Parker County, Texas

Parker County is a county in Texas, United States, about 25 miles west of Fort Worth on
Interstate 20. It had a population of 148,222 at the 2020 census, an estimated 184,767 by 2025,
and covers 910 square miles (2,357 km2) centred near 32°47′N 97°49′W.

Weatherford is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 76086.
The county holds 12 cities, 6 incorporated towns and 9 unincorporated communities, and it runs
on Central Time.

Towns & Villages in Parker County

Parker County has 27 named places on record: 12 incorporated cities, 6 incorporated towns and
9 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Several cities on the list
straddle a neighboring county, so their citywide population figures below are not entirely
Parker County residents; see the note after the table.

Six places on this list are only partly in Parker County, and their table populations are
citywide, not county-specific. Mineral Wells sits mostly in Palo Pinto County, with only a slice
reaching east into Parker. Azle and Briar are centered in Tarrant and Wise counties; Briar’s
CDP boundary also touches a corner of Parker. Cresson sits at the meeting point of Hood, Johnson
and Parker counties, with most of its area in the other two. Reno’s city limits are mostly in
Parker, but a small portion extends into Tarrant County — and it is a different city from
Reno in Lamar County, Texas, on the opposite side of the state. Fort Worth’s vast city limits
include a narrow annexed strip in eastern Parker County near Hudson Oaks and Willow Park; its
population, over 900,000 citywide, is not a meaningful Parker County figure and is omitted above.

ZIP Codes

• 76086 — Weatherford (the county’s main ZIP)
• 76087 — Weatherford, also serving Willow Park and Hudson Oaks
• 76088 — Weatherford (PO box ZIP)
• 76085 — Weatherford
• 76008 — Aledo, also serving Annetta
• 76082 — Springtown
• 76035 — Cresson
• 76066 — Millsap
• 76439 — Dennis
• 76487 — Poolville
• 76490 — Whitt
• 76020 — Azle, also covering the Parker County edge of Briar
• 76067 — Mineral Wells

Annetta South, Annetta North, Sanctuary, Cool, Brock, Peaster, Goshen, Carter, Garner,
Horseshoe Bend, Western Lake and Reno have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered
under a neighboring town’s code.

Geography

Parker County lies in the Western Cross Timbers, a belt of oak woodland and rolling prairie
between the Fort Worth Prairie to the east and the mesquite plains further west. Of its 910
square miles, 903 are land and 6.6 are water, about 0.7 percent — the county has no large
natural lake, and its main waterway, the Brazos River, cuts across the southern part of the
county on its way toward Hood County. Lake Weatherford, an impoundment on the county’s eastern
side, is the largest reservoir and supplies part of Weatherford’s drinking water.

Wise County lies to the north, Tarrant County to the east, Johnson County to the southeast,
Hood County to the south, Palo Pinto County to the west, and Jack County to the northwest.
Tarrant County,
Johnson County,
Hood County,
Palo Pinto County and
Jack County all have their own pages on
this site; Wise County to the north does not.

Demographics

Parker County had a population of 148,222 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 184,767 residents by 2025 — among the fastest-growing counties in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area. Weatherford and Aledo are the two largest communities based mainly within the county.
Median household income runs $104,443 (2024), well above Texas’s statewide figure of $75,780
(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 160 people per square mile of land, reflecting
the county’s position on the western edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

Economy & Local Life

Retail trade employs the most workers in the county, about 10,335 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 9,724 and manufacturing at 9,442. Weatherford Independent School
District and Weatherford College, a community college founded in the 1860s, are among the
county’s largest employers and institutions. Hudson Oaks, on the county’s eastern edge, added a
large H-E-B grocery store in 2019 and has built a retail and restaurant strip that draws shoppers
from across the county. Weatherford carries two long-standing nicknames, “Cutting Horse Capital
of the World” for its concentration of cutting-horse ranches and competitions, and “Peach
Capital of Texas” for the orchards on the county’s sandy soils east of town. The county’s
biggest annual event is the Parker County Peach Festival in Weatherford, held every summer and
drawing crowds from across North Texas.

History

The Texas Legislature created Parker County in 1855 and organized it the following
year. It was named for Isaac Parker, a state
legislator who introduced the bill establishing the county and later served in the Texas
Brigade. Weatherford was named for Thomas J. Weatherford, a state senator, and became the county
seat; the railroad reached the town in June 1880, spurring its growth as a regional trading
center.

Fort Worth’s western edge has pushed steadily into Parker County over the past two decades,
and the towns nearest that edge — Hudson Oaks, Willow Park, Annetta and Aledo — have
grown fastest as a result, converting former ranchland into subdivisions.

Getting There

Interstate 20 crosses the county through Weatherford, Aledo, Willow Park and Hudson Oaks, and
Interstate 30 begins at its interchange with I-20 near Aledo. US 180 and US 377 also run through
the county, along with Texas Highways 171, 199 and 312 and a network of farm-to-market roads.

• Fort Worth — about 25 miles east
• Mineral Wells — about 20 miles west
• Granbury — about 25 miles south
• Decatur — about 25 miles north

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, roughly 40 miles east of Weatherford, is the nearest
major commercial airport. Amtrak’s Texas Eagle stops in Fort Worth, about 25 miles east of
Weatherford, connecting to Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Chicago.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Parker County located?
It sits in North Central Texas, about 25 miles west of Fort Worth, bordered by Wise, Tarrant,
Johnson, Hood, Palo Pinto and Jack counties.

What is the population of Parker County?
148,222 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 184,767 by 2025.

How big is Parker County?
910 square miles (2,357 km2), of which 903 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Parker County?
Weatherford, the county’s largest city, is the county seat.

How many towns and cities are in Parker County?
Twelve incorporated cities and six incorporated towns, plus nine unincorporated communities
without a local government of their own.

What ZIP codes does Parker County use?
76086, 76087, 76088 and 76085 for Weatherford; 76008 for Aledo and Annetta; 76082 for
Springtown; 76035 for Cresson; 76066 for Millsap; and 76439 for Dennis, among others.

What is Parker County known for?
Its cutting-horse ranches, the Parker County Peach Festival, and being one of the fastest-growing
counties on the western edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

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