Dallas County, Texas should not be confused with Dallam County, Texas.
| County: | Dallas County |
| State: | Texas |
| Flag: | Flag of Dallas County, Texas.svg |
| Founded Date: | March 30 |
| Founded Year: | 1846 |
| Seat Wl: | Dallas |
| Largest City Wl: | Dallas |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 908.54 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 873.06 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 35.48 |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Pop: | 2613539 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Density Sq Mi: | 2994 |
| Web: | https://www.dallascounty.org |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| District: | 5th |
| District2: | 6th |
| District3: | 24th |
| District4: | 30th |
| District5: | 32nd |
| District6: | 33rd |
Dallas County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 U.S. census count of 2,613,539,[1] making it the ninth-most populous county in the country. Dallas County is included in the Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth metropolitan statistical area—colloquially referred to as the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Municipal expansion within Dallas County has blurred the geographic lines between cities and between neighboring counties.[2]
Its county seat is the city of Dallas,[3] which is also Texas' third-largest city and the ninth-largest city in the United States. The county was founded in 1846 and was possibly named for George Mifflin Dallas, the 11th Vice President of the United States under U.S. President James K. Polk.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (4.0%) is water.[4] 3,519 acres of the county is contained within 21 county-owned nature preserves, which were acquired through the county's Open Space Program.[5] [6]
| White alone (NH) | 1,115,096 | 983,317 | 784,693 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 724,987 | 60.18% | 44.32% | 33.14% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 27.74% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 362,130 | 445,716 | 518,732 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 564,741 | 19.54% | 20.09% | 21.90% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 21.61% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 7,644 | 8,106 | 7,330 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 6,743 | 0.41% | 0.37% | 0.31% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.26% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 49,928 | 87,495 | 117,797 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 181,314 | 2.69% | 3.94% | 4.97% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 6.94% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | N/A | 926 | 874 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 1,175 | N/A | 0.04% | 0.04% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.04% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 2,382 | 2,388 | 3,346 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 9,990 | 0.13% | 0.11% | 0.14% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 0.38% | |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | N/A | 28,222 | 29,427 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 66,754 | N/A | 1.27% | 1.24% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2.55% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 315,630 | 662,729 | 905,940 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 1,057,835 | 17.04% | 29.87% | 38.26% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 40.48% | |
| Total | 1,852,810 | 2,218,899 | 2,368,139 | style='background: #ffffe6; | 2,613,539 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | style='background: #ffffe6; | 100.00% |
Per the 2010 census,[16] there were 2,368,139 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2523/mi2. There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/mi2. In 2018, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Dallas County to have a total of 2,637,772 residents, 1,027,930 housing units, and 917,276 households.[17] [18] By 2020, its population was 2,613,539.In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 53.4% White (33.12% non-Hispanic white), 22.30% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 5.15% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 14.04% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races. 38.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. During the 2015 Texas population estimate program, non-Hispanic whites made up 713,835 of the county's residents (28.1%); non-Hispanic blacks, 565,020 (22.2%); other non-Hispanics, 197,082 (7.7%); and Hispanics and Latinos (of any race), 1,065,591 (41.9%). At the 2020 U.S. census, the racial and ethnic makeup was 27.74% non-Hispanic white, 21.61% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 6.94% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.38% some other race, 2.55% multiracial, and 40.48% Hispanic or Latino American of any race. The increase among people of color reflected nationwide demographic trends of greater diversification.[19]
In 2010, there were 807,621 households, out of which 35.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.34. As of the 2010 census, there were about 8.8 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.
In the wider county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 10.70% from 18 to 24, 34.40% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,324, and the median income for a family was $49,062. Males had a median income of $34,988 versus $29,539 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,603. About 10.60% of families and 13.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over. At the 2020 American Community Survey, the median household income increased to $61,870.[20]
Dallas County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a commissioners' court. This court consists of the county judge (the chairperson of the court), who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.
