Subscribe to The Y’all — a weekly dispatch about the people, places and policies defining Texas, produced by Texas Tribune journalists living in communities across the state.

DALLAS — Last year, Fort Worth gained a new distinction as Texas’ fourth city with more than 1 million people .

While other major Texas cities grew at a slower clip or struggled to regain residents it lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fort Worth boomed. The city added more than 100,000 new residents between 2019 and 2024, outpacing any other Texas city — including its neighbor, Dallas.

Despite that growth, Fort Worth officials found themselves in a tight spot this summer, facing a nearly $17 million budget deficit.

They’re not the only ones with budget woes. Texas cities and counties, large and small, have had

See Full Page