability made it a natural destination. In 2025, the city elected Gina Ortiz Jones — a first-generation Filipina American and Air Force veteran — as its mayor, cementing the community's transition from invisible to leading.

Fort Bend County — The Suburban Growth Hub

Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, has the highest percentage of Filipino Americans of any county in Texas. The pattern is the same one that built Daly City, Mira Mesa, and the suburbs of Vallejo: Filipino families following other Filipino families into affordable suburban neighborhoods with good schools and proximity to healthcare and military employers. It is the newest chapter of the oldest Fil-Am migration story.

The Healthcare Pipeline

The Filipino American community in Texas was built on healthcare — specifically, on the nursing pipeline that connected the Philippines to Houston's Texas Medical Center. After the Immigration Act of 1965 opened immigration to skilled professionals, Filipino nurses — trained in an Americanized curriculum dating back to U.S. colonial rule — began arriving in Houston in growing numbers.

The numbers tell the story: the count of foreign-trained nurses working in Texas jumped from 60 in 1970 to 1,752 in 1973, according to historian Catherine Ceniza Choy's Empire of Care. By the 1980s, 2,000 Filipino nurses called Houston home. Methodist Hospital's exchange program in the 1960s was a key catalyst, and the Texas Medical Center's sheer scale — employing over 100,000 people across more than 60 institutions — created a gravitational pull that continues today.

The Same Story, Different Coast

The healthcare pipeline that built Filipino communities in Chicago, Vallejo, and San Diego is the same one that built Houston's Fil-Am community. The mechanism is identical: American hospitals recruit Filipino nurses trained in an Americanized system, those nurses bring their families, and chain migration does the rest. What makes Texas different is the speed — this community grew from 4,000 in 1950 to 232,000 in 2023, most of that growth in the last three decades.

→ Read PinoyBuilt's community coverage

Military Roots

Before the nurses, there were the soldiers. The Filipino military connection to Texas begins with Filipino employees of American officers who served in the Philippines and returned to stateside postings around San Antonio. After World War II, the disbandment of the Philippine Scouts left many Filipino servicemembers at Fort Sam Houston, where they settled alongside Filipina war brides. This small military community became the seed of San Antonio's Filipino American population.

The military thread runs through the entire Texas Fil-Am story — from the WWII-era Scouts to the modern Air Force veterans like Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, whose family came to San Antonio through the same military pipeline that brought Filipino families to Vallejo's Mare Island and San Diego's Naval Base.

→ Read the national USA pillar page on military service

Community & Culture Today

The Filipino American community in Texas in 2026 is young, fast-growing, and increasingly visible. Houston — routinely described as the most multicultural city in the nation — has a Filipino community that is finding its footing alongside the city's massive Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian American populations. San Antonio's community, smaller but politically ascendant, now has a Filipina American mayor.

Filipino markets, restaurants, and churches anchor the community corridors — Cherry Foodarama near NRG Park, Seafood City locations, and Jollibee outposts serve as the social hubs. Fort Bend County's suburban Filipino families follow the same chain migration pattern that built Daly City or Mira Mesa — just with Texas-sized lots and no state income tax.

📊 Did Ya Know?

The first Jollibee in Texas opened near the Texas Medical Center in Houston — positioned exactly where the community is: near the hospitals where Filipino nurses work. It was not a coincidence. Filipino fast-food chains know where the Filipinos are.

Notable Filipino Texans

The Texas Fil-Am community is younger than California's or Hawaii's — but its notable names reflect the same themes: military service, healthcare, and civic leadership.

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones

69th Mayor of San Antonio (2025–present)

The most prominent Filipino American elected official in Texas history. A first-generation Filipina American raised by a single mother from Pangasinan, Philippines, who came to the U.S. as a domestic helper. Jones grew up in San Antonio, graduated from Boston University on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, served as an intelligence officer in Iraq, and rose to become the Under Secretary of the Air Force — the second-highest civilian position in the Department of the Air Force. She ran for Congress in Texas's 23rd District in 2018 and 2020, narrowly losing both times, before winning the San Antonio mayoral race in 2025. She identifies as Ilocano and is the first openly LGBT person to serve as San Antonio's mayor.

