renter news

Dallas-Fort Worth sees big boom in senior renters in last 10 years

A senior couple inspecting a potential house rental

Rising property taxes and home prices may be prompting older homeowners to consider renting.

Getty Images

New U.S. Census data has revealed a startling trend regarding Fort Worth's renter population: The number of renters aged 65 and older has surged 66.5 percent over the last decade. There are more than 78,000 seniors currently renting their homes across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington saw the 5th-highest growth rate in senior renters nationwide from 2013 to 2023, according to a new renter population study by Point2Homes.

The report analyzed the latest Census data for renters across every age demographic in the 75 biggest U.S. metros. Nationally, the number of senior renters has increased by 2.4 million people over the last decade. Baton Rouge, Louisiana came in at No. 1.

The number of seniors renting single-family homes in Dallas-Fort Worth has more than doubled in the last 10 years, representing a 100.8 percent increase since 2013.

DFW also ranked as the metro with the second-highest growth rate in senior renters statewide, and it experienced the No. 1 highest numerical change in renters aged 65-plus in Texas.

The report says that these seniors are shifting their priorities and "stepping away from the burdens of homeownership" in order to live closer to family, downsize, or cut costs to simplify their standard of living.

"A Harris Poll survey showed that the older crowd now has a lower threshold for interest rates when buying, meaning they’re more sensitive to the financial burden of a mortgage," the report's author wrote. "Downsizing from larger family homes, avoiding costs and upkeep tied to ownership, and prioritizing proximity to family or medical services are also among potential motivators for renting."

This "senior renter boom" can be linked to the (oddly named) trend of elderly "baby chasers," meaning grandparents who choose to relocate to be closer to their grandchildren.

Senior renter demographics in Dallas-Fort Worth
The report analyzed Dallas-Fort Worth's share of renters based on age group, as follows:

Age 18-24: 16.4 percent
Age 25-34: 30.6 percent
Age 35-44: 20.7 percent
Age 45-54: 13.4 percent
Age 55-64: 9.4 percent
Age 65 and up: 9.6 percent

The top 10 U.S. metros that had the highest increases in senior renters over the last decade are:

No. 1 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana (88.7 percent)
No. 2 – Jacksonville, Florida (83.7 percent)
No. 3 – Austin-Round Rock, Texas (81.1 percent)
No. 4 – New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (69.7 percent)
No. 5 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (66.5 percent)
No. 6 – Raleigh, North Carolina (63.5 percent)
No. 7 – Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut (60.4 percent)
No. 8 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (60.3 percent)
No. 9 – Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida (54.1 percent)
No. 10 – Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, North Carolina-South Carolina (53.5 percent)

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Renovation News

Fort Worth Convention Center unveils new renovation with coffee bar

FWCC

Fort Worth Convention Center

The first phase of the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion made its debut on Monday, December 8 — a major milestone for the project which is part of the city’s larger economic development strategy to attract meetings from across the state and nation.

The expansion is taking place in two phases and now Phase 1 is complete.

Totaling 76,794 square feet, the $95 million renovation includes a grand Southeast entrance and terrace, state-of-the-art food & beverage facilities, a retail coffee bar, 11 new loading docks (up from seven), and realignment of Commerce Street to create a site pad for a future convention hotel and additional retail or restaurants.

These new additions are now fully complete and open to convention clients and to the public.

Phase II construction, estimated at $606 million, is anticipated to begin in late 2026 and run through early 2030.

Elected officials, business leaders, and construction partners gathered for a ribbon-cutting at the new southeast entrance, which includes a lantern box atrium lobby and retail coffee bar called Beltbuckle Brew.

Speakers included Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, District 9 City Councilmember Elizabeth Beck, Public Events Director Mike Crum, and Visit Fort Worth President & CEO Bob Jameson.

“Fort Worth provides the Texas experience that meeting planners want, and the Phase I convention center expansion and modernization exceeds those expectations,” said Mayor Parker. “This milestone, along with Phase II construction, will increase capacity to host conferences from across the nation, bolstering our already impressive convention and tourism industry.”

Crum called it the first step.

“We’ve delivered Phase 1 on budget and on time, and design is almost complete for the second phase of expansion and modernization," Crum said. "We will have floor plans and renderings to share within the next few months that will illustrate big horizons ahead for Fort Worth’s meeting business.”