Everything is bigger, not just in Texas, but in North Texas, including the growing population. DFW is once again the most populous region in the state with 8.3 million residents. The increase is largely due to the growth of northern suburban cities, according to a study from the Texas Demographic Center.
North Texas gained over half a million new residents in the last four years. Collin County witnessed the most extreme growth, with an additional 145,000 residents between 2020 and 2024. Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties each exceed one million residents. As of 2023, North Texas counties made up almost a third of Texas' population.
Much of the growth in Collin County was in the four corners, Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano. High praise for Plano and Frisco can explain the growth witnessed in Collin County. Both cities are routinely named as some of the safest, fastest-growing, and best places to raise a family in the country. Both cities are examples of live-work-play communities, a real estate development structure that designs neighborhoods with easy access to shopping, dining and workspaces. Plano and Frisco are corporate hubs as well, hosting the headquarters of food and beverage industry titans Keurig-Dr. Pepper, Frito-Lay, Pizza Hut and PepsiCo.
According to the report, Fort Worth is the fastest-growing city in the state. It’s also the fastest-growing of the 30 most populous cities in the country. On the brink of 1 million residents, Cowtown is the fourth-most-populous city in Texas, just above Austin. Its population has increased by 7.7% in four years.
While the more populated counties north of Interstate 30 get the most attention, counties on the southern border of Dallas have witnessed higher growth percentages. Ellis County increased by 16.3%, Johnson County by 19.2% and Navarro County by 7.2%.
Travis County, home of the state capital, Austin, grew by 5.9%, the largest percentage increase of any county with a major city. Harris County (Houston) increased by 2.5%, or 117,000 people, and Bexar County (San Antonio) by 4.8%, or 96,000 people.
The study uses local birth and death records to determine its yearly totals, which differ from the U.S. census reports. According to the U.S. Census report for 2023, DFW had 8.1 million residents, and the state had 30.5 million residents.
