The city of Kaufman’s slogan — “We’re Growing Places” — rings true, according to newly released population estimates that show its county booming.
Kaufman County is growing faster than any other county in the nation, according to one-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
“We’re seeing tremendous growth in all of the counties surrounding Dallas,” Lloyd Potter, director of the Texas Demographic Center said. “These counties are largely growing because there’s economic opportunity, meaning that we’re growing jobs in Texas.”
While newly released census data showed positive growth across North Texas, Kaufman County, saw an 18% population boost between 2019 and 2021, the most of seven Dallas-Forth Worth area counties. Not only has the county grown by over 21,000 residents in those two years according to Census estimates, but it has also seen its diversity soar.
Every year, the Census Bureau releases national estimates of population demographics in one-year and five-year estimates, which cover more than 40 topics in every state, county and congressional district.
To conduct the following analysis, The Dallas Morning News compared the recently released five-year American Community Survey data for 2017-2021 to the 2012-2016 five-year ACS data from the Census.
Country commuters
From 2016-2021, Kaufman’s population grew from 118,350 residents to 140,145. These estimates don’t reflect growth from 2022.
Donna Simmons, economic development coordinator for the county, said she believes the growth resulted from people being attracted to moving out to the country, but also wanting a commutable drive into Dallas.
“They see the opportunity to come to the East because it’s much cheaper right now than going North,” she said.
The 800-square-mile county is seeing more than 30,000 new homes being built or in early development stages in its six biggest cities. Calculating for 4 people per household, the county is preparing for a population increase of about 120,000 more people in the next 18 months, Simmons said.
Centers of the county swell include Crandall, Forney and Terrell along with nearby unincorporated areas. Forney Independent School District has prepared to add 20,000 students in the next decade, The News reported as part of its Boomtown series.
Additionally, buyers are looking to unincorporated county land to build their own ranches, for a slice of country life, Simmons said. The commute to downtown Dallas from the county seat is about 45 minutes, she said.
With the population’s growth rate this high, the County outgrew its courthouse. Located in downtown Kaufman, the historic building already had an annex where overflow offices were located, Simmons said.
In December the county’s operations moved into a brand new Justice Center down the road in Kaufman city, where the county courts and offices are now housed.
In response to the accelerated growth, the county and its 16 municipalities teamed up with various coalitions to manage and improve transportation, development, education and wildlife conservation.
“The cities and the county and the schools are all working together,” she said.
One county goal is expanding broadband access to residential homes in the near future. While its highways are often bumper-to-bumper with commuters, Simmons wants the county to have reliable, encompassing internet access so every corner can be a work-from-home destination.
The county’s main goal, however, is building more hospitals capable of providing major surgical care, especially for older residents.
Kaufman sees more diversity
Kaufman’s population has also diversified significantly.
According to the 2021 five-Year Census estimates, Kaufman is now 71.7% white, 13.6% Black, and 1.3% Asian, with 3.9% identifying as another race and 9.5% identifying as two or more races. In the county, 23.7% — or 33,145 people — identify as Hispanic or Latino, which the Census tracks separately as an ethnicity, not a race.
Those identifying as Black increased by over 50%, growing by more than 6,300 residents. Similarly, those identifying as Asian, Hispanic or Latino and Native American all grew by over 30%.
Simmons described the increased diversity as a benefit to everyone in the county, which is primarily white.
“We didn’t have a lot of diversity,” she said. “And now that we do, we’re more in step with how the world really is.”
The number of people identifying as more than one race multiplied nearly six times — 500% — in the past five years. By comparison, Dallas County had this metric double.
Potter said this dramatic shift can be attributed to changes in Census surveys, with all Texas counties seeing increased multiracial identification and many seeing single-race identification decline.
“That’s not because the Texans are changing dramatically,” Potter said. “It’s simply because of the way we’re completing the form … and the way the Census Bureau is processing it. That’s not to say there aren’t more multirace people in Texas because there are.”
Race data is based on self-identification. The option to choose more than one race began with the 2000 Census. However, Census officials say recent increases in people reporting more than one race can be attributed to improvements in the Census’ questionnaire design, including having separate questions for race and ethnicity.
The uptick in racial diversity in North Texas mirrors nationwide trends, previous Census releases show.
How old is the county?
An increase in young people is playing a role in the county’s growth over the past five years, according to estimates. People ages 25-34 and 35-44 years old each increased by 20% in Kaufman.
By another metric, the median age in the county got a year younger, dropping from 36 to 35 years. In contrast, Denton County to the north of the Dallas metropolitan area grew older, as the median age went from 35.1 to 36.2 years.
Simmons said she believes the growth came from families moving out of the city and buying homes in the county. Others moving are closer to retirement age and while most move from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, a significant number of people move from California, Florida and other states, she said.
Additionally, jobs are moving into the county with the growth. In Forney, Amazon opened two distribution centers in 2021 and tire manufacturer Goodyear also opened a warehouse.
Beverly Davis, who was born and raised in the city of Kaufman, said she’s seen it go from a quiet town where tractors used to drive down the streets to being filled with big-city amenities such as chain restaurants Whataburger and Starbucks and big-box stores like Walmart and Tractor Supply.
Davis chairs the city of Kaufman’s chamber of commerce. She said “mom and pop” businesses are also flocking to the county’s towns in addition to corporations because of the competitive real estate and smaller startup prices.
“COVID obviously made a huge impact nationwide,” she said. “But it really upped the ante for people wanting to move and make a move in their lives.
