Collin County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and a small portion of the city of Dallas is in the county. At the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 1,064,465, making it Texas's sixth-most populous county and the 43rd-largest county by population in the United States. Its county seat is McKinney.
History Native Americans around Collin County and North Texas included the Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Delaware, Kickapoo, and Tonkawa. Several Native American sites have been found, including around Lavon Lake and Sister Grove Creek. Both the county and the county seat were named after Collin McKinney (1766–1861), one of the five men who drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and the oldest of the 59 men who signed it.
Civil War Like many counties in North Texas, Collin County voted against secession from the United States. This is mainly due to the relatively weak hold of slavery in Collin County and the influence of James W. Throckmorton, who had represented Collin County in both the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives. Nonetheless, Collin County sent men to fight for the Confederacy with Throckmorton leading his own company of mounted riflemen.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which (5.1%) are covered by water.
Lakes Lavon Lake Lake Ray Hubbard (small part)
Adjacent counties Grayson County (north) Fannin County (northeast) Hunt County (east) Rockwall County (southeast) Dallas County (south) Denton County (west)
Communities Cities (shared with other counties)
Carrollton (mostly in Dallas and Denton Counties) Celina (small part in Denton County) Dallas (mostly in Dallas County with small parts in Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall Counties) Frisco (partly in Denton County) Garland (mostly in Dallas County and a small part in Rockwall County) Josephine (small part in Hunt County) Plano (small part in Denton County) Richardson (mostly in Dallas County) Royse City (mostly in Rockwall County and partly Hunt County) Sachse (mostly in Dallas County) Van Alstyne (mostly in Grayson County) Wylie (small parts in Rockwall and Dallas Counties)
Towns (shared with other counties)
Hebron (mostly in Denton County) Prosper (partly in Denton County)
Cities
Allen Anna Blue Ridge Farmersville Lavon Lowry Crossing Lucas McKinney (county seat) Melissa Murphy Nevada Parker Princeton Weston
Towns Fairview New Hope St. Paul
Census-designated places Seis Lagos Westminster
Unincorporated communities
Altoga Arnold Beverly Hill Bloomdale Branch Chambersville Chambliss Clear Lake Climax Collin Copeville Cowley Culleoka Desert Fayburg Forest Grove Frognot Kelly Little Ridge Milligan Millwood New Mesquite Pike Rhea Mills Rockhill Sedalia Snow Hill Trinity Park Valdasta Walnut Grove Winningkoff
Historical communities Buckner Lebanon Lolaville Renner Shepton Wetsel
Ghost towns Biggers Marilee Nickelville Parris Roland Verona
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,064,465. The median age was 36.5 years. 26.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 54.3% White, 10.4% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 17.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.7% from some other race, and 11.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 15.9% of the population. The same dataset reports 50.96% non-Hispanic white, 10.16% Black or African American, 0.36% American Indian or Alaska Native, 17.70% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.46% some other race, 4.41% multiracial, and 15.89% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.
93.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 381,318 households in the county, of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.3% were married-couple households, 15.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 403,481 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.9% were owner-occupied and 37.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%.
2019 American Community Survey
The population density as of 2019 was . Among the population, the median age was 37.3, up from the statewide median age of 35.1.
Linguistically, 11.6% of the county spoke Spanish as their household language, followed by Asian and Pacific Islander languages. Altogether 29.7% of Collin County spoke a language other than English at home, contributed in part by its large foreign-born population which made up 22% of the population according to 2019 estimates from the American Community Survey.
In 2019, the American Community Survey estimated its non-Hispanic white population now represented 55%, reflecting a national demographic trend of diversification. The Black or African American population grew to 10%, Asian Americans made up 16% of the population, and Hispanic or Latino Americans increased to 16% of the total population in 2019; multiracial Americans made up an estimated 2% of the county population. The largest European ancestry groups from 2014 to 2019 were Germans, English Americans, and Irish and Italian Americans.
The median income for a household in the county as of 2019 was $96,134, up from $70,835 in 2000. Families had a median household income of $113,471, married-couple families $127,575, and non-family households $53,986. An estimated 6.3% of Collin County's residents lived at or below the poverty line from 2014 to 2019.
Housing and taxation
Of its residential properties, the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $354,100 in 2019, with a total of 8% of owner-occupied housing units ranging from less than $100,000 up to $200,000. In 2007, Collin County was ranked No. 21 for high property taxes in the U.S. as percentage of the homes' value on owner-occupied housing. It also ranked in the top 100 for amount of property taxes paid and for percentage of taxes of income. Part is this is due to the Robin Hood plan school financing system in Texas.
