Fort Worth works to keep up with population growth

Fort Worth is gaining thousands of new residents a year, boosting the population of the city to nearly 1 million and putting community leaders on a race to keep up. On a recent visit to Cowtown, Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan met with some of the youngest residents and learned about a critical infrastructure need: quality, affordable child care.

Dallas Fed Community Advisory Council member Kara Waddell, who is chief executive of Child Care Associates (CCA), showed Logan around a center the nonprofit supports. At King’s Kids Learning Center, children learn from award-winning, inspiring adults in day care, preschool and summer camp programs. The quality of the center shows in the playful enthusiasm of the kids.

CCA and King’s Kids leaders described the challenges child care centers face to keep the doors open, even as the need for child care increases. In particular, child care leaders grapple with shifts in government funding, worker turnover and affordability for families. CCA aims to break down those barriers and ensure working parents have safe, reliable care for their children.

The nonprofit operates as an agency to support child care centers and as a resource hub for parents and policymakers. For example, to address the risk of worker turnover, CCA channeled federal funding to King’s Kids to boost worker pay to $18 per hour, well above the industry average of about $12 to $13 per hour. As that funding sunsets, the center and CCA are scouting for ways to sustain higher wages, but leaders told Logan they face pay cuts. Part of CCA’s mission is to raise the problems with policymakers, researchers and government leaders to find solutions.

Fort Worth business and community leaders are aware of the rising need for child care and the barriers for the workforce if the problem isn’t addressed. In a roundtable meeting at Texas Christian University, leaders from TCU, Tarrant County College, and local businesses and institutions convened, and Logan learned that child care is one of several key infrastructure needs for Fort Worth’s growing workforce. She also heard about successful innovations and collaborations on workforce bottlenecks.

For example, as Fort Worth has raised its profile in the film industry, the community quickly put together a curriculum and trained 20 people to work in the industry. Logan also heard about Tarrant County College’s work with school districts to establish dual-credit programs and Early College High Schools.

At the same time, business leaders expressed concern about losing promising young college graduates to other cities with clusters of high-tech and finance companies housed in brand new office buildings. TCU students mostly stay in Texas, leaders told Logan, but graduates struggle to find jobs and internships in Fort Worth. About two-thirds of TCU graduates find jobs in the DFW area, mostly in Dallas and Collin counties. Fort Worth leaders told Logan they are collaborating with higher education institutions to pursue more opportunities for college graduates.

Lockheed Martin represents a pillar of the Fort Worth economy: the defense industry. On a tour of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Logan saw the mile-long factory where F-35 fighter jets are built. Fort Worth defense companies handle two high-profile defense contracts: Lockheed’s contract to make the F-35 and Bell’s contract to manufacture the V-280 Valor assault helicopter.

Defense companies have long anchored a cluster of manufacturers that offer good-paying jobs for skilled workers. Logan learned that Lockheed’s starting salary on the factory floor is $50 an hour, above the average hourly earnings in Fort Worth of $42.26 an hour as of December 2023. And while the company makes up to 60 aircraft at a time, the amount of manpower required to make an F-35 is less than prior fighter jet models. Further, officials described supply-chain disruptions that remain a risk for Lockheed. For example, one part has been backed up for months, and the facility is fast running out of space to store airplanes in process.

Photo: Lockheed Martin

After attracting more residents with good-paying jobs, low housing costs and a small-town vibe, Fort Worth leaders are working to support the weight of their own success. Logan heard from community and business leaders that, on top of more education and child care services, the growing population needs more roads, infrastructure and affordable housing.

At the same time, she heard from business owners benefiting from the population growth. For example, the owner of a local food business told Logan the company that began with 30 employees in 2020 has grown tenfold. Along with concerns about the challenges of growth, Logan heard optimism from leaders who expect they can solve their problems.

At a Q&A with Hillwood Chairman Ross Perot Jr. at the Tarrant County Transportation Summit, Logan pointed to the growth premium she has observed as she visits with people in Fort Worth and other communities across Texas. She said:

“When I moved to Texas, there were a couple of things that really struck me. For one, it's an incredibly welcoming environment. And that's an important cultural attribute to continue to attract new people and businesses. Two, our people have a bright, entrepreneurial spirit. There is a can-do attitude about solving problems and really making a difference. These cultural values will continue to support growth.”