Dallas County, Texas

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Dallas County
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Dallas County
Dallas County
County
	From top, left to right: Dallas panorama, Dallas Hall in University Park, former Dallas County Courthouse with the Texas flag in 2017, Las Colinas in Irving
	Flag
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 32°46′N 96°47′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	March 30, 1846
Named for	George M. Dallas
Seat	Dallas
Largest city	Dallas
Area
• Total	908.54 sq mi (2,353.1 km2)
• Land	873.06 sq mi (2,261.2 km2)
• Water	35.48 sq mi (91.9 km2)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,613,539
• Estimate (2023)	2,606,358
• Density	2,900/sq mi (1,100/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	5th, 6th, 24th, 30th, 32nd, 33rd
Website	www.dallascounty.org

Dallas County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 U.S. census count of 2,613,539,^[1] making it the ninth-most populous county in the country. Dallas County is included in the Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth metropolitan statistical area—colloquially referred to as the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Municipal expansion within Dallas County has blurred the geographic lines between cities and between neighboring counties.^[2]

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Its county seat is the city of Dallas,^[3] which is also Texas' third-largest city and the ninth-largest city in the United States. The county was founded in 1846 and was possibly named for George Mifflin Dallas, the 11th Vice President of the United States under U.S. President James K. Polk.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 909 square miles (2,350 km²), of which 873 square miles (2,260 km²) is land and 36 square miles (93 km²) (4.0%) is water.^[4] 3,519 acres of the county is contained within 21 county-owned nature preserves, which were acquired through the county's Open Space Program.^[5]^[6]

Adjacent counties

Denton County (northwest)
Collin County (northeast)
Rockwall County (east)
Kaufman County (southeast)
Ellis County (south)
Tarrant County (west)

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Cities (multiple counties)

Carrollton (partly in Denton County and a small part in Collin County)
Cedar Hill (small part in Ellis County)
Combine (partly in Kaufman County)
Coppell (small part in Denton County)
Dallas (county seat) (small parts in Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties)
Ferris (mostly in Ellis County)
Garland (small parts in Collin and Rockwall counties)
Glenn Heights (partly in Ellis County)
Grand Prairie (partly in Tarrant County and a small part in Ellis County)
Grapevine (mostly in Tarrant County and a small part in Denton County)
Lewisville (mostly in Denton County)
Mesquite (small part in Kaufman County)
Ovilla (mostly in Ellis County)
Richardson (small part in Collin County)
Rowlett (small part in Rockwall County)
Sachse (small part in Collin County)
Seagoville (small part in Kaufman County)
Wylie (mostly in Collin County and a small part in Rockwall County)

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Bear Creek Ranch

Other communities

Sand Branch

Historical communities

Alpha (not incorporated)
Buckingham (Annexed by Richardson in 1996)
Cedar Springs (First settled in February 1841. In 1929 the community was annexed by the city of Dallas.^[8])
Duck Creek (merged into Garland in 1887)
East Dallas (annexed by the city of Dallas in 1890 but was once a city of its own)
Embree (merged into Garland in 1887)
Fruitdale (annexed by Dallas in 1964)
Hatterville (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953)
Hord's Ridge (Merged into Oak Cliff in 1887^[9])
Kleberg (Absorbed by City of Dallas in 1978)
La Reunion (Absorbed by City of Dallas in 1860)
Letot (Northwest Dallas County, annexed by Dallas)^[10]
Liberty Grove
Lisbon (Absorbed by City of Dallas in 1929)
Little Egypt^[11]
Long Creek (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953)
Meaders
New Hope (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953 - not to be confused with the Collin County town of the same name)
Noel Junction (not incorporated, Addison/Dallas)
Oak Cliff (Annexed by Dallas in 1903)
Penn Springs (Annexed by Duncanville in 1947)
Pleasant Grove (Annexed by Dallas by 1962)
Preston Hollow (Annexed by Dallas in 1945)
Renner (annexed by Dallas in 1977)
Rylie (annexed by Dallas in 1978)
Scyene
Trinity Mills (Annexed by Carrollton)^[12]
Tripp (Merged into Sunnyvale in 1953)

More information Census, Pop. ...

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	2,743		—
1860	8,665		215.9%
1870	13,814		59.4%
1880	33,488		142.4%
1890	67,042		100.2%
1900	82,726		23.4%
1910	135,748		64.1%
1920	210,551		55.1%
1930	325,691		54.7%
1940	398,564		22.4%
1950	614,799		54.3%
1960	951,527		54.8%
1970	1,327,321		39.5%
1980	1,556,390		17.3%
1990	1,852,810		19.0%
2000	2,218,899		19.8%
2010	2,368,139		6.7%
2020	2,613,539		10.4%
2023 (est.)	2,606,358	^[13]	−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[14] 2010–2020^[1]

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More information Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic), Pop 1990 ...

**Dallas County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1990^[15]	Pop 2000^[16]	Pop 2010^[17]	Pop 2020^[18]	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,115,096	983,317	784,693	724,987	60.18%	44.32%	33.14%	27.74%
Black or African American alone (NH)	362,130	445,716	518,732	564,741	19.54%	20.09%	21.90%	21.61%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	7,644	8,106	7,330	6,743	0.41%	0.37%	0.31%	0.26%
Asian alone (NH)	49,928	87,495	117,797	181,314	2.69%	3.94%	4.97%	6.94%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	N/A	926	874	1,175	N/A	0.04%	0.04%	0.04%
Other race alone (NH)	2,382	2,388	3,346	9,990	0.13%	0.11%	0.14%	0.38%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	N/A	28,222	29,427	66,754	N/A	1.27%	1.24%	2.55%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	315,630	662,729	905,940	1,057,835	17.04%	29.87%	38.26%	40.48%
Total	1,852,810	2,218,899	2,368,139	2,613,539	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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Per the 2010 census,^[19] there were 2,368,139 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile (974 people/km²). There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971 units per square mile (375 units/km²). In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Dallas County to have a total of 2,637,772 residents, 1,027,930 housing units, and 917,276 households.^[20]^[21] By 2020, its population was 2,613,539.^[18]

In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 53.4% White (33.12% non-Hispanic white), 22.30% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.15% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.04% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 38.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. During the 2015 Texas population estimate program, non-Hispanic whites made up 713,835 of the county's residents (28.1%); non-Hispanic blacks, 565,020 (22.2%); other non-Hispanics, 197,082 (7.7%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 1,065,591 (41.9%).^[22] At the 2020 U.S. census, the racial and ethnic makeup was 27.74% non-Hispanic white, 21.61% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 6.94% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.38% some other race, 2.55% multiracial, and 40.48% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.^[18] The increase among people of color reflected nationwide demographic trends of greater diversification.^[23]

In 2010, there were 807,621 households, out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.34. As of the 2010 census, there were about 8.8 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.^[24]

In the wider county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.40% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,324, and the median income for a family was $49,062. Males had a median income of $34,988 versus $29,539 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,603. About 10.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over. At the 2020 American Community Survey, the median household income increased to $61,870.^[25]

Government

Dallas County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a commissioners' court. This court consists of the county judge (the chairperson of the court), who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.

The Commissioners' Court is the policy-making body for the county; in addition, the county judge is the senior executive and administrative position in the county. The Commissioners' Court sets the county tax rate, adopts the budget, appoints boards and commissions, approves grants and personnel actions, and oversees the administration of county government. Each commissioner supervises a Road and Bridge District. The Commissioners' Court approves the budget and sets the tax rate for the hospital district, which is charged with the responsibility for providing acute medical care for citizens who otherwise would not receive adequate medical services.^[26]