Fort Worth surpasses Austin, becomes Texas' 4th largest city amidst booming growth, report says
February 14,2025
See full WFAA article by Mark Istook here.
Panther City. Cowtown. Where the West begins.
Fort Worth goes by a lot of names. And it seems there are more people using those names than ever.
The city is in the middle of an all-around boom. Population. Economic development. Higher education. You name the sector, and it’s growing.
Let’s start with those population numbers.
According to the Census Bureau, it’s the fastest-growing big city in America. Last July’s estimate pegged the population at 978,468 residents. But with an average of 59 new residents every day, city officials say that number is now likely more than a million. This means Fort Worth has more people than other cities like Denver, Seattle or San Francisco.
According to the Texas Demographics Center’s population estimates, Fort Worth has passed Austin to become the 4th largest city in the state.
So where are these people living?
In one of the city’s 327,379 housing units. That’s a 12.5% increase since 2010, compared to a 32% population growth, underscoring the city’s continual need for more affordable housing.
Though jobs don’t seem to be a problem. WalletHub named Fort Worth the 7th best city in the United States for starting a business. The newly created Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership boasts more than $2 billion in capital investments since it began in 2023.
This growth doesn’t mean Cowtown has outgrown its boots. The historical Fort Worth Stockyards is set to undergo a massive expansion. The project calls for more than 300,000 square feet of new commercial space, with room for hotels, dining, entertainment, parking and more. Projections estimate the cost at more than $1 billion as the Stockyards almost double in size.
Downtown’s Tarrant County Convention Center is growing as well, with a $700 million expansion designed to draw more events and visitors.
In fact, Visit Fort Worth claims 11.5 million people visited the city in 2024, bringing with them $3,5 billion in economic impact. That’s nearly double the number of visitors and more than twice the income since 2014 when 6.5 million tourists brought in $1.6 billion.
Many of those visitors came to see one of the local colleges.
Tarleton and UTA have announced expansion plans for Fort Worth campuses. Texas A&M Fort Worth is set to open its $185 million Law & Education Building downtown next summer. TCU just opened Arnold Hall, housing the Burnett School of Medicine. The school announced massive development plans to help house and entertain an undergraduate student body that it projects could jump by 36% in 2034 to 15,000 students.
Perhaps it’s fitting that Visit Fort Worth’s tourism campaign lures guests by calling it “The Unexpected City.”
With so much growth, it seems the city is only growing larger.
Location Mentioned: Fort Worth Convention Center