Melting Pot

Dallas-Fort Worth leads the nation in minority-owned startups

Fort Worth cityscape with Seventh Street Bridge

Dallas-Fort Worth leads the way with minority-owned startups.

Sky Noir Photography by Bill Dickinson/Getty Images

The booming Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is increasingly diverse, and that extends to the businesses sector, too. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, Volusion published a report naming the 15 cities with the most minority-owned startups, and the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington market ranks No. 12 in the U.S.

In the Metroplex, 35.5 percent of startups are minority owned, a total of 4,357 businesses. While this percentage is enough to secure placement on the list, the area's actual minority population is 52.4 percent, so there's still room to close the gap.

According to Volusion's study, 23,992 people work in DFW's minority-owned startups, and the gross sales of these companies is in the $1 billion to less-than-$5 billion range. The top industry for these startups is accommodation and food services.

"The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) region is home to several industries, including manufacturing, food, technology, healthcare, aviation, and aerospace," reads the report. "Minority-owned businesses are particularly well-represented in accommodation and food services."

"Minority entrepreneurs in the DFW area can make use of business development resources offered by organizations such as the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association and the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce," it continues.

Two other Texas metros land on the list. Right behind DFW is Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land at No. 13. In Houston, 34.5 percent of startups are minority owned. That's a total of 3,697 businesses employing 15,673 workers. San Antonio-New Braunfels ranks No. 6, with 45 percent minority-owned startups (1,542 businesses and 4,160 employees).

All of the Texas markets featured in the study boast a higher percentage of minority-owned startups compared to the national average, which is only 27.4 percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 40 percent of the country's population identifies as nonwhite, and some estimates predict the U.S. will be considered a "majority-minority" country by 2044.

The top three markets are all in California: No. 1, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara; No. 2, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario; and No. 3, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim. In each, about half of the area's startups are minority owned.

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A version of this story originally appeared on InnovationMap.com.

texas reports

Inspections and Registrations

Here's how Texas' new car inspection law impacts end-of-year stickers

Photo by Kate Ibragimova on Unsplash

It'll be up to car owners to make sure their vehicles are safe to drive.

Beginning January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer be required to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration.

House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, abolishes the vehicle safety inspection program for regular cars and trucks. (The Department of Motor Vehicles notes that commercial vehicles will still be required to undergo safety inspections.)

Texas will now join the 36 other states in the U.S. that do not require safety inspections. This change means that car or truck owners will now take personal responsibility for making sure that what they drive doesn’t pose a danger to anyone inside or outside of the vehicle.

Texas State Sen. Mayes Middleton spoke for us all in May 2023 when he said that “vehicle inspections are costly, time consuming and provide little benefit to public safety."

Fees
Drivers will still have to pay the annual $7.50 safety inspection fee, under a new name: Inspection Program Replacement Fee, as part of the registration fee. Those registering a new car will pay a $16.75 Inspection Program Replacement Fee to cover the first two years.

Emissions
While the safety inspection is a thing of the past, emissions is not: 17 counties will still have to submit to emissions inspections prior to registration.

Emissions inspection tests are still required in these 17 counties:

Houston-Galveston area: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, and Montgomery counties
Dallas-Fort Worth area: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant counties
Austin area: Travis and Williamson counties
El Paso County

Slacker info
In a statement, Staff Sgt. Rob Mallory with the Texas Highway Patrol says that "if your inspection is expiring in the next couple of months, you still need to go down and get your state inspection done in order to renew your vehicle registration for another year."

And according to a representative from the DMV, you have five business days after your current sticker expires to get a new one. This refutes common urban legends such as "you have 10 days," "you have 30 days," and "you have 6 months."

However, let's say you're a slacker whose sticker expires in December (or even November, if you're a real slacker) — and you don't renew your registration until January. You could theoretically get away with not having to get an inspection. They won't make the safety inspection retroactive.

For non-slackers: Ensure your vehicle has passed an inspection no earlier than 90 days before renewal, and include a copy of the passing Vehicle Inspection Report (VIR) if it cannot be electronically verified. Plus a copy of current proof of insurance.

politics safety inspection texas vehicle owners transportation vehicle registration