Located in Kaufman County east of Dallas, Forney’s population grew an estimated 51% from 2020 to 2023.
Dallas — Read this article and more North Texas business news from our partners at Dallas Business Journal.
Growth has permeated nearly every corner of the metroplex.
The Census Bureau’s new urban population estimates, released in May, were another reminder of this. But year-over-year comparisons offer only a glimpse into the larger changes sweeping across North Texas.
So the Dallas Business Journal used Census Bureau data to compare three-year growth going back to the last decennial census and found that Forney, located in Kaufman County east of Dallas, has the highest projected population growth rate in the nation, at 51.2% from 2020 to 2023.
The roughly 15-square-mile city, which until recently was considered a “quiet commuter town,” has an estimated 35,470 residents as of July 1, 2023, according to Census Bureau data.
Forney is experiencing strong residential, industrial, and retail development, with several large warehouses and a new Tom Thumb grocery store under construction, and HEB also planning a grocery store in the city.
Overall, the three-year population growth data highlights many familiar trends, including the rapid growth in the far north of Collin County and the movement of many people to the west and east sides of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Much of this population growth is due to migration, particularly within the state of Texas.
Prosper, located in Collin and Denton counties, is expected to grow 38.1% between 2020 and 2023, ranking sixth nationally and second in North Texas. The area is also attracting significant interest from home developers, retailers and investors, especially with the planned extension of the Dallas North Tollway.
The fastest growing city in Dallas County was Rowlett, which grew 6.8 percent over three years, ranking 204th nationally.
In Tarrant County, Burleson led the way with a 15.9% jump. Fort Worth grew at an estimated 6.5%, faster than any of the nation’s other 30 largest cities.
Denton, the county seat of Denton County north of Fort Worth, ranked 77th in the nation with a growth rate of 13.2 percent.
Meanwhile, 20 DFW cities saw population losses between 2020 and 2023. Duncanville, south of Dallas, lost an estimated 1,822 residents, a 4.5% decrease to 38,883. Dallas was also among the cities that lost, but the change was very slight, with its population decreasing 0.1% to an estimated 1,302,868.
