Waller County Is Now the Fastest-Growing County in Texas. Here's What That Means for Our Courts.
On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released its Vintage 2025 population estimates, and the numbers confirmed what many of us already knew: Waller County is growing fast. What some of us might not have expected is just how fast.
Between July 2024 and July 2025, Waller County's population grew by 5.7%, making it the fastest-growing county in Texas and the second-fastest-growing county in the entire United States. Only Jasper County, South Carolina, grew faster.
That's not a talking point. That's a federal data release, and it has real implications for every part of county government, including our courts.
The Numbers
Here is the full picture of Waller County's population trajectory, straight from the Census Bureau:
| Year | Population | Annual Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 32,663 | — |
| 2010 | 43,558 | — |
| 2020 | 56,769 | — |
| 2021 | 59,457 | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 62,110 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 64,298 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 66,097 | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 69,858 | +5.7% |
Since the 2020 Census, Waller County has added more than 13,000 residents. Since 2000, our population has more than doubled.
And the growth is accelerating, not slowing down. The 5.7% jump this past year was the largest single-year increase in the entire five-year period since the last census.
How We Compare to Our Neighbors
To put Waller County's growth in context, here is how we stack up against every neighboring county over the same period:
Waller County is growing faster than every county that borders it, and it's not particularly close. Montgomery County, with ten times the population, is the nearest comparison at 4.0%. Harris County, home to Houston, grew by less than 1%.
The longer view makes the trend even clearer. Looking back to 2010, Waller County's population has grown by over 60%. A decade ago, Fort Bend was the clear growth leader in this part of the state, regularly posting 4-5% annual gains. That growth rate has since been cut in half. Harris County has slowed from over 2% annually to under 1%. Meanwhile, Waller County has been steadily climbing, and this year's 5.69% is the highest single-year rate of any county in our region in recent memory.
What you're seeing is growth moving outward from Houston, through the inner suburbs, and into counties like ours.
What's Driving This
If you live here, you already see it. New subdivisions going up along FM 362 and Highway 290. Construction on FM 1488. Traffic that didn't exist five years ago.
The Census data breaks down where the growth is coming from. Of the 3,761 new residents Waller County added this past year, 2,997 came from domestic migration, meaning people choosing to move here from elsewhere in the United States. Another 303 came from international migration, and 504 came from natural increase, which is births minus deaths. Over the full five-year period since the 2020 Census, domestic migration accounts for more than 9,500 of the county's 13,000 new residents.
People are choosing Waller County. That matters.
The economic development side tells the story too. The Waller County Economic Development Partnership reports that over 9,000 jobs have been added to the county, approaching 10,000. Tesla is building a $200 million Megapack battery manufacturing facility in Brookshire that's expected to bring 1,500 jobs by 2028, with over 100 positions paying more than $100,000 a year. The county approved a tax abatement agreement for that project in March 2025.
County Judge Trey Duhon, who was quoted in the Texas Tribune's coverage of the census data, pointed to highway access connecting Waller County to Houston, Austin, and College Station as a major factor. The state demographer noted that families are moving out of dense urban counties in search of more space, more affordable housing, and a better quality of life. Dallas County actually lost population this year. Waller County absorbed some of that outward migration.
We're also not the only fast-growing county in Texas. Of the ten fastest-growing counties in the United States, four are in Texas: Waller, Kaufman, Liberty, and Caldwell. But we're leading the pack in our state.
Why This Matters for Court at Law No. 1
Here's where this connects to the race for County Court at Law No. 1.
County courts at law handle a wide range of cases: family law, misdemeanors, civil disputes, probate, landlord-tenant matters, protective orders. Every family that moves to Waller County is a potential litigant in a custody case, a protective order hearing, a contract dispute, or a probate matter. Every new business is a potential civil case. Every new resident is someone who might need access to the court system.
The county already recognized this pressure. In 2023, the Texas Legislature authorized the creation of County Court at Law No. 2, specifically because caseloads were growing faster than the existing court could handle. County Judge Duhon said at the time that the county was still backlogged from COVID. Former District Attorney Elton Mathis was appointed to the bench of that new court.
Creating that court was the right decision, but it doesn't change the fact that Court at Law No. 1 still needs a judge who can manage a growing docket from Day One. Someone who has handled thousands of cases across the types of matters this court will see, and who understands that every case on the docket represents a real family or a real business waiting for a resolution.
I've spent over six years as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney in Waller County. I've handled more than 3,000 cases. I've worked in these courtrooms, with these judges, alongside these attorneys. I know the system, I know the people, and I know what it looks like when a court is getting busier every year.
Growth is good for Waller County. But our courts have to be ready for it.
Early voting for the Republican runoff begins May 18. Election Day is May 26. If you haven't registered to vote, the deadline is April 26.
Sources
All of the sources referenced in this post are publicly available. If you want to dig into the numbers or read the original reporting, here's where to find them:
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U.S. Census Bureau Press Release
census.gov — 2025 Population Estimates Press Release -
County Population Estimates, 2020-2025
census.gov — 2020s Counties Total -
County Population Estimates, 2010-2019
census.gov — 2010s Counties Total -
Census Bureau Interactive Map
census.gov — Percent Change County Population Map -
FRED Historical Data, Waller County
fred.stlouisfed.org — Waller County Population -
Texas Tribune Coverage
texastribune.org — Texas Population Census Migration Waller County -
Tesla Megafactory in Brookshire
houstonpublicmedia.org — Tesla begins hiring for Waller County battery factory -
Tesla Investment and Jobs Details
austincountynewsonline.com — Tesla Investing Nearly $200 Million in Brookshire Battery Factory -
Waller County State of the County, 2023
coveringkaty.com — Waller County Judge Trey Duhon: Growth is coming in huge waves -
Waller County Court at Law No. 2 Created
kwhi.com — Waller County Has a New D.A.