Cities
This article provides a complete population-based directory of cities in Dallas County, Texas. It helps residents, property owners, visitors, and businesses identify the county’s municipalities, compare their estimated populations, and understand why the correct city name matters when searching for local services, public records, permits, courts, taxes, and emergency information.
Dallas County City List by Population
Dallas County includes 29 cities and towns ranging from Dallas, with more than 1.3 million residents, to Pecan Hill, with fewer than 1,000 residents. The population figures below are 2026 estimates and are arranged from the largest municipality to the smallest. Some municipalities extend into neighboring counties, so a city name alone does not always confirm that a specific property or address is located within Dallas County.
| City | Population |
|---|---|
| Dallas | 1,336,440 |
| Irving | 257,513 |
| Garland | 250,791 |
| Grand Prairie | 212,266 |
| Mesquite | 150,903 |
| Carrollton | 135,107 |
| Richardson | 118,205 |
| Rowlett | 69,243 |
| DeSoto | 56,877 |
| Cedar Hill | 49,941 |
| Coppell | 41,133 |
| Lancaster | 40,430 |
| Farmers Branch | 38,645 |
| Duncanville | 38,622 |
| Sachse | 34,312 |
| Balch Springs | 27,186 |
| University Park | 25,359 |
| Seagoville | 21,471 |
| Glenn Heights | 21,242 |
| Addison | 17,247 |
| Sunnyvale | 9,268 |
| Highland Park | 8,757 |
| Hutchins | 8,401 |
| Wilmer | 6,973 |
| Ovilla | 4,923 |
| Cockrell Hill | 3,610 |
| Combine | 2,884 |
| Oak Leaf | 1,716 |
| Pecan Hill | 749 |
Largest and Smallest Municipalities
Dallas is the county’s largest city by a wide margin and serves as the region’s primary population and employment center. Irving and Garland are the next-largest cities, each with more than 250,000 residents. Grand Prairie is the fourth-largest municipality, followed by Mesquite, Carrollton, and Richardson. These larger cities generally operate extensive municipal departments covering police, fire protection, development, code enforcement, libraries, parks, utilities, and neighborhood services.
Smaller municipalities such as Ovilla, Cockrell Hill, Combine, Oak Leaf, and Pecan Hill serve much smaller populations. A smaller population does not necessarily mean fewer responsibilities for residents. Property owners may still need to determine whether permits, inspections, utility services, local ordinances, and public safety requests are handled by the city, the county, or another local authority.
How City Boundaries Affect Public Services
City boundaries are important because municipal and county responsibilities are not interchangeable. A mailing address may use the name of a nearby city even when the property is located outside that city’s incorporated limits. ZIP codes also frequently cross municipal or county boundaries. Residents should verify the physical jurisdiction of an address before requesting building permits, reporting code violations, paying local utility bills, or contacting a police department.
County offices commonly handle property records, court records, tax administration, elections, marriage records, and other countywide functions. City governments generally manage services within their incorporated boundaries, including zoning, local streets, municipal courts, animal services, and development approvals. The responsible office can vary when a city extends beyond Dallas County into a neighboring county.
Finding the Correct City for an Address
For an address search, begin with the complete street number, street name, and ZIP code. Then confirm both the municipality and county before requesting records or services. This is especially useful for properties in cities such as Carrollton, Coppell, Combine, Dallas, Garland, Glenn Heights, Grand Prairie, Mesquite, Ovilla, Richardson, Rowlett, and Sachse, where municipal boundaries may involve more than one county.
Population figures are useful for comparing the relative size of Dallas County cities, but they do not determine service boundaries, school attendance zones, voting districts, taxing jurisdictions, or postal designations. Those boundaries are established separately and may change as cities annex property, adjust districts, or approve new development.