Cities in Texas by population

Houston, TX had the highest population of 256 cities in 2021, at 2.29 million. Josephine, TX had the lowest, at 4,569. The median was 23,917 and the figure for Texas was 29.57 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,291,811Houston, TX
Lowest4,569Josephine, TX
Median23,917256 cities
Texas29,572,672History

Top 40 cities, 2021

Houston, TX: 2,291,811 personsHouston, TX2,291,811San Antonio, TX: 1,453,435 personsSan Antonio, TX1,453,435Dallas, TX: 1,290,763 personsDallas, TX1,290,763Austin, TX: 966,501 personsAustin, TX966,501Fort Worth, TX: 938,082 personsFort Worth, TX938,082El Paso, TX: 678,522 personsEl Paso, TX678,522Arlington, TX: 393,551 personsArlington, TX393,551Corpus Christi, TX: 318,180 personsCorpus Christi, TX318,180Plano, TX: 288,912 personsPlano, TX288,912Lubbock, TX: 261,274 personsLubbock, TX261,274Laredo, TX: 255,675 personsLaredo, TX255,675Irving, TX: 254,513 personsIrving, TX254,513Garland, TX: 244,368 personsGarland, TX244,368Frisco, TX: 211,127 personsFrisco, TX211,127McKinney, TX: 203,569 personsMcKinney, TX203,569Amarillo, TX: 200,863 personsAmarillo, TX200,863Grand Prairie, TX: 197,300 personsGrand Prairie, TX197,300Brownsville, TX: 187,322 personsBrownsville, TX187,322Killeen, TX: 157,135 personsKilleen, TX157,135Pasadena, TX: 148,750 personsPasadena, TX148,750Mesquite, TX: 147,704 personsMesquite, TX147,704Denton, TX: 147,288 personsDenton, TX147,288McAllen, TX: 143,739 personsMcAllen, TX143,739Waco, TX: 142,397 personsWaco, TX142,397Carrollton, TX: 133,629 personsCarrollton, TX133,629Midland, TX: 131,981 personsMidland, TX131,981Pearland, TX: 127,838 personsPearland, TX127,838Lewisville, TX: 127,246 personsLewisville, TX127,246Abilene, TX: 125,883 personsAbilene, TX125,883Round Rock, TX: 124,130 personsRound Rock, TX124,130College Station, TX: 122,619 personsCollege Station, TX122,619Richardson, TX: 118,127 personsRichardson, TX118,127League City, TX: 115,622 personsLeague City, TX115,622Beaumont, TX: 113,581 personsBeaumont, TX113,581Odessa, TX: 112,281 personsOdessa, TX112,281Sugar Land, TX: 109,678 personsSugar Land, TX109,678Tyler, TX: 107,427 personsTyler, TX107,427Allen, TX: 107,101 personsAllen, TX107,101Edinburg, TX: 102,930 personsEdinburg, TX102,930Wichita Falls, TX: 102,836 personsWichita Falls, TX102,836Houston, TX: 2,291,811 personsHouston, TX2,291,811San Antonio, TX: 1,453,435 personsSan Antonio, TX1,453,435Dallas, TX: 1,290,763 personsDallas, TX1,290,763Austin, TX: 966,501 personsAustin, TX966,501Fort Worth, TX: 938,082 personsFort Worth, TX938,082El Paso, TX: 678,522 personsEl Paso, TX678,522Arlington, TX: 393,551 personsArlington, TX393,551Corpus Christi, TX: 318,180 personsCorpus Christi, TX318,180Plano, TX: 288,912 personsPlano, TX288,912Lubbock, TX: 261,274 personsLubbock, TX261,274Laredo, TX: 255,675 personsLaredo, TX255,675Irving, TX: 254,513 personsIrving, TX254,513Garland, TX: 244,368 personsGarland, TX244,368Frisco, TX: 211,127 personsFrisco, TX211,127McKinney, TX: 203,569 personsMcKinney, TX203,569Amarillo, TX: 200,863 personsAmarillo, TX200,863Grand Prairie, TX: 197,300 personsGrand Prairie, TX197,300Brownsville, TX: 187,322 personsBrownsville, TX187,322Killeen, TX: 157,135 personsKilleen, TX157,135Pasadena, TX: 148,750 personsPasadena, TX148,750Mesquite, TX: 147,704 personsMesquite, TX147,704Denton, TX: 147,288 personsDenton, TX147,288McAllen, TX: 143,739 personsMcAllen, TX143,739Waco, TX: 142,397 personsWaco, TX142,397Carrollton, TX: 133,629 personsCarrollton, TX133,629Midland, TX: 131,981 personsMidland, TX131,981Pearland, TX: 127,838 personsPearland, TX127,838Lewisville, TX: 127,246 personsLewisville, TX127,246Abilene, TX: 125,883 