Haskell County

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 910 square miles (2,400 km2), of which 903 square miles (2,340 km2) are land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (0.8%) are covered by water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 277

U.S. Highway 380

State Highway 6

State Highway 222

State Highway 283

Adjacent counties

Knox County (north)

Throckmorton County (east)

Shackelford County (southeast)

Jones County (south)

Stonewall County (west)

Baylor County (northeast)

King County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,416 and a median age of 43.5 years. About 20.0% of residents were under 18 and 22.8% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 109.3 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 110.4 males 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 76.3% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 9.9% from some other race, and 8.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 25.4% of the population.

Almost all of the residents lived in urban areas rural areas.

Of the 2,112 households in the county, 27.0% had children under 18 living in them, 47.1% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.

The county had 3,073 housing units, of which 31.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.6% were owner-occupied and 24.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.4%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 6,093 people, 2,569 households, and 1,775 families resided in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km2). The 3,555 housing units averaged 4 units per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.78% White, 2.79% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 11.67% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. About 20% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,569 households, 27.4% had children under 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were not families. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the age distribution was 23.7% under 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 25.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income in the county for a household was $23,690 and for a family was $29,506. Males had a median income of $23,542 versus $16,418 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,918. About 16.9% of families and 22.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.0% of those under 18 and 15.4% of those 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Haskell (county seat)

O'Brien

Stamford (small part in Jones County)

Weinert

Towns

Rochester

Rule

Unincorporated communities

Paint Creek

Sagerton

Ghost town

Jud

Politics

Haskell County is the home county of former Texas Governor Rick Perry. Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has represented Haskell County in the Texas House of Representatives since January 2013.

Haskell County was once a Democratic bastion, voting for the Democratic nominee for president in every election from its founding through 1996, with the exceptions of the 1972 and 1984 Republican landslides. In 2000, it broke its Democratic heritage by voting for Republican nominee George W. Bush. Since then, the county has taken a sharp Republican turn, moving rightward in every subsequent election as of 2020. In 2020, Haskell gave 83.1 percent of the vote to Republican nominee Donald Trump, the highest ever Republican vote share in the county, and just 15.9 percent of the vote to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, the lowest ever Democratic vote share in the county.

Haskell County is located within District 69 of the Texas House of Representatives. Haskell County is located within District 28 of the Texas Senate.

Education

School districts serving sections of the county include:

Haskell Consolidated Independent School District

Knox City-O'Brien Consolidated Independent School District

Munday Consolidated Independent School District

Paint Creek Independent School District

Rule Independent School District

Stamford Independent School District

Goree Independent School District formerly served sections of the county. On July 1, 2003, it merged into Munday CISD.

The county is in the service area of Vernon College.