The Commissioners' Court is the policy-making body for the county; in addition, the county judge is the senior executive and administrative position in the county. The Commissioners' Court sets the county tax rate, adopts the budget, appoints boards and commissions, approves grants and personnel actions, and oversees the administration of county government. Each commissioner supervises a Road and Bridge District. The Commissioners' Court approves the budget and sets the tax rate for the hospital district, which is charged with the responsibility for providing acute medical care for citizens who otherwise would not receive adequate medical services.[21]
| Office[22] | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=blue | County Judge | Clay Jenkins | Democratic | |
| bgcolor=blue | Commissioner, Precinct 1 | Theresa Daniel | Democratic | |
| bgcolor=blue | Commissioner, Precinct 2 | Andrew Sommerman | Democratic | |
| bgcolor=blue | Commissioner, Precinct 3 | John Wiley Price | Democratic | |
| bgcolor=blue | Commissioner, Precinct 4 | Elba Garcia | Democratic | |
| Office | Name | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal District Attorney | John Creuzot | Democratic | |||
| District Clerk | Felicia Pitre | Democratic | |||
| County Clerk | John Warren | Democratic | |||
| bgcolor=blue | Sheriff | Marian Brown | Democratic | ||
| bgcolor=blue | Tax Assessor-Collector | John Ames | Democratic | ||
| bgcolor=blue | Treasurer | Pauline Medrano | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constable, Precinct 1 | Tracey Gulley | Democratic | ||
| Constable, Precinct 2 | Deanna Hammond | Democratic | ||
| Constable, Precinct 3 | Ben Adamcik | Republican | ||
| Constable, Precinct 4 | Edward Wright | Democratic | ||
| Constable, Precinct 5 | Michael Orozco | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 1 | Thomas G. Jones | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 2 | Valencia Nash | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 1 | Margaret O’Brien | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 2 | Katina Whitfield | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 1 | Al Cercone | Republican | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Place 2 | Steven L. Seider | Republican | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 1 | Mike Jones | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4, Place 2 | Sasha Moreno | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 1 | Sara Martinez | Democratic | ||
| Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5, Place 2 | Juan Jasso | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Criminal Court No. 1 | Dan Patterson | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 2 | Julia Hayes | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 3 | Audrey Moorehead | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 4 | Nancy Mulder | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 5 | Lisa Green | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 6 | Angela M. King | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 7 | Remeko T. Edwards | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 8 | Carmen P. White | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 9 | Peggy Hoffman | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 10 | Etta J. Mullin | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court No. 11 | Shequitta Kelly | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Criminal Court of Appeals No. 1 | Kristin Wade | Democratic | ||
| County Criminal Court of Appeals No. 2 | Pamela Luther | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Court at Law No. 1 | D'Metria Benson | Democratic | ||
| County Court at Law No. 2 | Melissa Bellan | Democratic | ||
| County Court at Law No. 3 | Sally Montgomery | Democratic | ||
| County Court at Law No. 4 | Paula Rosales | Democratic | ||
| County Court at Law No. 5 | Mark Greenberg | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Probate Court No. 1 | Brenda Hull Thompson | Democratic | ||
| County Probate Court No. 2 | Ingrid Michelle Warren | Democratic | ||
| County Probate Court No. 3 | Margaret Jones-Johnson | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal District Court No. 1 | Tina Clinton | Democratic | ||
| Criminal District Court No. 2 | J.J. Koch | Republican | ||
| Criminal District Court No. 3 | Audra Riley | Democratic | ||
| Criminal District Court No. 4 | Dominique Collins | Democratic | ||
| Criminal District Court No. 5 | Carter Thompson | Democratic | ||
| Criminal District Court No. 6 | Nancy Muldy | Democratic | ||
| Criminal District Court No. 7 | Chika Anyiam | Democratic | ||
| 194th District Court | Ernest White III | Democratic | ||
| 195th District Court | Hector Garza | Democratic | ||
| 203rd District Court | Raquel Jones | Democratic | ||
| 204th District Court | Tammy Kemp | Democratic | ||
| 265th District Court | Jennifer Bennett | Democratic | ||
| 282nd District Court | Amber Givens | Democratic | ||
| 283rd District Court | Lela Lawrence Mays | Democratic | ||