personsAbilene, TX125,883Round Rock, TX: 124,130 personsRound Rock, TX124,130College Station, TX: 122,619 personsCollege Station, TX122,619Richardson, TX: 118,127 personsRichardson, TX118,127League City, TX: 115,622 personsLeague City, TX115,622Beaumont, TX: 113,581 personsBeaumont, TX113,581Odessa, TX: 112,281 personsOdessa, TX112,281Sugar Land, TX: 109,678 personsSugar Land, TX109,678Tyler, TX: 107,427 personsTyler, TX107,427Allen, TX: 107,101 personsAllen, TX107,101Edinburg, TX: 102,930 personsEdinburg, TX102,930Wichita Falls, TX: 102,836 personsWichita Falls, TX102,836
persons. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021
persons
Change on 2020
1Houston, TX2,291,811-0.3%
2San Antonio, TX1,453,435+1.1%
3Dallas, TX1,290,763-1%
4Austin, TX966,501+0.5%
5Fort Worth, TX938,082+1.6%
6El Paso, TX678,522-0.1%
7Arlington, TX393,551-0.2%
8Corpus Christi, TX318,180-0%
9Plano, TX288,912+0.9%
10Lubbock, TX261,274+1.2%
11Laredo, TX255,675+0.1%
12Irving, TX254,513-0.9%
13Garland, TX244,368-0.8%
14Frisco, TX211,127+4.1%
15McKinney, TX203,569+3.1%
16Amarillo, TX200,863+0.2%
17Grand Prairie, TX197,300+0.6%
18Brownsville, TX187,322+0.4%
19Killeen, TX157,135+2.2%
20Pasadena, TX148,750-1.8%
21Mesquite, TX147,704-1.3%
22Denton, TX147,288+4.4%
23McAllen, TX143,739+0.9%
24Waco, TX142,397+1.3%
25Carrollton, TX133,6290%
26Midland, TX131,981-1%
27Pearland, TX127,8380%
28Lewisville, TX127,246+0.7%
29Abilene, TX125,883+0.6%
30Round Rock, TX124,130+3%
31College Station, TX122,619+1.5%
32Richardson, TX118,127-1%
33League City, TX115,622+0.9%
34Beaumont, TX113,581-1.1%
35Odessa, TX112,281-2.3%
36Sugar Land, TX109,678-1%
37Tyler, TX107,427+1.2%
38Allen, TX107,101+1.5%
39Edinburg, TX102,930+2.2%
40Wichita Falls, TX102,836+0.4%
41San Angelo, TX99,461-0.6%
42New Braunfels, TX99,075+8.1%
43Conroe, TX95,444+4.7%
44Mission, TX86,122+0.3%
45Temple, TX85,868+3.7%
46Bryan, TX85,358+1.2%
47Baytown, TX84,386-1.2%
48Longview, TX81,729-0%
49Pharr, TX79,603-0.3%
50Cedar Park, TX78,940+1.2%
51Flower Mound, TX77,527+1.4%
52Georgetown, TX75,971+10.5%
53Missouri City, TX75,101+0.9%
54Mansfield, TX74,460+2.3%
55Harlingen, TX72,058+0.2%
56North Richland Hills, TX70,283-0%
57San Marcos, TX69,442+1.8%
58Leander, TX67,099+10.2%
59Pflugerville, TX66,491+1.5%
60Victoria, TX65,216-0.5%
61Rowlett, TX63,699+1.5%
62Euless, TX60,535-0.9%
63Wylie, TX59,493+2.8%
64Port Arthur, TX56,233+0.4%
65DeSoto, TX55,685-0.6%
66Texas City, TX54,300+3.9%
67Galveston, TX53,453-0.4%
68Kyle, TX51,634+11.2%
69Burleson, TX51,505+7.3%
70Grapevine, TX50,928+0.3%
71Little Elm, TX50,830+8.7%
72Rockwall, TX49,788+4.3%
73Bedford, TX49,287-1.1%
74Cedar Hill, TX48,560-1.1%
75Huntsville, TX46,940+2.4%
76Haltom City, TX45,792-0.4%
77Keller, TX45,442-0.6%
78The Colony, TX45,241+1%
79Sherman, TX45,077+2.5%
80Waxahachie, TX43,800+5.3%
81Schertz, TX42,816+1.3%
82Coppell, TX42,204-1.5%
83Weslaco, TX41,005+0.9%
84Friendswood, TX40,948-0.2%
85Lancaster, TX40,709-1.3%
86Hurst, TX40,112-0.5%
87Duncanville, TX39,816-1.8%
88Rosenberg, TX39,614+2.9%
89Copperas Cove, TX37,480+2%
90Midlothian, TX37,006+4.3%
91Socorro, TX36,148+4.4%
92Texarkana, TX36,112-0.3%
93Farmers Branch, TX36,049-0.5%
93La Porte, TX36,049+2.1%
95San Juan, TX35,539+0.5%
96Del Rio, TX34,566-0.4%
97Lufkin, TX34,216+0.3%
98Prosper, TX34,159+10.8%
99Weatherford, TX33,973+9%
100Deer Park, TX33,769-1.8%
101Harker Heights, TX33,600+1.1%
102Cibolo, TX33,503+2.1%
103Cleburne, TX32,147+2.2%
104Nacogdoches, TX32,045-0%
105Southlake, TX31,122-0.4%
106Seguin, TX31,009+5.1%
107Hutto, TX30,901+10%
108Greenville, TX29,557+4.6%
109Sachse, TX29,002+7.1%
110Converse, TX28,694+3%
111Eagle Pass, TX28,187-0.1%
112Lake Jackson, TX27,893-0.9%
113Alvin, TX27,474+1.6%
114Balch Springs, TX27,168-1.7%
