In the money

Affluent Dallas suburb makes bank as richest Texas county, report says

It was the only county in Texas to break the $100,000 mark.

Facebook/Rockwall Texas Homes

Based on its geographic size, Rockwall County is the smallest county in Texas, at just 149 square miles. But don’t let its size fool you when it comes to wealth. Rockwall County also is the richest county in the state.

Data analysis website Stacker compiled a list of the wealthiest counties in Texas based on median household income, and Rockwall County came out on top at $100,920. It was the only county in Texas to break the $100,000 mark.

Among all U.S. counties, Rockwall County ranked 32nd for the highest median household income, according to Stacker.

The continuing influx of people into Rockwall County is helping drive up the median household income.

Rockwall County was home to more than 116,000 residents in 2021. From 2020 to 2021 alone, the county’s population grew 7.94 percent, making it the state’s third-fastest-growing county during that period. Some of the population boom stems from East and West coast transplants fleeing higher-priced locales.

Additionally, residents of Rockwall County are highly educated, which contributes to their earning power. As of 2020, 93 percent of the county’s residents 16 and over had graduated from high school, and nearly 43 percent of residents 25 and over had earned at least a bachelor’s degree. Both of those figures are well above the statewide numbers.

There’s also the livability factor. Rockwall, the biggest city in Rockwall County, ranked fourth on Money magazine’s 2020 list of the best places to live in the U.S. — which almost certainly adds to the county’s allure for high-income households.

“Rockwall is only 25 miles outside [the] Dallas city limits. For us, it’s a good balance of small-town life, great schools, and reasonable access to a world-class city when we need a little more hustle and bustle,” Dallas Moms blogger Gabrielle Cullen wrote in 2017.

To come up with its list, Stacker used U.S. Census Bureau data from 2019 showing the five-year estimate for median household income in each of Texas’ 254 counties. Aside from Rockwall County, nine other counties in Dallas-Fort Worth made Stacker’s list of the 50 richest counties in Texas. The other counties, followed by their median household income, are:

No. 3 Collin County, $96,913
No. 6 Denton County, $86,913
No. 14 Parker County, $77,503
No. 15 Ellis County, $76,871
No. 26 Kaufman County, $70,107
No. 31 Tarrant County, $67,700
No. 38 Wise County, $64,536
No. 39 Johnson County, $64,359
No. 40 Hood County, $64,041

By comparison, the median household income for all of the U.S. was $68,703.

Among the state’s four major metro areas, DFW dominated in terms of the number of rich counties in Texas’ top 50. It’s worth noting, though, that DFW has more counties (11) than any other metro in Texas.

Here’s how the state’s three other major metros fared in the Stacker rankings for highest median household income by county.

Austin

No. 5 Williamson County, $87,337
No. 18 Travis County, $75,887
No. 29 Hays County, $68,717
No. 36 Bastrop County, $64,597

Houston

No. 2 Fort Bend County, $97,743
No. 4 Chambers County, $91,141
No. 9 Brazoria County, $81,447
No. 10 Montgomery County, $80,902
No. 22 Galveston County, $73,330
No. 34 Austin County, $66,206
No. 48 Harris County, $61,705

San Antonio

No. 7 Kendall County, $84,747
No. 11 Comal County, $79,936
No. 16 Wilson County, $76,692
No. 21 Guadalupe County, $74,496
No. 46 Medina County, $62,599

rankings

Public transportation news

DART to trim bus routes and change light-rail frequency in Dallas

Photo courtesy of DART

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is implementing service changes that include discontinuing several low-performing bus routes and adjusting weekday rail and bus frequencies. The changes take effect Monday February 2.

"These changes reflect what our riders and communities told us last year: 'Minimize disruption while maintaining access'," says Jeamy Molina, DART’s EVP and Chief Communications Officer in a release. “By focusing service where it’s used most and keeping strong connections to rail, GoLink and key bus corridors, we’re helping move North Texas forward."

Directly from the release, here are the changes being made:

Weekday light-rail frequency: DART’s Red, Blue, Green and Orange lines will operate every 20 minutes during weekday peak periods (previously 15 minutes). Off-peak weekday and weekend frequency will not change.

Convention Center Station: The station closed to riders January 5, 2026, due to construction at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Trains will continue to pass through, but riders cannot board or exit there. Bus bays also closed Jan. 5, and stops have been relocated to nearby streets. Updates are available at DART.org/ConventionCenter.

Discontinued bus routes (7): 209 McKinney/Cole; 225 Nursery; 254 Legacy; 255 Story; 305 Addison Express; 378 Red Bird Express; 383 Lake Ray Hubbard Express. Nearby alternatives include rail, GoLink and connecting bus routes.

Bus frequency reductions: Routes 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27, 30, 38 and 57 move to 20-minute peak service. Routes 28, 41 and 47 move to 20-minute peak and 30-minute off-peak service and will be renumbered to 128, 141 and 147. Routes 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 108, 109, 114, and 122 move to 20-minute peak and 30-minute off-peak service. Express Route 306 shifts to 20-minute frequency.

Schedule updates: Minor timing adjustments will be made on Routes 1, 218, 233, 235, 237, and 241 to improve connections. Route 883 UTD Comet Cruiser will operate about every 12 minutes on weekdays and 20 minutes on weekends, with no change to destinations.

Bus bay reassignments: Riders should watch for updated boarding locations at Addison Station; CBD West Transfer Center; Dallas College North Lake Campus Station; Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing Station; Forest Lane Station; Lake Ray Hubbard Transit Center; Market Center Station; Northwest Plano Park & Ride; Parker Road Station; Red Bird Transit Center; SMU/Mockingbird Station; Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Station; and University of Dallas Station.

Riders can review new schedules and route details on DART’s service change landing page at www.DART.org/ServiceChange. Updated timetables will also be available through DART’s trip-planning tools and at select locations, and riders can contact DART Customer Service for help planning trips, finding alternate service, and confirming updated boarding locations.

"The changes were informed by a series of public hearings last summer and feedback from member cities and approved by the DART Board of Directors in September 2025," DART says. "In addition to the services scheduled to change on February 2nd, the DART Board also approved fare changes, GoLink expansion, and two potential site-specific shuttle partnerships. Those changes are set to take effect later this year."