Texas Cities, Counties Pinch Pennies Amid Slowing Economy

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 to pinch pennies as economic uncertainty, inflation, strict state limits on property tax collections and uncertainty around future federal funds have crimped their budgets. That’s