Let’s talk about some cities in North Texas that are losing people. Even though many parts of North Texas are growing fast, not every city is getting bigger. Some are actually getting smaller. Here’s a look at the top 5 cities in North Texas that have fewer people now than they did before.
Believe it or not, Dallas, the biggest city in North Texas, is losing people. From 2020 to 2023, about 5,000 people moved away from Dallas. That’s like a whole small town leaving! In just one year, 2023, Dallas lost 3.28% of its people. That’s one of the biggest drops of any big city in Texas.
Why are people leaving Dallas? There are a few reasons:
- It’s getting more expensive to live there
- Some people are worried about crime
- The roads and other city stuff need fixing
- Some folks don’t like seeing homeless people on the streets
But it’s not just the city of Dallas. The whole county is losing people too. In 2023, Dallas County lost over 34,000 residents. That’s a lot of people!
- Arlington
Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers and Six Flags Over Texas, is also seeing fewer people. The city’s population went down by 1.07%. That might not sound like much, but for a big city, it’s a big deal.
One big problem in Arlington is that people aren’t making as much money as they used to. The amount of money each person makes, on average, went down by 35.5% compared to other cities. That’s a huge drop!
- Duncanville
Duncanville, a smaller city just south of Dallas, is also losing people. While we don’t have exact numbers, we know it’s one of the 20 cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that lost people between 2020 and 2023.
Duncanville is dealing with some of the same issues as Dallas:
- Houses are getting more expensive
- Some people are moving to newer suburbs
- There aren’t as many new jobs in the city
- Plano
Plano, a big suburb north of Dallas, is having a strange situation. Its population grew a tiny bit (0.65%), but it’s still considered one of the declining cities in North Texas. Why? Because even though more people moved in, other things are going wrong:
- Houses are staying empty
- The value of homes isn’t growing as fast as in other cities
- The city is running out of room to build new houses
Plano is even thinking about making its school system smaller because fewer kids are going to school there.
- Irving
Irving, is another city that’s not growing like it used to. While we don’t have exact numbers for Irving, it’s part of Dallas County, which lost a lot of people.
Irving is facing challenges like:
- Older neighborhoods that need fixing up
- Not enough new houses being built
- Some businesses moving to other cities
Why Is This Happening?
You might be wondering why these cities are losing people when North Texas is growing so fast. Here are some reasons:
- Suburbs are booming: Many people are moving to newer, smaller cities around Dallas. Places like Frisco, McKinney, and Prosper are growing super fast.
- Cost of living: Big cities like Dallas are getting more expensive. Some people are moving to cheaper places.
- Remote work: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people can work from home. They don’t need to live close to their jobs in the big city anymore.
- Quality of life: Some people think smaller cities are nicer places to live. They have less traffic, newer schools, and more parks.
- City problems: Bigger cities often have more crime, homelessness, and old buildings that need fixing. Some people want to avoid these issues.
What Does This Mean?
Even though these cities are losing people, it doesn’t mean they’re becoming ghost towns. They’re still big, important places. But it does mean they have some work to do.
City leaders in these places are trying to figure out how to make their cities more attractive. They’re working on:
- Building more affordable houses
- Fixing up old neighborhoods
- Making the cities safer
- Creating more parks and fun things to do
- Bringing in new businesses to create jobs
The Big Picture
While these five cities are struggling, the whole North Texas area is still growing like crazy. The Dallas-Fort Worth area added more people than any other place in the country last year. Over 150,000 new people moved to North Texas in 2023!
Most of these new people are moving to the suburbs and smaller cities around Dallas and Fort Worth. Cities like Frisco, Celina, and Prosper are some of the fastest-growing in the whole country.
This means that North Texas is changing. The big cities in the middle aren’t as dominant as they used to be. Instead, we’re seeing a bunch of smaller cities grow up around them. It’s like a big family where the kids are growing faster than the parents!
What’s Next?
The future for these declining cities isn’t set in stone. They can still turn things around. Dallas, Arlington, Duncanville, Plano, and Irving all have good things going for them:
- They have lots of history and cool old buildings
- There are already lots of businesses and jobs there
- They have big airports nearby, making travel easy
- There are museums, sports teams, and other fun stuff to do
If these cities can solve some of their problems, they might start growing again. But for now, the action in North Texas seems to be in the suburbs and smaller cities.
For kids growing up in North Texas, all this change means you’re living in an exciting place. You might see new neighborhoods pop up, or old ones change. You might meet kids from all over the country who just moved here. And you’ll be part of shaping what North Texas looks like in the future!
Remember, cities are always changing. The ones that are small today might be big tomorrow, and the ones that are struggling now might be the cool places to live in the future. That’s what makes studying cities so interesting – they’re always full of surprises!
Citations:
[1] https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/these-are-the-10-fastest-declining-texas-cities-analysis-shows/
[2] https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/population-growth-reshapes-large-swaths-of-dfw-forney-texas/287-8553bdc1-355f-42d1-8362-a6c164f7d30f
[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/FortWorth/comments/17zdck5/fort_worth_is_the_10th_fasted_declining_city_in/
[4] https://dallasexpress.com/city/dallas-falters-amid-skyrocketing-regional-growth/
[5] https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/experts-say-latest-census-highlights-trend-that-should-concern-dallas-city-and-county-leaders/