Kaufman County is growing faster than anywhere else in state; Other North Texas counties aren’t far behind.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
The population in Kaufman County shot up an eye-popping 26.7% between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024, making the area east of Dallas the fastest-growing place in the Lone Star State in percentage terms during that time.
Neighboring Rockwall County’s headcount skyrocketed 25% in the same four-year period. And Parker County, due west of Fort Worth, climbed 19.4%.
Those were the standouts in North Texas, but other counties in the region also saw double-digit percentage growth, according to a Dallas Business Journal dive into the latest population estimates released by the Texas Demographic Center.
The data show how the counties that surround Dallas and Fort Worth are seeing the most percentage growth. The population wave is radiating outward: If DFW was a pair of Wranglers, they’d be bursting at the seams.
Statewide, the population of 30 Texas counties soared by double-digit percentages from the start of 2020 to Jan. 1, 2024. Nearly a dozen of those counties were in North Texas.
Population growth is important because it impacts an area’s economy, environment and quality of life. Sure, more people bring more traffic, but newcomers also bring more potential customers for businesses, more tax revenue for the government and more working-age people to fill jobs and boost income per capita.
The estimates from TDC, along with annual updates to Census Bureau data, provide an idea of where growth is headed. This kind of info is top of mind for Realtors and commercial real estate brokers, as well as retailers mapping out their own growth plans. It’s also crucial for school administrators and other government officials trying to prepare for growth.
The estimated Jan. 1, 2024, population for the region overseen by the North Central Texas Council of Governments was just over 8.48 million, according to the COG. And it’s growing at an increasing pace. In the calendar year 2023, the region added a little less than 200,000 people — nearly 40,000 more residents than were added in 2022.
In 2023, the North Texas region added enough people to fill two AT&T Stadiums to capacity. Put another way, in one year, the 16-county region covered by the COG added a city the size of Waco (population 146,241) and Galveston (53,099) combined.
Estimates for the full 2024 calendar year won’t be available until later this year.
Even for fast-growing Texas, DFW’s population boom is explosive. Fort Worth’s 2024 population estimate of 989,878 carried it past Austin to rank as the fourth-largest city in the state. Cowtown added an estimated 70,963 residents between the start of 2020 and the start of 2024.
In the city of Dallas, however, growth has waned. Sure, Big D’s estimated headcount of 1,308,404 at the start of last year means its solidly the largest city in North Texas, but from a statewide perspective, Houston (population 2,318,657) and San Antonio (1,496,876) have the lead.
Returning to the county level, DFW’s “big four” counties all topped 1 million people at the start of 2024. Dallas County stood at 2,629,938; Tarrant at 2,204,054; Collin at 1,209,295; and Denton County at 1,007,288.
Collin and Denton counties clocked double-digit percentage growth since 2020, at 13.6% and 11.1% respectively.
But in percentage terms, it was the farther outlying areas of DFW that ran up the highest scores.
Fastest growing counties in Texas
Below: An alphabetical listing of Texas counties with double-digit percentage growth since 2020, along with their estimated populations as of Jan. 1, 2024, using November data from the Texas Demographic Center. Counties in North Texas are highlighted.
Bastrop, up 16.5% to 113,288
Blanco, up 16.4% to 13,242
Burleson, up 12.4% to 19,831
Burnet, up 12.6% to 55,326
Caldwell, up 11.2% to 51,005
Chambers, up 16.2% to 54,114
Collin, up 13.6% to 1,209,295
Comal, up 17.9% to 190,384
Denton, up 11.1% to 1,007,288
Ellis (county seat Waxahachie, south of Dallas), up 16.3% to 223,893
Fort Bend, up 10.8% to 911,893
Grayson (county seat Sherman, north of Dallas), up 10.5% to 149,279
Grimes, up 11.5% to 32,624
Guadalupe, up 11.8% to 193,158
Hays, up 19.1% to 287,020
Hood (county seat Granbury, southwest of Fort Worth) up 11.8% to 68,856
Hunt (county seat Greenville, northeast of Rockwall), up 18.8% to 118,717
Johnson (county seat Cleburne, south of Fort Worth), up 19.2% to 214,438
Kaufman, up 26.7% to 184,070
Kendall, up 22.2% to 54,125
Liberty, up 20.3% to 110,184
Llano, up 10.2% to 23,404
Medina, up 11% to 56,338
Montgomery, up 17.4% to 728,402
Parker, up 19.4% to 177,012
Rockwall, up 25% to 134,748
San Jacinto, up 10.7% to 30,327
Waller, up 13.4% to 64,391
Williamson, up 17.1% to 713,134
Wise (county seat Decatur, northwest of Fort Worth), up 16% to 79,619
Largest cities in Texas
Below: Population estimates as of Jan. 1, 2024, according to Texas Demographic Center
- Houston: 2,318,657
- San Antonio: 1,496,876
- Dallas: 1,308,404
- Fort Worth: 989,878
- Austin: 986,928
- El Paso: 672,802
- Arlington: 414,344
- Corpus Christi: 317,742
- Plano: 292,485
- Lubbock: 266,289