Garland is located in the state of Texas. It is a large city northeast of Dallas and is a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is located almost entirely within Dallas County, except for small portions in Collin County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 226,876, making it the eighty-seventh most populous city in the United States of America and the twelfth most populous city in the state of Texas.

At the 2000 census the median income for a household in the city was $49,156, and the median income for a family was $53,545. Males had a median income of $35,859 versus $29,392 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,000. About 6.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.