| 291st District Court | Stephanie Huff | Democratic | ||
| 292nd District Court | Brandon Birmingham | Democratic | ||
| 363rd District Court | Tracy Holmes | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14th District Court | Eric Moyé | Democratic | ||
| 44th District Court | Veretta Frazier | Democratic | ||
| 68th District Court | Martin Hoffman | Democratic | ||
| 95th District Court | Monica Purdy | Democratic | ||
| 101st District Court | Staci Williams | Democratic | ||
| 116th District Court | Tonya Parker | Democratic | ||
| 134th District Court | Dale Tillery | Democratic | ||
| 160th District Court | Aiesha Redmond | Democratic | ||
| 162nd District Court | Ashley Wysocki | Republican | ||
| 191st District Court | Gena Slaughter | Democratic | ||
| 192nd District Court | Maria Aceves | Democratic | ||
| 193rd District Court | Bridgett Whitmore | Democratic | ||
| 298th District Court | Emily Tobolowsky | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 254th District Court | Kimberly Brown | Democratic | ||
| 255th District Court | Vonda Bailey | Democratic | ||
| 256th District Court | Sandre M. Streete | Democratic | ||
| 301st District Court | Mary Brown | Democratic | ||
| 302nd District Court | Sandra Jackson | Democratic | ||
| 303rd District Court | LaDeitra Adkins | Democratic | ||
| 330th District Court | Andrea Plumlee | Democratic | ||
| Office | Name | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 304th District Court | Andrea Martin | Democratic | ||
| 305th District Court | Cheryl Lee Shannon | Democratic | ||
The Parkland Health & Hospital System (Dallas County Hospital District) operates the Parkland Memorial Hospital and various health centers.
The Commissioners' Court meets the first and third Tuesday at the Commissioners' Courtroom located in the Dallas County Administration Building at 411 Elm St., corner of Elm and Houston streets. The building was the headquarters of the Texas School Book Depository Company until 1970. Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy from a window located on the sixth floor which today houses the Sixth Floor Museum dedicated to the late president's memory.
Acts of the commissioners court are known as 'court orders'. These orders include setting county policies and procedures, issuing contracts, authorizing expenditures, and managing county resources and departments. Most importantly, the commissioners court sets the annual tax rate and the budget for Dallas County government and the courts. The commissioners also set the tax rate and budget for the Dallas County Hospital District which operates Parkland Hospital.
The commissioners court has direct control over all county offices and departments not otherwise administered by a county elected official. Those departments include Dallas County Elections, Health and Human Services, Facilities Management, Parks and Open Space Program, I.T. Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Services, among others. Through their budget making powers, the commissioners exercise indirect control over the District Attorney's office, Sheriff, District Clerk, County Clerk and County Treasurer. The commissioners also set the budget for each of the District, County, and Justice courts.
Dallas County employs a commissioners court administrator who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the commissioners court and implementing the Dallas County Master Plan and the directives of the commissioners court. The current commissioners court administrator is Darryl Martin who was hired by the commissioners in 2008.
Dallas County operates several jail facilities. They include:[23]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Hutchins State Jail for men in an unincorporated area adjacent to Hutchins.[25] Corrections Corporation of America operates the Dawson Unit, a co-gender state jail in Downtown Dallas, under contract.[26]
Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville, is located in Seagoville.
Dallas County was one of the first areas of the South to break away from a Solid South voting pattern. This coincided with the county's explosive postwar growth. It swung from a 13-point win for Democrat Harry Truman in 1948 to a 23-point win for Republican Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. It would vote for the GOP at every election until 2004, except when Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson successfully ran for a full term as president on the Democratic ticket in 1964.
In the 2004 election, Democrats won their first countywide administrative office since 1986 by electing Lupe Valdez to the office of Dallas County Sheriff. The last Democratic countywide administrator was D. Connally elected County Surveyor prior to the office's abolition. Democrats also won three district court benches in 2004. Two years later in 2006, Democrats swept every contested countywide race including County Judge, District Clerk, County Clerk, District Attorney and County Treasurer as well as every contested judicial seat.
