Dallas County, Texas

Dallas County is a county in Texas, United States, at the core of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, about 33 miles east of downtown Fort Worth. It had a population of 2,613,539 at the 2020 census, an estimated 2,661,397 by 2025, and covers 873 square miles (2,261 km2) of land centred near 32°46′N 96°47′W.

Dallas is the county seat and by far its largest city; its downtown postal code is 75201. The county holds 27 incorporated cities and towns plus two unincorporated communities, and it has no civil townships — Texas counties never use that layer of government. Dallas County runs on Central time and carries FIPS code 48113.

Towns & Villages in Dallas County

Dallas County packs 27 incorporated places into 873 square miles, more than any other Texas county, plus two unincorporated communities that never organized as cities. The table below covers all of them. “City · seat” marks Dallas itself; “Town” marks the three general-law towns (Addison, Highland Park, Sunnyvale); “CDP” is a Census-recognized unincorporated place; “Unincorp.” has no formal government at all.

Several places share ZIPs and borders, which trips up readers who assume a ZIP maps to one city. University Park and Highland Park — the “Park Cities,” two separate municipalities that surround Southern Methodist University — both use 75205. Ovilla and Glenn Heights both use 75154. Combine and Seagoville both use 75159. A cluster of cities straddle the county line: Grand Prairie reaches into Tarrant and Ellis Counties, Irving and Carrollton into Tarrant and Denton, Richardson and Sachse into Collin, Rowlett into Rockwall, Coppell into Denton, and Cedar Hill and Ovilla into Ellis — each is counted here only for its Dallas County population. Ferris, Grapevine, Lewisville and Wylie touch Dallas County’s edge but keep their city halls and the bulk of their population in Ellis, Tarrant, Denton and Collin Counties respectively, so they are not listed as Dallas County places. Oak Leaf and Pecan Hill, sometimes miscounted as Dallas County cities by aggregator sites, sit entirely in Ellis County.

ZIP Codes

Dallas County carries roughly 162 ZIP codes in total — Dallas alone uses dozens, split by district (downtown 75201, Oak Cliff 75211, East Dallas 75223, North Dallas 75230s). The other 26 places mostly run on a single ZIP each: 75001 Addison, 75006 Carrollton, 75019 Coppell, 75038 Irving, 75040 Garland, 75048 Sachse, 75050 Grand Prairie, 75080 Richardson, 75088 Rowlett, 75104 Cedar Hill, 75115 DeSoto, 75116 Duncanville, 75134 Lancaster, 75141 Hutchins, 75149 Mesquite, 75154 Ovilla and Glenn Heights, 75159 Seagoville and Combine, 75172 Wilmer, 75180 Balch Springs, 75182 Sunnyvale, 75205 University Park and Highland Park, 75211 Cockrell Hill, and 75234 Farmers Branch. Bear Creek Ranch and Sand Branch have no ZIP of their own; mail for both routes through neighboring post offices.

Geography

The county sits on the Blackland Prairie, a flat, dark-clay belt that made cotton and later cattle profitable in the 1800s. The West Fork and Elm Fork of the Trinity River join inside Dallas city limits and run southeast through the county; water covers 35 square miles (91 km2), about 4% of the total area. White Rock Lake, an urban reservoir surrounded by parkland, sits inside Dallas. Lake Ray Hubbard, shared with Rockwall and Kaufman Counties, forms part of the eastern boundary.

Dallas County borders Denton County to the northwest, Collin County to the northeast, Rockwall County to the east, Kaufman County to the southeast, Ellis County to the south, and Tarrant County to the west.

Demographics

Dallas County had a population of 2,613,539 at the 2020 census, estimated at 2,661,397 by 2025 — the second most populous county in Texas after Harris County. Dallas (1,303,503) and Irving (256,886) are the two largest communities. Median household income runs about $76,500, close to the statewide figure of roughly $76,300. Population density works out to about 2,993 people per square mile, among the highest of any Texas county.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector at roughly 147,600 workers, followed by retail trade (about 140,800) and professional, scientific and technical services (about 134,600). Major employers include Texas Health Resources and UT Southwestern Medical Center in the health sector, Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics operations, AT&T’s downtown Dallas headquarters, and State Farm’s regional campus in Richardson. Southern Methodist University sits across University Park and Highland Park; Baylor University Medical Center anchors East Dallas. The county’s biggest annual event is the State Fair of Texas, held at Fair Park in Dallas from late September into October and drawing more than two million visitors a year.

History

The Texas legislature created Dallas County on March 30, 1846, carving it from the Nacogdoches and Robertson land districts shortly after statehood. The name is usually traced to George Mifflin Dallas, the 11th vice president of the United States under James K. Polk, though the exact honoree was never formally recorded and other candidates have been proposed over the years. The county’s best-known event is the November 22, 1963, assassination of President John F. Kennedy in downtown Dallas; the former Texas School Book Depository, from which the fatal shots were fired, now houses the Sixth Floor Museum.

Getting There

Interstates 20, 30, 35E, 45, 345 and 635 all cross the county, along with US 67, 75, 77, 80 and 175.

• Fort Worth — 33 miles west
• Denton — 38 miles north
• Waco — 90 miles south
• Tyler — 85 miles southeast

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport straddles the county’s northwest corner (with Tarrant County), and Dallas Love Field sits entirely within Dallas city limits, both offering commercial service. Amtrak’s Texas Eagle stops downtown at the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Dallas County, Texas?
It sits in north-central Texas at the core of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, centred near 32°46′N 96°47′W.

What is the population of Dallas County?
2,613,539 at the 2020 census, estimated at 2,661,397 by 2025.

How big is Dallas County?
873 square miles (2,261 km2) of land, plus 35 square miles (91 km2) of water.

What is the county seat of Dallas County?
Dallas, which is also the county’s largest city with a 2020 population of 1,303,503.

How many towns and cities are in Dallas County?
27 incorporated places — one city and county seat, 23 other cities, and 3 towns — plus two unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes cover Dallas County?
Roughly 162 ZIP codes in total; Dallas itself uses dozens, and most other cities run on a single ZIP each, listed above.

Why is Dallas County significant in US history?
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in downtown Dallas on November 22, 1963; the Sixth Floor Museum at the former Texas School Book Depository documents the event.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.