Ensuring Denton County continues to have a thriving economy is an important part of county government and one the Denton County Commissioners Court takes very seriously.
Despite recent challenges, growth across Denton County is rapidly increasing as new businesses – large and small – flock to our region. In fact, new projects have been ongoing since the middle of last year, not slowing at all. Calls for available office space are constant while major housing developments, townhome projects and apartments are under construction throughout the county.
With a current estimated population of 911,912, Denton County is not far from topping the 1 million mark – a milestone now anticipated by 2025. We are growing at a faster pace than what was projected just five years ago when our population was expected to hit 1 million in 2030. By 2050, the latest estimates call for our population to reach more than 2.3 million.
Jobs grew by 45,488 in the past five years and are projected to grow by 40,810 in the next five years. The median household income, as reported in 2018, is now $83,400 in Denton County – around $23,100 above the national median household income of $60,300.
The rapid growth is exactly why we are focused on drawing high-paying jobs to Denton County and providing a diverse portfolio of positions to meet the needs of all residents. In just the last five years, we’ve attracted such top companies as Farmer Brothers, Tanger Outlets, Mary Kay, Charles Schwab, Tyson, two Stanley Black & Decker facilities, Thirty-One Gifts, Gulfstream, ASCO/Texaplex, Ariat, the PGA headquarters, Grandscape, Schluter, Ericsson, Belltown Solar and a major expansion of Retractable Technologies Inc. Together, these projects have invested billions into Denton County, some relocating regional and national headquarters along with higher wages in an array of industries from solar power to tourism to technology and much more.
PGA has brought a $455 million Omni Hotel and Conference Center, a $1 billion mixed-use addition known as The Link and is estimated to bring $10 billion to $12 billion worth of development to northeast Denton County over the next 20 years.
Grandscape, one of the largest and most unique developments in the country, covers 400 acres with 4 million square feet of office, retail and residential development. In November 2020, Grandscape announced three new office towers, 17 stories high with 500,000 square feet in each, would soon be underway.
Charles Schwab initially opened its first phase in Westlake on a 70-acre property with 1,200 employees only to announce in the fall of 2019 plans to move their headquarters to Denton County from San Francisco.
When you stop to think about it, Denton County has become THE place to live, work and play in the region, state and the U.S.
We have also worked tirelessly in the last few decades to ensure transportation needs are being addressed as more vehicles traverse our highways. We expanded FM 2499, Interstate 35E, FM 1171, west U.S. 380 with plans underway for east U.S. 380 and much more. Soon, you will see construction along Interstate 35W in the main lanes and frontage roads as well as in the area where 35E and 35W merge. Plans are being drawn for Loop 288 West with an estimated let date of 2026 to complete the loop both east and west of I-35 in Denton.
And that is just the beginning. We will continue to plan ahead to ensure adequate access throughout the county. We also work with the Denton County Transportation Authority to provide alternative transportation via bus routes and the A-train as well as with our cities and towns to address their ongoing needs.
The Denton County Commissioners Court also recognizes the importance of balancing this fast-paced growth and the requisite infrastructure requirements while keeping our taxpayers top of mind. Among the top 15 counties in Texas, we have the lowest countywide tax rate at .224985 since we do not have hospital or college districts. And we aim to keep it that way.
A thriving, diverse economy coupled with meeting residents’ needs for transportation, housing, education and income is the legacy we want to leave for decades to come. It is important we all work together to create the Denton County we can all be proud of for future generations to enjoy.
Connect With Us
If you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is [email protected], and my office number is 940-349-2820. For more information, register for my newsletter at www.Dentoncounty.gov/countyjudgenewslettersignup
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