The latest 2025 Census data, presented at last week's Texas Department of Transportation Commission meeting, quantifies what we are seeing across our transportation network.
In the last year alone, Texas added over 391,000 new residents. To put that in perspective, while our state makes up about 9% of the U.S. population, we accounted for nearly 22% of the nation’s total population growth last year.
A few key observations from the data:
• The Texas Triangle: Approximately 87% of our 31.7 million residents now live on or east of the I-35 corridor.
• Suburban Concentration: Growth is increasingly focused in suburban and exurban "ring" counties. Waller and Kaufman counties led the state with 6% annual growth rates. Of note, Dallas County lost population last year.
• The Planning Challenge: While 108 rural counties saw slight declines, the metropolitan areas continue to densify.
Looking ahead, 99% of our state's projected growth through 2060 is expected to occur within our major MSAs. Adding this volume of new residents creates a persistent demand for enhanced connectivity and infrastructure support.
As we analyze these long-term trends, our focus at TxDOT remains on delivering a safe, reliable, and resilient transportation system that meets the capacity needs of our most rapidly growing economic hubs.
Editor's Note: The above commentary was provided by Marc Williams, executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. The commentary first appeared on Williams' social media pages.
