2,656,028 people (2024 Census estimate, +1.7% since 2020)
873 square miles of land · 3,042 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
34 active community water systems list Dallas County in the area they serve, reporting 3,013,274 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| DALLAS WATER UTILITY surface water · local government · TX0570004 | 1,356,479 served |
| CITY OF IRVING buys surface water · local government · TX0570050 | 264,546 served |
| CITY OF GARLAND buys surface water · local government · TX0570010 | 248,822 served |
| CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE buys surface water · local government · TX0570048 | 201,843 served |
| CITY OF MESQUITE buys surface water · local government · TX0570014 | 158,412 served |
| CITY OF CARROLLTON buys surface water · local government · TX0570034 | 136,170 served |
| CITY OF RICHARDSON buys surface water · local government · TX0570015 | 122,615 served |
| CITY OF ROWLETT buys surface water · local government · TX0570056 | 68,123 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 7,114 people were held in Dallas County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 5,582.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
17 school districts have their office in Dallas County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $2.9 billion — $2 billion to run schools, about $14,470 per student, plus $514.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.8 billion local (mostly property tax), $169.4 million state, $612.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.5 billion.
Spent $702.4 million — $661.4 million to run schools, about $12,534 per student, plus $18.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $354.2 million local (mostly property tax), $258.3 million state, $118 million federal. Long-term debt: $417.3 million.
Spent $615.2 million — $468.8 million to run schools, about $12,223 per student, plus $109.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $185.4 million local (mostly property tax), $276.9 million state, $130.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $704.8 million.
Spent $739 million — $450.9 million to run schools, about $12,101 per student, plus $245.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $426.3 million local (mostly property tax), $71.3 million state, $93.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $816.8 million.
Spent $416.3 million — $387.1 million to run schools, about $12,187 per student, plus $12.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $232.7 million local (mostly property tax), $141.2 million state, $97.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $314.7 million.
Spent $367.5 million — $323.6 million to run schools, about $11,976 per student, plus $20 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $188.4 million local (mostly property tax), $162.7 million state, $78.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $401.9 million.
Spent $446.3 million — $327.3 million to run schools, about $13,227 per student, plus $59.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $303.9 million local (mostly property tax), $38.3 million state, $52.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $336.2 million.
Spent $211.7 million — $139.7 million to run schools, about $10,455 per student, plus $4.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $158.4 million local (mostly property tax), $15.6 million state, $7.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $336 million.
And 9 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Very High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Dallas County about $973.2 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively Moderate.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
3,261 bridges in Dallas County: 1,387 in good condition, 1,837 fair, and 37 poor (1.1%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| IH 35E over Oak Lawn Ave & Turtle Ck · built 1959 | 194,462 vehicles a day |
| IH 45 NB Conn C over IH 30 · built 1961 | 194,353 vehicles a day |
| IH 635 over Draw · built 1969 | 182,015 vehicles a day |
| IH 35E NB Conn over DART & DNT · built 1967 | 146,500 vehicles a day |
| IH 30 over Lake Ray Hubbard · built 1995 | 141,993 vehicles a day |
| IH 45 over UPRR & MILLER FERRY RD · built 1954 | 95,059 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $1.3 billion of work in Dallas County in fiscal 2025, about $502 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Dallas County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Dallas County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Rockwall County (23 mi) · Ellis County (29 mi) · Tarrant County (30 mi) · Kaufman County (31 mi) · Collin County (32 mi) · Denton County (36 mi).