115Forney, TX27,131+14.4%
116Big Spring, TX26,067-0.8%
117Colleyville, TX25,989-0.2%
118Corsicana, TX25,541+1.6%
119Denison, TX25,201+2.6%
120University Park, TX25,110-0.6%
121Kingsville, TX24,995-1.1%
122San Benito, TX24,830-0.5%
123Benbrook, TX24,656+0.6%
124Paris, TX24,647+0.6%
125Kerrville, TX24,532+0.9%
126Fulshear, TX24,524+42.7%
127Celina, TX24,097+33.6%
128Saginaw, TX24,0410%
129Katy, TX23,793+6%
130Marshall, TX23,684+1.5%
131Belton, TX23,615+2.1%
132Watauga, TX23,303-1.2%
133Horizon City, TX23,131+2.3%
134Corinth, TX22,815+0.3%
135Dickinson, TX21,691+1.1%
136Stephenville, TX21,414+1.4%
137Ennis, TX21,267+5.2%
138Murphy, TX21,222+0.7%
139Fate, TX21,004+14%
140Portland, TX20,612+1%
141Anna, TX20,459+16.1%
142Princeton, TX20,071+14.7%
143Alamo, TX19,979+1.6%
144Universal City, TX19,853+0.5%
145Plainview, TX19,806-1.2%
146Angleton, TX19,404-0.1%
147Boerne, TX19,383+7.2%
148Crowley, TX19,320+5.3%
149Lakeway, TX19,248-0.1%
150Orange, TX19,107-0.9%
151Palestine, TX18,946+1.9%
152Terrell, TX18,904+6%
153Alton, TX18,844+2.7%
154La Marque, TX18,843+2.1%
155Seagoville, TX18,819+1.4%
156Brownwood, TX18,736-0.4%
157Nederland, TX18,486-1.6%
158White Settlement, TX18,153-0.6%
159Manor, TX18,106+28.2%
160Brenham, TX18,040+3.9%
161Bay City, TX17,950-0.6%
162Alice, TX17,823-0.2%
163Gainesville, TX17,686+1.7%
164Addison, TX17,417+1.9%
165Glenn Heights, TX17,174+6.7%
166Stafford, TX17,158-1.3%
167Groves, TX17,073-1.3%
168Bellaire, TX17,005-1.1%
169Melissa, TX16,969+18.3%
170Taylor, TX16,928+2.9%
171Donna, TX16,8030%
172Pampa, TX16,741-0.7%
173Humble, TX16,466-1.6%
174Mercedes, TX16,307+0.2%
175Hewitt, TX16,217+0.9%
176Gatesville, TX16,155+0.4%
177Mount Pleasant, TX16,1170%
178Sulphur Springs, TX16,082+0.7%
179Royse City, TX16,058+16.5%
180Highland Village, TX16,024+0.5%
181South Houston, TX15,918-1.5%
182Live Oak, TX15,877+0.4%
183Palmview, TX15,827-0%
184Buda, TX15,694+2.6%
185Red Oak, TX15,420+6.7%
186Canyon, TX15,390+3.1%
187Uvalde, TX15,360+0.9%
188Rio Grande City, TX15,303+0.1%
189Mineral Wells, TX14,957+0.9%
190West University Place, TX14,842-1.2%
191Hereford, TX14,781-0.9%
192Lockhart, TX14,700+2.3%
193Dumas, TX14,298-0.9%
194Hidalgo, TX14,202+1.4%
195Jacksonville, TX14,177+1.1%
196Trophy Club, TX13,846+0.6%
197Forest Hill, TX13,843-0.8%
198Lumberton, TX13,836+1.5%
199Beeville, TX13,645-0.1%
200Seabrook, TX13,576-0.1%
201Port Neches, TX13,568-0.8%
202Azle, TX13,525+0.8%
203Kilgore, TX13,386+0.3%
204Andrews, TX13,349-1.2%
205Henderson, TX13,292+0.2%
206Athens, TX13,108+1.8%
207Santa Fe, TX12,782+0.4%
208Tomball, TX12,733+3.4%
209Robinson, TX12,657+1.5%
210Borger, TX12,430-0.8%
211Levelland, TX12,414-1.6%
212Richmond, TX12,300+5.8%
213El Campo, TX12,239-0.7%
214Webster, TX12,205-2%
215Manvel, TX12,181+20.2%
216Granbury, TX11,693+5.8%
217Selma, TX11,613+1.7%
218Leon Valley, TX11,496-0.4%
219Roma, TX11,494-0.1%
220Port Lavaca, TX11,394-1.1%
221Snyder, TX11,328-0.6%
222Town of Pecos, TX11,310-13%
223Fredericksburg, TX11,268+2.2%
224Burkburnett, TX11,040+0.7%
225Iowa Colony, TX10,805+26.4%
226Pleasanton, TX10,796+1.2%
227Fairview, TX10,681+2.5%
228Clute, TX10,633-0.1%
229Freeport, TX10,609-0.8%
230Fair Oaks Ranch, TX10,516+5.8%
231Sweetwater, TX10,510-0.9%
232Bonham, TX10,502+1.3%
233Bellmead, TX10,494-0%
234Galena Park, TX10,470-2%
235Elgin, TX10,457+6.7%
236Rockport, TX10,451+3.1%
237Bastrop, TX10,251+4.7%
238Raymondville, TX10,224+0.3%
239Robstown, TX10,141+0.1%
240Heath, TX10,139+4.1%
241San Elizario, TX10,106-0.2%
242Roanoke, TX9,944+1.8%
243Ingleside, TX9,904+3%
244Sanger, TX9,422+5.5%
245Lago Vista, TX9,264+3.2%
246Helotes, TX9,112+0.9%
247Dayton, TX8,759+3.6%
248Kennedale, TX8,461-0.5%
249Mont Belvieu, TX8,385+6.5%
250Providence Village, TX7,869+1.6%

