Denton County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Denton County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Texas
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in Texas
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A
Education Above averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Denton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 979,063 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1028.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 3.32% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 360,174 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Denton County grew by 61.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 979,063 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Denton County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 25.0% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 221,779 22.7% -0.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 245,210 25.0% +2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 208,780 21.3% +1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 106,689 10.9% -2.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.7% of the people living in Denton County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.3% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Denton County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Denton County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Denton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $112,041 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.78% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.0% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Denton County is about 42% higher than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Denton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $436,133 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,728 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.5% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Denton County is about 21.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,728 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Denton County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 217 hours, about 9.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Denton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.1 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.2 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 217 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,737 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 23.5% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,950 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,228 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Denton County is 26 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Denton County has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Denton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 43.9% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.68 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Denton County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Denton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.9% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.6% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Denton County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Denton County, TX is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 979,063 residents against a local median of 1,163,170. Denton County, TX's median home price, at $436,133, runs 35% above the $322,393 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $112,041 against a local median of $85,034, 32% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 32% above the local median it puts Denton County, TX at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $209,324 on median home price, so Denton County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Denton County, TX has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton County, TX | 979,063 | $112,041 #2/6 | $436,133 #1/6 | 26.1 min #4/6 |
| Cooke County, TX | 43,046 | $79,796 | $216,949 | 20.8 min |
| Tarrant County, TX | 2,166,122 | $85,034 | $322,393 | 23.6 min |
| Wise County, TX | 75,004 | $92,724 | $211,538 | 30.7 min |
| Collin County, TX | 1,163,170 | $121,672 | $420,862 | 26.1 min |
| Dallas County, TX | 2,620,115 | $76,775 | $343,060 | 23.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Denton County, Texas.
What is the population of Denton County, Texas?
About 979,063 people live in Denton County, Texas, in 360,174 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Denton County, Texas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Denton County, Texas has 1,029 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 12 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Denton County, Texas?
The median home costs 3.9 times the median household income ($436,133 against $112,041), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,728 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Denton County, Texas?
Unemployment in Denton County, Texas is only 4.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Denton County, Texas have a college degree?
43.9% of adults in Denton County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 2), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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