Unveiling the Count: Active Hate Groups in Texas Revealed

Domestic terrorism and violent extremism are becoming increasingly dangerous in the United States. In fiscal 2021, the FBI had 9,049 outstanding domestic terrorism cases, a 357% increase over the number of open domestic terrorist investigations in fiscal 2013. Many of today’s most severe domestic terrorism attacks in the United States are carried out by individuals radicalized by racist, homophobic, ethnocentric, or anti-government views – ideals frequently espoused by extreme hate groups.

In 2022, there will be 1,224 active hate and anti-government groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy group. These organizations include the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the Ku Klux Klan, and ACT for America, which have branches in cities around the country. While exact ideas differ among these and other organizations, they are always motivated by limiting government authority or hatred for people of various races, faiths, nationalities, or sexual orientations.

In 2022, the SPLC identified 72 active hate and anti-government groups in Texas. When population is taken into account, this equates to around 2.4 extremist organizations for per million people, the tenth lowest proportion among states.

Since 2021, the number of hate organizations operating in the state has increased by 38.5%. There are now 39 anti-government organisations and 10 general hate groups active in Texas.

All data in this story is from the SPLC report The Year in Hate & Extremism 2022.

Rank	State	Extremist groups per 1M people, 2022	Total number of extremist groups, 2022	1-yr. change in active extremist groups (%)
1	Wyoming	15.5	9	350
2	Idaho	11.0	21	250
3	Montana	10.9	12	200
4	New Hampshire	10.8	15	150
5	North Dakota	10.3	8	300
6	South Dakota	8.9	8	100
7	Delaware	7.0	7	75
8	Maine	6.6	9	125
9	Rhode Island	6.4	7	133.3
10	Nebraska	6.1	12	33.3
11	South Carolina	5.8	30	76.5
12	Oregon	5.7	24	140
13	Pennsylvania	5.6	72	140
15	Alaska	5.5	4	300
14	Hawaii	5.5	8	100
16	Utah	5.4	18	800
17	Arizona	5.4	39	77.3
19	Arkansas	5.3	16	77.8
18	Colorado	5.3	31	72.2
21	Virginia	5.0	43	115
20	West Virginia	5.0	9	50
23	Ohio	4.7	55	175
22	Tennessee	4.7	33	17.9
24	Vermont	4.6	3	50
25	Indiana	4.3	29	107.1
28	Maryland	4.1	25	127.3
26	Florida	4.1	89	67.9
27	North Carolina	4.1	43	53.6
30	Iowa	3.8	12	500
29	Nevada	3.8	12	33.3
31	Washington	3.7	29	52.6
33	Wisconsin	3.6	21	75
32	Missouri	3.6	22	29.4
34	Minnesota	3.3	19	111.1
35	Oklahoma	3.3	13	44.4
36	Connecticut	3.1	11	57.1
37	Michigan	2.9	29	61.1
38	Illinois	2.8	35	52.2
39	New York	2.7	53	51.4
40	California	2.6	103	58.5
41	Alabama	2.6	13	0
45	New Mexico	2.4	5	400
43	New Jersey	2.4	22	83.3
42	Texas	2.4	72	38.5
44	Mississippi	2.4	7	-12.5
46	Georgia	2.2	24	0
47	Kansas	2.0	6	50
48	Kentucky	2.0	9	0
49	Massachusetts	1.6	11	-21.4
50	Louisiana	1.5	7	-53.3