The Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area is a three-county region in Southeast Texas. The metropolitan area shares borders with the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area to the west and the Lake Charles metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana to the east. The area is also known as the Golden Triangle. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike near Beaumont in 1901, and "triangle" refers to the area between the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange.
According to the 2000 census, it had a population of 385,090 (though the 2010 census placed the population at 388,745).[2]Newton County was added to the metropolitan area in the February, 2013 delineation (OMB Bulletin 13–01);[3] the addition of Newton County increased the 2010 population by 14,445.[4] At the 2020 census, the metropolitan area's population increased to 397,565, becoming the 139th most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S.[5]
In 2000, the metropolitan area's population was 385,090. According to the 2020 U.S. census,[6] there were 397,565 people, 150,085 households, 101,240 families, and 169,646 housing units within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 56.31% White (non-Hispanic White 52.3%), 23.86% African American, 2.09% Native American, 2.88% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.09% from other races, and 2.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.51% of the population.
