Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 U.S. census population of 2,110,640, making it the third-most populous county in Texas and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat and largest city is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 26 counties created out of the Peters Colony, was established in 1849 and organized the next year. It is named after Edward H. Tarrant, a lawyer, politician, and militia leader.
The ancestral homelands of Native American tribes: Caddo, Tonkawa, Comanche, and Cherokee covered Tarrant County. The Native American tribes resisted settlement and fought to defend their land. The Battle of Village Creek is a well-known battle that took place in Tarrant County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and , or 4.3%, is water.
Adjacent counties Denton County (north) Dallas County (east) Ellis County (southeast) Johnson County (south) Parker County (west) Wise County (northwest)
Communities Cities in multiple counties
Azle (partly in Parker County) Burleson (mostly in Johnson County) Crowley (small part in Johnson County) Fort Worth (county seat and largest city; has small parts in Denton, Johnson, Parker and Wise counties) Grand Prairie (partly in Dallas County and a small part in Ellis County) Grapevine (small part in Dallas, and part of Grapevine Lake in Denton County) Haslet (small part in Denton County) Mansfield (small parts in Ellis and Johnson counties) Newark (mostly in Wise County) Reno (almost entirely in Parker County) Roanoke (almost entirely in Denton County) Southlake (small part in Denton County)
Cities
Arlington Bedford Blue Mound Colleyville Dalworthington Gardens Euless Everman Forest Hill Haltom City Hurst Keller Kennedale Lake Worth North Richland Hills Pelican Bay Richland Hills River Oaks Saginaw Sansom Park Watauga Westworth Village White Settlement
Towns
Benbrook Edgecliff Village Flower Mound (mostly in Denton County) Lakeside Pantego Trophy Club (mostly in Denton County) Westlake (small part in Denton County) Westover Hills
Census-designated places Briar (partly in Wise and Parker counties) Pecan Acres (small part in Wise County) Rendon
Historical census-designated places Eagle Mountain
Unincorporated communities
Alliance (partly in Denton County) Avondale Boss Eagle Acres Lake Crest Estates Lake Forest Lake Shore Estates
Historical communities Birdville Bisbee Bransford Center Point Ederville Garden Acres Handley Johnsons Station
Ghost towns Birds Dido Minters Chapel
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Tarrant County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)679,883857,272895,253937,135904,88478.98%73.26%61.90%51.80%42.87%Black or African American alone (NH)100,537138,302182,713262,522358,64511.68%11.82%12.63%14.51%16.99%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3,0504,9215,9717,0377,0330.35%0.42%0.41%0.39%0.33%Asian alone (NH)6,46528,67652,05783,378127,7830.75%2.45%3.60%4.61%6.05%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)xincluded in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusxincluded in the Asian category in the 1990 Census2,0422,9384,147xx0.14%0.16%0.20%Other race alone (NH)3,3131,0531,5402,4918,3210.38%0.09%0.11%0.14%0.39%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xnot an option in the 1980 Censusxnot an option in the 1990 Census21,35330,55678,920xx1.48%1.69%3.74%Hispanic or Latino (any race)67,632139,879285,290482,977620,9077.86%11.95%19.73%26.70%29.42%Total860,8801,170,1031,446,2191,809,0342,110,640 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
Population history
Since the 1850 United States census, Tarrant County has experienced population growth except for the 1870 census; in 1850, the county had a population of 664, growing to 1,170,103 at the 1990 census. By the 2020 census, the county's population grew to 2,110,640. Tarrant County is the second-most populous county in the Metroplex, behind Dallas County.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 2,110,640. The median age was 35.2 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 49.5% White, 17.4% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.1% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 11.9% from some other race, and 14.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 29.4% of the population.
Meanwhile, 42.87% of residents were non-Hispanic white, 29.42% were Hispanic or Latino American of any race, 16.99% were Black or African American, 6.05% were Asian alone, 0.33% were American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.20% were Pacific Islander, 0.39% were some other race, and 3.74% were multiracial.
