AUSTIN – Texas is projected to roughly double in size between now and 2050, and Hays County is projected to be the fastest-growing county by percentage in the state, according to county-level data released by the Texas Office of the State Demographer.
According to the numbers, demographers project Hays County will grow by 464 percent by 2050, with more than 666,900 new residents swelling its population to 825,070 over the next 35 years.
Next in terms of percent growth is Collin County, north of Dallas, which demographers project will grow by 386 percent over the next 35 years, with the addition of more than 3 million residents growing its population from 782,341 to 3.8 million.
The Texas counties that encompass the state’s largest metropolises are projected to grow at a much slower rate than their bordering suburban counties.
For example, Travis County, in which Austin sits, is projected to grow by only 96.3 percent — far slower than Hays County at 464 percent.
The chart below shows the five fastest growing counties by 2050 ranked by percent change.
Texas Fastest Growing Counties by 2050 (Percent)
County 2010 Population 2050 Population % Of Change
Hays 157,107 824,070 424.5%
Collin 782,341 3,801,840 386.0%
Fort Bend 585,375 2,738,553 367.8%
Williamson 422,679 1,976,958 367.7%
Denton 662,614 3,031,597 357.5%