For most of the second half of the 20th century, Dallas County was one of the most conservative urban counties in the nation. Starting in 1996, Dallas County began voting more Democratic than the state of Texas as a whole, when Bill Clinton became only the fourth Democrat since Truman to win 40 percent of the vote. Former Governor of Texas George W. Bush managed relatively narrow wins in 2000 and 2004, even as he easily carried the state. This trend culminated in 2008 when the county swung dramatically to Barack Obama. Obama's coattails allowed Democrats to win the remaining Republican held judicial seats.
Since the 2010s, Dallas County has been one of the most Democratic-leaning counties in Texas. In 2012, Obama won Dallas County by virtually the same margin as he had done in 2008. In 2016, Hillary Clinton increased the Democratic margin of victory even further. She became the first Democrat to win 60% of the county's vote since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, while Donald Trump became the first Republican not to win 40% of the vote in the county for the first time since 1992.
Dallas County has had three openly LGBT elected county officials: Lupe Valdez, elected Sheriff in 2004 and serving until 2017; Jim Foster, elected county judge in 2006, serving one term before defeat in the Democratic primary in 2010; and Gary Fitzsimmons, elected District Clerk in 2006.[27]
| District | Name | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=red | District 11 | Patricia Hardy | Republican | ||
| bgcolor=red | District 12 | Geraldine Miller | Republican | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 13 | Erika Beltran | Democratic | ||
| District | Name | Party | Residence | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=blue | District 100 | Venton Jones | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 102 | Ana-Maria Ramos | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 103 | Rafael Anchia | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 104 | Jessica González | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 105 | Terry Meza | Democratic | Irving | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 107 | Victoria Neave | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=red | District 108 | Morgan Meyer | Republican | University Park | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 109 | Carl Sherman Sr. | Democratic | DeSoto | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 110 | Toni Rose | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 111 | Yvonne Davis | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=red | District 112 | Angie Chen Button | Republican | Richardson | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 113 | Rhetta Andrews Bowers | Democratic | Garland | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 114 | John Turner | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 115 | Julie Johnson | Democratic | Irving | ||
| District | Name | Party | Residence | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=red | District 2 | Bob Hall | Republican | Edgewood (Van Zandt County) | ||
| bgcolor=red | District 8 | Angela Paxton | Republican | McKinney (Collin County) | ||
| bgcolor=red | District 9 | Kelly Hancock | Republican | Fort Worth | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 16 | Nathan Johnson | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | District 23 | Royce West | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| District | Name | Party | Residence | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor=red | Texas's 5th congressional district | Lance Gooden | Republican | Terrell | ||
| bgcolor=red | Texas's 6th congressional district | Jake Ellzey | Republican | Waxahachie | ||
| bgcolor=red | Texas's 24th congressional district | Beth Van Duyne | Republican | Irving | ||
| bgcolor=blue | Texas's 30th congressional district | Jasmine Crockett | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | Texas's 32nd congressional district | Colin Allred | Democratic | Dallas | ||
| bgcolor=blue | Texas's 33rd congressional district | Marc Veasey | Democratic | Fort Worth | ||
The following school districts serve Dallas County:[28]
|
|
White flight meant the decrease of non-Hispanic white students in Dallas County K-12 school districts from 1997 until the 2014–2015 school year. The number was 138,760 in the former and 61,538 in the latter; during 2014–2015 county charter schools had about 5,000 non-Hispanic white students. In 2016 Eric Nicholson of the Dallas Observer wrote that the bulk of white K-12 enrollment is shifting to more distant suburban areas beyond Dallas County, and that "Teasing out causation is tricky" but that the perception of poverty, which many white families wish to avoid, is tied with race.[29]
Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District formerly served a part of the county.[30] In 2006 WHISD officially merged into DISD.[31]
Dallas County is served by the Dallas College system of seven community colleges.[32] Dallas College is the designated community college for the entire county.[33]
There are two public universities in Dallas County: the University of North Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas, of which the latter is also partially located in Collin County.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit provides bus and rail service to many cities in Dallas County, with Dallas being the largest.
The Trinity Railway Express, operated jointly by Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro, provides commuter rail service to both Dallas County and Tarrant County, connecting downtown Fort Worth with Downtown Dallas.
NOTE: US 67 and US 77 are not signed fully along their routes in Dallas County.