Racial and ethnic composition +Collin County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)129,441226,654374,116493,492542,47289.53%85.84%76.09%63.08%50.96%Black or African American alone (NH)6,19010,72723,21264,715108,1004.28%4.06%4.72%8.27%10.16%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4529971,9373,2783,8740.31%0.38%0.39%0.42%0.36%Asian alone (NH)1,0327,31733,90287,276188,3650.71%2.77%6.90%11.16%17.70%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census194387613xx0.04%0.05%0.06%Other race alone (NH)2751836301,3644,9100.19%0.07%0.13%0.17%0.46%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census7,17416,47546,973xx1.46%2.11%4.41%Hispanic or Latino (any race)7,18618,15850,510115,354169,1584.97%6.88%10.27%14.74%15.89%Total144,576264,036491,675782,3411,064,465 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2000 census
In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau determined 491,675 people resided in Collin County. At the 2000 census, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 81.39% White, 4.79% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 6.92% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races; 10.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino American of any race. In 2000, about 3.30% of families and 4.90% of the population lived at or below the poverty line, including 5.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those aged 65 and older.
Religion Christianity has historically been the predominant religious affiliation among the county's residents as part of the Bible Belt. According to the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute study, non-Christian religions are present and have been growing, largely due to migration into the county; among the non-Christian population, 3% were Hindu, 2% Muslim and 2% Jewish. Overall among its Christian population, Catholics are the largest group holding a plurality of Christians in Collin County. Baptists, Methodists, Evangelicals, and non-denominational Christians are also prominent.
American Community Survey 2023
The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Collin County’s population was 1,195,359. It was also estimated that the county was 16.1% Hispanic or Latino, 49.9% NH White, 11.5% NH Black, 19.5% NH Asian, 0.4% NH Native American, 0.1% NH Pacific Islander, 2.6% NH Multiracial. TotalPopulationPercentageHispanic or Latino192,38916.1%NH White596,60449.9%NH Black137,08511.5%NH Asian233,22819.5%NH Native American4,2980.4%NH Pacific Islander9300.1%NH Multiracial30,8252.6%
Government, courts, and politics
Government
Collin County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a Commissioners Court. The court is chaired by a county judge (equivalent to a county executive in other states) who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.
County Judge & Commissioners Office Name Party County Judge Chris HillRepublican Commissioner, Precinct 1 Susan FletcherRepublican Commissioner, Precinct 2 Cheryl WilliamsRepublican Commissioner, Precinct 3 Darrell HaleRepublican Commissioner, Precinct 4 Duncan WebbRepublican
County Officials Office Name Party County ClerkStacey KempRepublican Criminal District Attorney Greg WillisRepublican District Clerk Mike GouldRepublican Sheriff Jim SkinnerRepublican Tax Assessor-Collector Scott GriggRepublican
Justices of the Peace Office Name Party Precinct 1Paul RaleehRepublican Precinct 2Ellen KinnebrewRepublican Precinct 3Mike MissildineRepublican Precinct 4Vincent J. VenegoniRepublican
Politics Like most suburban Texas counties, Collin County has consistently supported Republican candidates in presidential and congressional elections since the 1960s. The last Democrat to win the county was native Texan Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The county gave over 80% of the vote to Ronald Reagan in 1984.
The county's Republican lean has decreased over the decades. Democrat Barack Obama won over 30% of the vote in both of his elections. By the 2020s, Collin County had become considered competitive in national elections due to demographic and voting trends, though it remains Republican-leaning. In down-ballot races, Republicans hold all of the county-level offices and all but one of the county's seats in the state legislature.
Despite its Republican lean, Collin County has trended leftward, as Joe Biden managed to win 46.9% of the vote share (compared to Donald Trump's 51.3%) in the 2020 presidential election, the best result for a Democrat since 1964. Many other suburban Texas counties, including neighboring Denton and Tarrant Counties, as well as those around Houston and Austin, showed similar swings between 2016 and 2020. However, in 2024 many of these swung back toward Trump, though Trump carried Collin County by a somewhat smaller margin than in 2016. Democrat Kamala Harris still managed to receive over 40% of the vote in 2024, with the county voting to the left of the state.
Education K–12 education