Its increasing racial and ethnic diversity has reflected growing trends of diversification in Texas.
98.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 760,739 households in the county, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.3% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 808,364 housing units, of which 5.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.7% were owner-occupied and 41.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were about 5.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.
2000 census
In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 71.2% White, 12.8% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 9.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races; 19.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, there were 533,864 households, out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.22.
In 2000, 28.1% of the county's population was under the age of 18, 10.0% was from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $46,179, and the median income for a family was $54,068. Males had a median income of $38,486 versus $28,672 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,548. About 8.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2021 census estimates, the median income for a household in the county was $71,346.
American Community Survey 2023 data
The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Tarrant County’s population was 2,182,947. It was also estimated that the county's population was 42.2% Non-Hispanic White, 30.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Non-Hispanic Black, 6.2% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 2.2% Multiracial. Total Population PercentageNon-Hispanic White920,28942.2%Hispanic or Latino665,93630.5%Non-Hispanic Black401,23918.4%Asian134,8046.2%Native American7,7710.4%Pacific Islander4,4280.2%Non-Hispanic Multiracial48,4802.2%
Government, courts, and politics
Government Tarrant County, like all Texas counties, is governed by a Commissioners Court. The court consists of the county judge, who is elected county-wide and presides over the full court, and four commissioners, who are elected in each of the county's four precincts.
In May 2025, when there were two Democrats and two Republicans on the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, County Judge Tim O'Hare declared that the ongoing process of redistricting Tarrant County precincts was "purely 100% about partisan politics", as he detailed that "my plan and what I campaigned on openly and publicly, dating as far back as May 2021", is to "pass a map that guarantees, or comes as close as you can to guarantee, three Republican commissioners" in Tarrant County out of four, as O'Hare thought that "Tarrant County would be better served if we have strong Republican leadership".
County Judge and Commissioners Office Name Party County Judge Tim O'HareRepublican County Commissioner, Precinct 1 Roderick MilesDemocratic County Commissioner, Precinct 2 Alisa SimmonsDemocratic County Commissioner, Precinct 3 Matt KrauseRepublican County Commissioner, Precinct 4Manny RamirezRepublican
County officials Office Name Party Criminal District Attorney Phil SorrellsRepublican District Clerk Thomas A. WilderRepublican County Clerk Mary Louise NicholsonRepublican Sheriff Bill E. WaybournRepublican Tax Assessor-Collector Rick Barnes Republican
Constables OfficeNameParty Constable, Precinct 1Dale ClarkRepublican Constable, Precinct 2David WoodruffRepublican Constable, Precinct 3Darrell HuffmanRepublican Constable, Precinct 4Joe D. "Jody" JohnsonRepublican Constable, Precinct 5Pedro MunozDemocratic Constable, Precinct 6Jon H. SiegelRepublican Constable, Precinct 7Sandra LeeDemocratic Constable, Precinct 8Michael R. CampbellDemocratic
County services The JPS Health Network (Tarrant County Hospital District) operates the John Peter Smith Hospital and health centers.
Countywide law enforcement is provided by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office and Tarrant County Constable's Office. All cities in the county provide their own police services, with three exceptions: Westlake contracts service from the Keller Police Department, and Haslet and Edgecliff Village contract service from the Sheriff's Office. DFW Airport, the Tarrant County Hospital District, and the Tarrant Regional Water District also provide their own police forces. Unincorporated parts of the county are served by Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
All municipalities provide their own fire departments, the largest being Fort Worth Fire Department. Fire protection services for unincorporated areas are provided by Tarrant County ESD 1. The district initially operated as a funding and administrative agency after transitioning from the previous Tarrant County Rural Fire Protection District in 1996. Beginning in 2025, the ESD began to assume direct responsibility for Fire and EMS. Briar-Reno Fire Department was the first fire department to be absorbed, which dissolved and became Briar Station 370, along with a new fire station at the US 377 and FM 1187 corridor, locally known as Whiskey Flats Station 570.