Collin County Set For ‘Transformative’ Multiyear Growth Driven by Tech

(TNS) — Artificial intelligence and an expanding population are expected to vault Collin County into the upper echelon of the fastest-growing areas in the United States, according to new data released on Thursday.

The county is rapidly emerging as one of the crown jewels of a Dallas-Fort Worth economy that’s already in boom territory.

If the ascent continues, Collin County will see growth that rivals “several entire U.S. states” by the year 2050, according to the North Texas Technology and Economic Impact report produced by the Texas Association of Business (TAB).

With Plano serving as host to major business and technology companies like Toyota, JPMorgan Chase and Hewlett-Packard, the county is quickly “solidifying its role as a vital economic engine for Texas and the U.S. economy,” TAB’s report found.

“Over the past two decades, Collin County has emerged as a major contributor to Texas’s population and economic growth — outpacing the state in key metrics,” the analysis said.

According to the report, “from 2001 to 2023, Collin County’s share of Texas population growth rose from 2.5% to 3.9%, a 56% increase in its relative contribution.”

The Lone Star State already benefits from a strong labor force and a growth trajectory that’s made the state economy the envy of other states across the country.

Yet in the case of Collin County, an abundance of skilled workers, combined with an influx of people, capital and technology are all projected to amplify the boom effect, the organization added — ramping up Collin County’s status “not just as a contributor, but as a strategic driver of statewide economic momentum.”

Glenn Hamer, TAB president and CEO, told The Dallas Morning News in an interview that “when you have a report that predicts that one of the 254 counties within the great state of Texas is going to by 2050 have a GDP that exceeds Missouri and will be several times that of a neighboring state, Oklahoma, it’s important to take note as to as to why those trends are occurring.”

Hamer focused on technology as a force multiplier for the area’s growth, primarily exemplified by the explosive growth in data centers throughout North Texas.

State funding, along with more rigorous curricula being offered by the area’s colleges and universities, are helping to create the workforce that Collin County and its neighbors will need in the future.

“You talk to employers throughout Texas, and it’s not really just North Texas, and they will say, because of the explosion of data centers and artificial intelligence activity in Texas that yes, to build these data centers, we need a lot of electricians, machinists,” Hamer added.

“There’s a premium today on skilled labor.”

The organization’s findings are consistent with a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, which found that AI usage is surging among Texas businesses, fueling growth in productivity and profitability.

The bank found that the share of firms using generative AI surged from 20% in April 2024 to 36% in May of 2025.

©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.