Jia Tolentino

Essayist · Staff Writer, The New Yorker · Houston

One of the sharpest cultural essayists of her generation. Raised in Houston by Filipino immigrant parents. Her collection Trick Mirror (2019) was a bestseller and critical landmark. Tolentino represents the growing presence of Filipino Americans in American literary and intellectual life — voices that were historically absent from the nation's most prestigious bylines.

🇵🇭 Frequently Asked Questions: Filipino Americans in Texas

How many Filipino Americans live in Texas?

Approximately 232,000 Filipino Americans live in Texas, according to U.S. Census ACS data — making it the third-largest Fil-Am state after California and Hawaii. The population has grown from about 75,000 in 2000 to 138,000 in 2010 to 232,000 today, making Texas one of the fastest-growing major Fil-Am states in the nation.

What city in Texas has the most Filipino Americans?

Houston has the largest Filipino American population in Texas, with approximately 16,500 in the city proper and over 22,500 in Harris County. San Antonio follows with approximately 13,600. Fort Bend County near Houston has the highest percentage of Filipinos in the state.

When did Filipinos first arrive in Texas?

The first Filipino known by name in Texas was Francisco Flores, who came via Cuba in the 19th century. The 1910 Census recorded six Filipinos in Texas. Significant immigration began after WWII, when Philippine Scouts stationed at Fort Sam Houston settled in San Antonio. The community grew rapidly after the Immigration Act of 1965 brought Filipino nurses to Houston's Texas Medical Center.

Why are there so many Filipino nurses in Houston?

Houston's Texas Medical Center — the largest medical complex in the world — began recruiting Filipino professionals after WWII. Methodist Hospital invited Filipino nurses through an exchange program in the 1960s. The number of foreign-trained nurses in Texas jumped from 60 in 1970 to 1,752 in 1973. By the 1980s, thousands of Filipino nurses called Houston home.

Who is Gina Ortiz Jones?

Gina Ortiz Jones is the 69th mayor of San Antonio, sworn in on June 18, 2025. A first-generation Filipina American raised by a single mother from Pangasinan, Philippines, she is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and the former Under Secretary of the Air Force — the second-highest civilian position in the Department of the Air Force. She is the most prominent Filipino American elected official in Texas history.

Is there a Little Manila in Houston?

The area around NRG Park in Houston has the highest concentration of Filipino Americans within the city limits and is being developed as an emerging Little Manila. It is anchored by Cherry Foodarama, a Filipino Asian market and restaurant, and the first Jollibee in Texas. The South Main corridor near the Texas Medical Center is the heart of this community.

What is the Fil-Am diaspora?

The Fil-Am diaspora refers to Filipino Americans — people of Filipino descent living in the United States who maintain cultural, linguistic, and family ties to the Philippines while building lives in America. Texas is one of the fastest-growing Fil-Am states, reflecting the community's expansion beyond traditional West Coast and Pacific strongholds. PinoyBuilt documents this diaspora experience — its history, its communities, its contradictions, and its pride.

What is Filipino American History Month?

October is officially designated as Filipino American History Month, commemorating the first recorded arrival of Filipinos in the continental United States on October 18, 1587, at Morro Bay, California. Congress first formally recognized it in 2009.

Written by J.F.R. Perseveranda — Founder & Editor, PinoyBuilt.com

Born in Makati, raised in Marikina, Chicago, and Vallejo — J.F. is a 1.5-generation Fil-Am whose Fil-Am diaspora experience shapes every page of this site. He is a UC Davis alumnus, former IT Product Manager at Pacific Gas & Electric, documentary photographer (Sony a7 series), and the founder of PinoyBuilt — a digital archive built on enterprise Google infrastructure and dedicated to preserving Filipino American history for the next generation. Read the full About page →

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