South DFW News

Ellis County’s population reached 200,000 people in mid-May, the county’s Department of Development told the Daily Light.

New home construction centered on the cities of Glenn Heights, Midlothain, Ovilla, Read Oak and Waxahachie is cited for the gain in the county’s growth.

Population projections are released each spring by the North Central Texas Council of Governments for each of its 16 counties, Ellis County development director Alberto Mares told the Daily Light. The initial estimate for 2019 was 190,170. The estimate was raised to 197,070 on Jan. 1, making Ellis the county with the highest growth rate in the region.

“The official census number may be slightly under because they take the snapshot of population on April 1,” Mares told the Daily Light.

The North Central Texas Council of Governments projects a population above 448,000 for Ellis County by 2030.

“The number I like to cite is that in the next 20 years, the population of the entire DFW Metroplex is going to double from about 7.5 million to 15 million,” Mares told the Daily Light. “Because of the location of Ellis County, we’re going to absorb a lot of the growth, whether we like it or not.”

The county’s two biggest cities are Waxahachie with 38,830 residents and Midlothian with 34,480.