Denton is a city located in Cooke County, Denton County, Grayson County, and Wise County Texas. Denton has a 2024 population of 159,609. It is also the county seat of Denton County. Denton is currently growing at a rate of 2.99% annually and its population has increased by 13.12% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 141,097 in 2020.
The average household income in Denton is $92,581 with a poverty rate of 15.73%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Denton is 30.4 years, 30.4 years for males, and 30.5 years for females.
Denton is located in Denton County, Texas about 40 miles northwest of Dallas. It's the 12th largest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex which stretches over 13 counties and has a combined population of 7.5 million. While Denton isn't a very large city, it draws in more than twice its population every year for festivals like the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo.
The opening of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in 1974, in addition to the city's growing status within the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex in the decade previously, saw an increase from 27,000 in 1960 to 40,000. The second-largest leap in population came in the 1980s, with a growth of an additional 18,000 people, culminating in a population of 66,000 in 1990.
None of this compares, however, to Denton’s largest decade of growth: the 2000s. Denton has seen rapid growth in recent years, along with the majority of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and has become the country’s seventh fastest growing city. In the year 2000, the population sat at 80,000. By 2010, this had skyrocketed to 117,000: an increase of 36,000 people, or a percentage increase of more than 45%.
Denton is expected to grow faster than ever in the years to come thanks to greater sensitivity to the needs of developers and a shorter permitting process. There are now two master-planned communities proposed that would add 15,000 new homes to the city, increasing residential properties by nearly 50% (https://www.bisnow.com/dallas-ft-worth/news/economic-development/denton-county-poised-for-major-residental-growth-with-commercial-following-those-rooftops-97372).
Denton's history began in the mid-1800s when William S. Peters got a land grant from the Texas Congress and founded a colony in his name. A few years following this, Denton County was formed, and the town was renamed Denton.
In 1866, Denton was incorporated, and as the city was expanding, it grew into a major agricultural trade center. The Texas and Pacific Railway was built in 1881 and gave Denton a rail connection that led to a booming population.
Denton’s connection to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the building of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport saw a near doubling in population growth between the 1960s and the 1980s. Heavy manufacturing companies moved in, joining older firms, and saw the population continue to grow more so into the 1990s and 2000s.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Denton was:
White
Black or African American
Two or more races
Other race
Asian
Native American
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Household Type | Count | Average Size | Owner | Renter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 52,243 | 2.54 | 49.4 | 50.6 |
| Married | 22,995 | 3.18 | 75 | 25 |
| Non Family | 21,340 | 1.59 | 25.2 | 74.8 |
| Female | 5,387 | 3.16 | 35.4 | 64.6 |
| Male | 2,521 | 3.47 | 49.9 | 50.1 |
3.08
Average Family Size
2.54
Average Household Size
49.4%
Rate of Home Ownership
Married
Male
Female
NonFamily
owner
renter
Male
Female
Less Than 9th Grade
9th to 12th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
High School Graduation Rate
Bachelors Rate
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 70.06%.
All
Male
Female
$45,459
Average Earnings
$51,369
Average Male
$40,572
Average Female
Only English
Spanish
Other Indo-European Languages
Asian and Pacific Island Languages
Other Languages
78.19% of Denton residents speak only English, while 21.81% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 16.34% of the population.
rate
15.73%
Overall Poverty Rate
15.25%
Male Poverty Rate
16.22%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Denton is Islander, with 33.33% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Denton is Native, with 8.09% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3%. Among those working part-time, it was 31.37%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 22.69%.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
40.9%
Overall Marriage Rate
42.4%
Male Marriage Rate
39.3%
Female Marriage Rate
male
female
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
NeverMarried
Less Than 9th Grade
High School Graduate
Some College
Bachelors or Greater
6.37%
Veteran Poverty Rate
24.23%
Veteran Disability Rate
LaborForceParticipation
67.8%
Labor Force Participation
64.5%
Employment Rate
4.8%
Unemployment Rate
LaborForceParticipation
LaborForceParticipation
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
Europe
Asia
Africa
Oceania
Latin America
North America
55.49%
Born in Denton
87.17%
Native Born
12.83%
Foreign Born
8.46%
Non Citizen
4.37%
Naturalized
87.17% of Denton residents were born in the United States, with 55.49% having been born in Texas. 8.46% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2029 | 182,749 | 4,628 | 2.6% |
| 2028 | 178,121 | 4,628 | 2.67% |
| 2027 | 173,493 | 4,628 | 2.74% |
| 2026 | 168,865 | 4,628 | 2.82% |
| 2025 | 164,237 | 4,628 | 2.9% |
| 2024 | 159,609 | 4,628 | 2.99% |
| 2023 | 154,981 | 4,628 | 3.08% |
| 2022 | 150,353 | 3,145 | 2.14% |
| 2021 | 147,208 | 6,111 | 4.33% |
| 2020 | 141,097 | -1,403 | -0.98% |
| 2019 | 142,500 | 4,049 | 2.92% |
| 2018 | 138,451 | 2,721 | 2% |
| 2017 | 135,730 | 1,364 | 1.02% |
| 2016 | 134,366 | 3,131 | 2.39% |
| 2015 | 131,235 | 2,956 | 2.3% |
| 2014 | 128,279 | 3,206 | 2.56% |
| 2013 | 125,073 | 1,473 | 1.19% |
| 2012 | 123,600 | 3,482 | 2.9% |
| 2011 | 120,118 | 3,102 | 2.65% |
| 2010 | 117,016 | 36,479 | 45.29% |
| 2000 | 80,537 | 14,267 | 21.53% |
| 1990 | 66,270 | 18,207 | 37.88% |
| 1980 | 48,063 | 8,189 | 20.54% |
| 1970 | 39,874 | 13,030 | 48.54% |
| 1960 | 26,844 | 5,472 | 25.6% |
| 1950 | 21,372 | 10,180 | 90.96% |
| 1940 | 11,192 | 1,605 | 16.74% |
| 1930 | 9,587 | 1,961 | 25.71% |
| 1920 | 7,626 | 2,894 | 61.16% |
| 1910 | 4,732 | 545 | 13.02% |
| 1900 | 4,187 | 1,629 | 63.68% |
| 1890 | 2,558 | 0 | 0% |