Showing the top 250 of 256. The Excel download has every row.

Other periods

About this ranking

Resident population.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain and the EU: 1 January, with Spanish figures from the official municipal register (Padrón).
  • Norway: Statistics Norway, 1 January.
  • Iceland and its municipalities: Statistics Iceland, 1 January.
  • United States: Census Bureau population estimates for 1 July.
  • United Kingdom regions and local authorities: Office for National Statistics estimates for 30 June.
  • Other countries and the World: World Bank mid-year estimates, which count all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
  • UN World Population Prospects estimates for 1 July cover the years before 1960 and the areas the World Bank does not publish, such as Taiwan.

The World Bank series exists for every country, so use it (through compare) to rank countries on one basis.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals) (Cities in Texas by population, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/

MLA 9

Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in Texas by population, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 May 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/texas-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Cities in Texas by population, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/texas-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals), Cities in Texas by population, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/texas-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_texas_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in Texas by population, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/texas-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals): Cities in Texas by population, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/texas-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/population/texas-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2020-2025/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which city has the highest population?

Houston, TX, with 2.29 million in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest population?

Josephine, TX, with 4,569 in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual estimates of the resident population for incorporated places, 1 July (Population Estimates Program, subcounty totals). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population: other rankings

Cities in Texas: more rankings