Fort Worth surpasses 1M residents, Princeton fastest-growing nationwide, census says

The city of Fort Worth just hit a massive milestone, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“This is an exciting and significant milestone for Fort Worth,” said Mayor Mattie Parker in a statement. "We are in a crucial moment of growth and opportunity, and it’s more important than ever that we lead with smart policies, smart investments and smart planning to ensure our city continues to thrive long into the future.”

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Fort Worth crossed the 1 million-population threshold between 2023 and 2024, officially surpassing Austin as the fourth-largest city in Texas. The only other city whose population surpassed 1 million between 2023 and 2024 was Jacksonville, Florida.

Five of the 15 most populous cities in the country are located in Texas: Houston is ranked #4, San Antonio is ranked #7, Dallas is ranked #9, Fort Worth is ranked #11, and Austin is ranked #13.

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The 15 Most Populous Cities on July 1, 2024

Fort Worth surpasses 1M residents

“Whoever number 10 is, better watch out, because Fort Worth is going to come for that spot," said Navjot Singh, owner of Signature Real Estate Group.

Singh, who grew up in DFW, said he has watched the population boom and as a real estate agent, it's even more evident.

"I just see Fort Worth continuing to grow. You have great access to all the cities around it because people who live in Fort Worth, they're traveling to South Lake, Grapevine, and Arlington. So everything is a stone's throw away. You can get to whatever you need and that's kind of like the best thing about it," said Singh.

He said, based on his clients and his own drive time around the metroplex, traveling for 45 minutes to get somewhere has become the new norm.

"I even have some clients right now that live in Fort Worth, but they commute to Richardson for work. So, you know, it's quite the drive, but they like Fort Worth. They like going out on Seventh Street, there's just, feel like Fort Worth is home to them. You know, 'Funky Town,'" said Singh.

It's no secret that home prices have also skyrocketed across the region, but in Fort Worth, people are still able to find decent prices.

“Fort Worth is amazing. Affordability is kind of becoming an issue, so to see affordable houses in Fort Worth is still great," explained Singh.

The Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, a privately funded organization that attracts and recruits businesses to Fort Worth and the county, said this milestone for the city is very exciting.

"Not only is Fort Worth a million residents strong but it also puts us in a one-of-one category. Dallas-Fort Worth is the only metro in the United States that has two million-person cities within it and that again is very, very exclusive territory. One-of-one continues to help us sell Fort Worth, sell Tarrant County, sell the region and obviously we're very pleased and happy to see this news," said Robert Allen, the president and CEO of Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership.

He said this makes the city and region more attractive to companies as a place to call North Texas home. In December, Bell Trexton decided to expand its military aircraft manufacturing center to North Fort Worth, a deal worth at least $429 million.

"So that's what we're talking about, new business creating jobs right here in Fort Worth, Texas," explained Allen.

Princeton population growth

Cities of all sizes grew on average from 2023 to 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau said, with Southern and Western cities experiencing accelerated growth. The fastest-growing city in the United States is Princeton, Texas, with a 30.6% growth rate.

Princeton realtor Al Garcia has seen the population and more grow each day.

“A lot more building, homes coming in, a lot more construction, the road expanding,” Garcia said.

Princeton's population increased by nearly one-third in just one year and has more than doubled since 2020, from roughly 17,000 to 37,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2024. Last fall, the city paused new residential building approvals for four months so that utility services could catch up in the fast-growing area.

Princeton Mayor Eugene Escobar, Jr. said the boom happened even while the city had a temporary stop on new residential developments in place. He added that growth will continue.

“A lot of these developments were approved back in 2020, to now," Escobar said. "So, a lot of it we just have to manage it. We're going to have to open up to it, because we don't want to fight it. We want to actually embrace it and manage it the right way. Because if we don't manage the right way, it's going to get worse and worse and worse.”

CEO of the city's Economic and Community Development Corporation, Jim Wehmeier, said the city is already addressing growth issues.

“It creates things that have to be taken care of over a period of time," Wehmeier said. "It creates traffic. It does create some infrastructure issues. We're in a really good position where we're already addressing virtually all of those issues.”

That includes bypasses around the city and additions to public safety.

It's all an effort to help Princeton keep growing in a positive way.

“It is still being imagined, but at the end of the day it’s going to be a special city,” Wehmeier said.

“I think we want to bring Princeton into 2025 and beyond,” Escobar said.

Of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the country, seven were located in Texas. Four of the top 15 cities were located in Collin County. After Princeton's #1 ranking for fastest growing city, Celina was ranked #4, Anna was ranked #5, and Melissa was ranked #11.

The 15 Fastest-Growing Cities and Towns Between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, With Populations of 20,000 or More as of July 1, 2023

Two other Texas cities hit major population milestones between 2023 and 2024. Georgetown and San Angelo both saw their populations surpass 100,000.

Twelve of the 15 cities with the largest numeric population gains between 2023 and 2024 were located in the South or the West, and three of the top five cities are located here in Texas.

Houston was ranked #2, San Antonio was ranked #4, and Fort Worth was ranked #5, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2024.

The 15 Cities With the Largest Numeric Increase Between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, With Populations of 20,000 or More as of July 1, 2023

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s housing stock grew by about 1.4 million units between 2023 and 2024, reaching a total of 146.8 million. 

California had the largest number of housing units (14.9 million), followed by Texas (12.6 million) and Florida (10.6 million), according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2024.

Three of the top five cities with the largest numeric gains in housing units between 2023 and 2024 were in Texas. The top five cities with the largest numeric gains in housing units were: Maricopa County, Arizona (38,000); Los Angeles County, California (32,000); Harris County, Texas (32,000); Travis County, Texas (22,000); and Collin County, Texas (18,000).

Jasper County, South Carolina, was the nation’s fastest-growing county in terms of housing units with an increase in housing stock of 8.4% between 2023 and 2024, followed by Brunswick County, North Carolina (6.4%); Burnet County, Texas (6.3%); Caldwell County, Texas (5.7%); and Custer County, South Dakota (5.4%), according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Read the full report from the U.S. Census Bureau online.

North Texas growth

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Collin County Sep 23, 2024

Princeton temporarily stops new housing as rapid growth strains infrastructure