The State Fair of Texas just wrapped with its lowest attendance in ten years. Only about 2,020,000 people hit Fair Park this year — a big drop from more than 2.3 million in 2023 and 2024, and way off its 2022 peak of 2.5 million visitors.
Organizers blame a perfect storm of issues — scorching fall temps, fears over immigration raids, the ongoing government shutdown, and overall economic pressure on fairgoers. But experts say the root cause might be simpler: people are just broke and tired.
Steven Haynes, a finance professor at UT Dallas, says it’s not that Texans don’t want to go — they just don’t have the spare cash. “It’s not a lack of interest. It’s a lack of disposable income,” he told WFAA. He calls it ‘funflation,’ the squeeze on everyday folks trying to balance bills with “good times.”…