Texas holds nine places on the national county growth lists
Census estimates released March 26, 2026 put five Texas counties in the national top ten for residents added and four in the top ten for percent growth.
- Harris County added 48,695 residents from July 2024 to July 2025, the most of any U.S. county.
- Waller and Kaufman counties each grew 5.7%, second and third in the nation among counties of 20,000 or more.
- The Dallas-Fort Worth metro added 123,557 residents, the second-largest gain of any U.S. metro.
Which Texas counties grew the most
The U.S. Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates cover July 1, 2024 to July 1, 2025. Five of the ten counties that added the most residents are in Texas, led by Harris and Collin.
By percent, four of the ten fastest-growing counties of 20,000 or more people are in Texas: Waller, Kaufman, Liberty and Caldwell.
Dallas-Fort Worth added 123,557 residents
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro grew from 8,353,600 to 8,477,157 residents. Only the Houston metro added more, with 126,720. That works out to about 339 new residents a day in Dallas-Fort Worth, a zScale calculation from the published figures.
The 11 counties of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro, with Kaufman County highlighted.
What this means for regional planning
When a county grows by more than 5% in a year, local jobs, commuting, training seats and the tax base are all under new pressure at once. A regional evaluation looks at those together for one place.
How we built this
Figures come from the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 county and metro population estimates, released March 26, 2026. Percent rankings cover counties with at least 20,000 residents in 2024 and 2025. Daily growth is our calculation from the published annual change.
Frequently asked questions
Which Texas county grew fastest by percent?
Waller and Kaufman counties each grew 5.7% from July 2024 to July 2025, according to Census Vintage 2025 estimates.
Which Texas county added the most residents?
Harris County, with 48,695 more residents, the largest numeric gain of any U.S. county.
How much did Dallas-Fort Worth grow?
The metro added 123,557 residents, the second-largest gain in the U.S. after Houston.
Sources
Sushma Vadlamannati is the founder of zScale Intellect. She led enterprise technology programs at T-Mobile, Costco and Nordstrom and completed the Basic Economic Development Course through the Texas Economic Development Council.