How big is Fort Worth? Depends on whom you ask

How big is Fort Worth?

Depends on whose numbers you like.

The U.S. Census released figures on Thursday that show Fort Worth added 19,894 residents from July 2014 to July 2015 and has a population of 833,319.

The North Central Texas Council of Government released figures last month that show Fort Worth added 13,660 residents from January 2015 to January 2016 and has a population of 806,380.

In both instances, Fort Worth added more people than any city in North Texas, including Dallas, showing that it still has serious drawing power.

“There's not really a way to say one is better than the other — they're both estimates,” said Rice University's Steve Murdock, a former Census bureau director and a Texas state demographer. “If you had an actual census, like we have every 10 years, there would be a way to actually know.”

Here’s a look the dueling population figures in North Texas, with the five cities with the largest gains in raw numbers.

North Central Texas Council of Governments

January 2015 - January 2016

Fort Worth 13,660 (806,380)

Dallas 13,460 (1,257,730)

Frisco 8,010 (153,520)

McKinney 6,630 (161,470)

Plano 3,820 (274,960)

U.S. Census

July 2014 - July 2015

Fort Worth 19,894 (833,319)

Dallas 19,642 (1,300,092)

Frisco 9,218 (154,407)

McKinney 6,000 (162,898)

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 12:30 PM with the headline "How big is Fort Worth? Depends on whom you ask."