The population of Dalhart City, Texas, is about 8,447, and there are around 2,956 households in the city. The city is mainly an agricultural community and the economy is largely based on farming, ranching, and feedlot operations. The town is also home to a cheese processing plant and state prison.
Dalhart has a relatively high percentage of citizens who were born outside of the United States. It ranks third in the state of Texas in percentage of citizens who are not US citizens. As a whole, Dalhart is in the mid-range when it comes to percentage of citizens who are naturalized. While there is a low percentage of people who were born abroad, it is higher than the national average and the state average in Texas.
The town's immigrants come mostly from Central and South America, but there are also some South African workers. Some of them live in Dalhart permanently, while others are there for a short time. Many send their earnings back to their families. Others spend their money in the city to purchase clothes, gas, and food. Several Mexican restaurants have opened up to cater to the growing immigrant population. Larsen Farms pays hotel lodging for its workers.
The economy of Dalhart has been stable since the 1980s, but its recent economic success can be traced to 2008. The town's new cheese production facility opened in Dalhart in 2008, employing over 200 people. This cheese industry has also attracted dairy farmers to the town. As a result, there are plenty of trucking companies in Dalhart to transport commodities to the dairy farms and cheese factories.