Tarrant County, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tarrant County
County
Tarrant County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1850
Named for	Edward H. Tarrant
Seat	Fort Worth
Largest city	Fort Worth
Area
• Total	902 sq mi (2,340 km2)
• Land	864 sq mi (2,240 km2)
• Water	39 sq mi (100 km2)  4.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,110,640
• Estimate  (2023)	2,182,947
• Density	2,340.0/sq mi (903.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 12th, 24th, 25th, 30th, 33rd

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 seat of government 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

USGS map of Tarrant County, 1894

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 902 square miles (2,340 km²), of which 864 square miles (2,240 km²) is land and 39 square miles (100 km²) (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 (multiple counties)

Cities

Towns

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

Historical communities

• Birdville
• Bisbee
• Bransford
• Center Point
• Ederville
• Garden Acres
• Handley
• Johnsons Station

Ghost towns

• Birds
• Dido
• Minters Chapel

Notes

• Italics indicate that the city is a principal city of DFW or a county seat.
• The term "town" is used only in reference to relative population. Under Texas law, all incorporated places are officially designated "cities".

Demographics

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.

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 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 42.87% non-Hispanic white, 29.42% Hispanic or Latino American of any race, 16.99% Black or African American, 6.05% Asian alone, 0.33% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.39% some other race, and 3.74% multiracial. Its increasing racial and ethnic diversity has reflected growing trends of diversification in Texas.

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. As of the 2010 census, there were about 5.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.

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.

Education

Colleges and universities

Under the Texas Education Code, Tarrant County is the entire official service area of Tarrant County College (formerly Tarrant County Junior College).

Universities in Tarrant County include:

• University of Texas at Arlington
• Texas Christian University (Fort Worth)

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools in Texas are organized into independent school districts and charter schools. Tarrant County is also home to dozens of private high schools and nearly 100 lower-level private schools.

Independent school districts

Those serving the county include:

Masonic Home Independent School District formerly served a part of the county. In 2005 it merged into FWISD.

Charter schools

• Arlington Classics Academy
• Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts
• IDEA Public Schools
• Harmony Public Schools
• Newman International Academy
• Texas School of the Arts
• Treetops School International
• Uplift Education (partial)
• Westlake Academy

Private schools

• Colleyville Covenant Christian Academy
• Fort Worth Christian School
• Fort Worth Country Day School
• Lake Country Christian School
• Nolan Catholic High School
• The Oakridge School
• Southwest Christian School
• Temple Christian School
• Trinity Baptist Temple Academy
• Trinity Valley School

Transportation

Major highways

C. H. Rogers' Road Map of Tarrant County, 1920

• I-20
• I-30
• I-35W
• I-635
• I-820
• US 81
• US 287
• 
  Bus. US 287
• US 377
• SH 10
• SH 26
• SH 97
• SH 114
• SH 121
• FM 156
• FM 157
• SH 161
• SH 170
• SH 180
• SH 183
• SH 303
• SH 360

Airports

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is partially in the cities of Grapevine and Euless in Tarrant County and Irving in Dallas County.

Fort Worth Alliance Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located 14 miles (23 km) north of the central business district of Fort Worth on Interstate-35W. Billed as the world's first purely industrial airport, it was developed in a joint venture between the City of Fort Worth, the Federal Aviation Administration and Hillwood Development Company, a real estate development company owned by H. Ross Perot Jr. Alliance Airport has 9600' and 8200' runways.

Fort Worth Meacham International Airport is located at the intersection of Interstate 820 and U.S. Business Highway 287 in northwest Fort Worth, 5 miles from the downtown business district. Meacham International Airport has two parallel runways.

Fort Worth Spinks Airport is located 14 miles south of the downtown business district. The airport is located at the intersection of Interstate-35W and HWY 1187 and serves as a reliever airport for Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Tarrant para niños