Texas Counties by Population (2024)

There are 254 counties in Texas. With a population of 4,652,980, Harris County is the largest county in Texas, and has an impressive growth rate of 13.7%. Dallas County, Tarrant County, Bexar County and Travis County make up the rest of the top five most populous counties in Texas, with each having populations of more than a million. Additionally, all show growth rates of between 10.6% (Dallas County) and 19.7% (Travis County).

Loving County in western Texas is both the smallest county in the state (and the second-smallest in the nation after Kalawao County in the state of Hawaii, which has a population of 88), with a tiny population of just 134 according to the most recent census estimate for the area (a jump up from the recorded 82 residents in 2010). However, Loving County also has the biggest increase in population, with a growth rate of 63.4% (although the actual number of people represented by this number is still very small, given the overall population of the county).

Other counties with very small populations include King County (294), Kenedy County (428), and Borden County (660). These counties also show population increases, although with more modest percentages of 1.73%, 2.64% and 2.17%. In terms of growth rates, there is quite a disparity between Loving County and the counties with the second and third highest growth rates. These are Hays County, with a population of 204,345 and a growth rate of 29.17%, and Fort Bend County, with its 741,958 residents and a growth rate of 25.69%, according to the most recent census estimates.