Fort Worth overtook Austin as Texas' fourth-largest city in early 2024.

That's according to the latest population estimates released by the Texas Demographic Center. The center produces annual estimates of the total populations of counties, metro areas, cities and towns across the state, a highly useful tool for those in both the private and public sectors. Combined with the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, which date to mid-2023, they help give shape to the contours of Texas' relentless growth. The latest TDC estimates were for Jan. 1, 2024, and were released in November.

The data shows that 986,928 people were estimated to be living in Austin as of Jan. 1, 2024, up roughly 2% from 2020 when just under 962,000 people called Austin home.

Earlier this year, data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that the bulk of population growth in the Austin metro was taking place in the suburbs, with about eight out of every 10 people added to the region during a previous 12-month period settling outside of Travis County. Most newcomers come from other parts of Texas. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the action has been in Williamson County, which added over 104,000 residents — the most of any county in the Austin metro — between 2020 and Jan. 1, 2024, according to TDC estimates.

The data also shows that 2,531,216 people were living in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area as of Jan. 1, 2024, up 11% from 2020. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington remained the most populous region in the state, with an estimated 8,183,072 living in the area.

At the city level, in addition to surpassing Austin in total population, Fort Worth ranks as the fastest-growing in the state as well as the fastest-growing of the 30 most populous cities in the country. Cowtown clocked in at 989,878 people as of Jan. 1, 2024, with 70,963 residents added in the last four years for a growth rate of 7.7% between 2020 and 2024. That’s 2,950 residents more than Austin, which posted a 2.6% growth rate in the past four years.

Largest cities in Texas

Population estimate as of Jan. 1, 2024, according to Texas Demographic Center

Original Article by Dave Creaney