The question is obvious: Why Fort Bend? The answer is clear: Fort Bend is Greater Houston's Finest Address.
Jeffrey C. Wiley, President/CEO Fort Bend EDC
Woods & Poole recently released their growth projections as of 2021, and Fort Bend County continues to be projected as one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.
Once a small community with a couple hundred thousand residents, Fort Bend has grown to nearly 900,000 people, and projections are growth will continue. Growth projections estimate the county will exceed 1 million residents by 2027, and by 2050, the Fort Bend County is expected to have 1.8 million residents.
Growth is not new to Fort Bend. From 2010 to 2023, the population in Fort Bend grew from 590,253 to an estimated 857,324. Comparing the past 29 year growth with the expected next 29 year growth demonstrates that, although the growth won't be as massive as the initial growth phase, the numbers are still significantly impactful. From 1992 to 2021, Fort Bend grew by 239 percent, and from 2021 to 2050, that increase is expected to be about 144 percent.
Fort Bend County is one of the most desirable locations in Greater Houston, which is now expected to be the third largest metro in the nation. The Greater Houston Partnership estimates the metro Houston saw the third largest increase in population growth in the nation from June 2019 to June 2020, surpassing 7.1 million residents. Fort Bend County, known as Greater Houston's Finest Address, leads this fast growing region in nearly every category: educational attainment, diversity, cost of living, average household income, safety, and innovation index. These factors, tied to exceptional schools and gorgeous master planned communities, attract families and young people to the county.
Further, Fort Bend's commercial growth has followed the rooftops, with our commercial values skyrocketing as well. Fort Bend County amassed $26 Billion in total GDP in 2020, a 5.2 percent growth rate the past ten years. From 2010-2020. our commercial value has grown 74 percent! Businesses like Amazon, Dollar Tree, and Aldi are attracted to our strategic location, access to markets, pro-business culture and highly trained workforce. Companies like Texas Instruments, Frito-Lay, and Fluor, long-time Fort Bend commercial residents, have stayed here, expanding their footprints and employing thousands.
Growth is impactful on community resources and strong leadership is required to ensure quality growth and adequate infrastructure to sustain that growth. Enhanced and expanded roads, reinforced bridges and drainage programs, and expanded community resources are necessary to support a growing population, and Fort Bend has led the way, ensuring residents have access to the resources that are the underbelly of exceptional quality of life.
The Grand Parkway, Fort Bend Toll Road, and the Westpark Tollway enhance mobility across the county and connects Fort Bend efficiently to the rest of Greater Houston, and the expansion of Interstate 69 and easy access to Interstate 10 moves people and products through the county to locations and markets across the US and across the nation.
Drainage is a priority, and the county has maintained an active drainage program, enhancing water conveyance and ensuring accredited and high quality Levy Improvement Districts (LID), which protect nearly 30 percent of the value in Fort Bend. Working with regional allies, draining and flood mitigation remains a top priority for county leadership.
Regional leading quality of life and community assets with a strategic location that attracts major employers and county leadership that ensures sustainable infrastructure has supported historic growth and will to buoy the growth coming.