Bedford is a city located in northeastern Tarrant County, Texas, United States, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. The population was 49,928 at the 2020 census. Bedford is part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.10% is water. Neighboring cities include Hurst and Euless. Prominent highways include State Highway 121 and State Highway 183, also known as Airport Freeway (a reference to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, so called because this was the main thoroughfare to the airport in the early years of its history).

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Bedford had a population of 49,928, 21,693 households, and 12,431 families residing in the city.

The median age was 40.1 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.4 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,693 households in Bedford, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.2% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 22,863 housing units, of which 5.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 53.5% were owner-occupied and 46.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Percent White 64.2% Black or African American 11.7% American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6% Asian 5.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.8% Some other race 5.0% Two or more races 12.3% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 16.9%

+Bedford racial composition as of 2020 (NH = Non-Hispanic)RaceNumberPercentageWhite (NH)29,99160.07%Black or African American (NH)5,69311.4%Native American or Alaska Native (NH)1840.37%Asian (NH)2,6265.26%Pacific Islander (NH)4170.84%Some Other Race (NH)1910.38%Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)2,3664.74%Hispanic or Latino8,46016.94%Total49,928

Local government

The City of Bedford, Texas Home Rule Charter was adopted September 24, 1966. The city operates under a Council-Manager form of government and provides the following services by its charter: public safety, public works, health, culture, recreation, community development, water and sewer utilities. According to the city's 2013–2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's various funds had $62.5 million in revenues, $56.9 million in expenditures, $127.4 million in total assets, $67.2 million in total liabilities, and $22.4 million in cash and investments.City of Bedford 2013-14 CAFR Retrieved 2015-06-30

Tax rollback of 2005

In 2004, the Bedford city council determined that after years of cost-cutting, a property tax increase would be necessary. The council adopted a higher tax rate, but it triggered a tax rollback election in March 2005. The rollback provision passed and the city council revised the budget immediately due to the lack of funds, cutting city services including swimming pools, recreational centers, and the city library. However, an anonymous donation of $300,000 allowed the reopening of the library, one pool, the recreational center, and senior center. Another $20,000 was raised through a resident fundraising drive to help reopen the library. City records show they had budget surpluses in the following years.

Economy

Top employers

According to Bedford's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,City of Bedford ACFR the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees1 Texas Health Resources1,4802 Carter BloodCare9613 HEB ISD7964 State National Companies5595 Walmart Supercenter4156 City of Bedford3577 Daystar Television Network2968 Bedford Wellness & Rehab1509 Kroger Foods10110 LINQ Transportation & Logistics90

Education

Bedford is within the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. School district facilities in Bedford include Pennington Field stadium, Gene A. Buinger Career and Technical Education Academy, two junior high schools, six elementary schools, and administrative offices. High School Students are also served by L.D. Bell High School in Hurst and Trinity High School or KEYS High School in Euless.

Notable people

Cayden Boyd, actor Scott Chandler, football player Colt David, football player Evah Destruction, drag queen Clint Ford, American actor and writer Donnie Hart, MLB pitcher Courtney Kupets, Olympic gymnast R. K. Milholland, author of the webcomic Something Positive Kyler Murray, Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings Betty Pariso, IFBB professional bodybuilder Splurge, rapper Jonathan Stickland, Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 92 Blake Swihart, baseball player Myles Turner, NBA basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks Daniel Woolard, professional soccer player Dustin Ybarra, stand-up comedian and actor

References

External links City of Bedford official website HEB Chamber of Commerce Bedford Public Library Historic photos of Bedford hosted by the Portal to Texas History Voters elect Mayor Jim Story to a full three-year term