Looking to the Future
Here's what North Texas will look like in the next 15 years
North Texas comprises 30 counties, and it seems to live up to the "Big D" nickname, especially when you consider how many people are moving here each year.
LawnStarter says that from 2015 to 2030, the population is predicted to grow by nearly 3 million people — that's more than the current population of the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida, metro area. The study uses the population projections from Texas' state demographer, which say that in the next 15 years North Texas will swell 38 percent, giving us 10,592,387 residents. To put it in perspective, Chicago, Illinois currently has a population of 9.5 million.
All the big cities — Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and Denton — contribute to these staggering numbers, but Collin County is leading the charge with a projected 80.3 percent population increase by 2030. Rockwall County follows at 75.8 percent, then Denton County at 74.5 percent and Kaufman County at 73.4 percent. Just two counties in North Texas, Cottle and Foard, are projected to lose residents from 2015 to 2030.
An influx of jobs, along with top-notch schools, a solid tax base, and a well-educated workforce, are driving these predictions. According to Lloyd Potter, the state demographer for Texas, counties outside the urban cores and fast-growing suburban areas are seeing slower growth.
“Growth, especially in high-migration areas, is being driven by employment opportunity. Thus, growing economic activity is creating jobs that are attracting migrants,” Potter says.
