Lubbock County, Texas

Coordinates: 33°37′N 101°49′W / 33.61°N 101.82°W / 33.61; -101.82
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Lubbock County
The current Lubbock County Courthouse
The current Lubbock County Courthouse
Map of Texas highlighting Lubbock County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°37′N 101°49′W / 33.61°N 101.82°W / 33.61; -101.82
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1891
Named forThomas Saltus Lubbock
SeatLubbock
Largest cityLubbock
Area
 • Total901 sq mi (2,330 km2)
 • Land896 sq mi (2,320 km2)
 • Water5.1 sq mi (13 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total310,639
 • Density340/sq mi (130/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district19th
The first Lubbock County Courthouse was used from 1891 to 1916.
The second Lubbock County Courthouse remained open until 1968, though a third courthouse had been built in 1950.

Lubbock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 census placed the population at 310,639.[1] Its county seat and largest city is Lubbock.[2] The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1891.[3] It is named for Thomas Saltus Lubbock,[4] a Confederate colonel and Texas Ranger (some sources give his first name as Thompson).

Lubbock County, along with Crosby County, and Lynn County, is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Lubbock MSA and Levelland Micropolitan Statistical Area, encompassing only Hockley County, form the larger Lubbock–Levelland Combined Statistical Area.

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 901 square miles (2,330 km2), of which 896 square miles (2,320 km2) are land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (0.6%) are covered by water.[5]

Major highways[edit]

Adjacent counties[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
188025
18903332.0%
1900293787.9%
19103,6241,136.9%
192011,096206.2%
193039,104252.4%
194051,78232.4%
1950101,04895.1%
1960156,27154.7%
1970179,29514.7%
1980211,65118.0%
1990222,6365.2%
2000242,6289.0%
2010278,83114.9%
2020310,63911.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1850–2010[7] 2010[8] 2020[9]
Lubbock County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[8] Pop 2020[9] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 159,815 154,994 57.32% 49.90%
Black or African American alone (NH) 19,957 25,663 7.16% 8.26%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,026 1,436 0.37% 0.46%
Asian alone (NH) 5,650 9,490 2.03% 3.05%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 161 180 0.06% 0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 284 968 0.10% 0.31%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 3,014 8,738 1.08% 2.81%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 88,924 109,170 31.89% 35.14%
Total 278,831 310,639 100.00% 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

As of the census[10] of 2000, 242,628 people, 92,516 households, and 60,135 families resided in the county. The population density was 270 people per square mile (100 people/km2). The 100,595 housing units averaged 112 units per square mile (43/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.30% White, 7.67% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 14.15% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. About 27.45% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 92,516 households, 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.20% were married couples living together, 12.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.00% were not families. About 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.70% under the age of 18, 16.30% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 19.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,198, and for a family was $41,067. Males had a median income of $29,961 versus $21,591 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,323. About 12.00% of families and 17.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over.

Elected leadership[edit]

Legislative Representation Name Service
United States Congress, District 19 Jodey Arrington 2017 – Present
State Senator, District 28 Charles Perry 2014 – Present
State Representative, District 83 Dustin Burrows 2015 – Present
State Representative, District 84 Carl Tepper 2023 – Present
County Elected Leadership Name Service
County Judge Curtis Parrish 2019 – present
County Commissioner Pct 1 Terence Kovar 2021 – present
County Commissioner Pct 2 Jason Corley 2019 – present
County Commissioner Pct 3 Gilbert Flores 2017 – present
County Commissioner Pct 4 Jordan Rackler 2023 – present
District Attorney K. Sunshine Stanek 2018 – present
District Clerk Sara Smith 2022 – present
County Clerk Kelly Pinon 2007 – present
County Sheriff Kelly Rowe 2009 – present
County Tax Assessor-collector Ronnie Keister 2009 – present
County Treasurer Chris Winn 2015 – present

Politics[edit]

At the presidential level, Lubbock County votes predominantly Republican, having voted Democratic for president only once in the past 70 years, a trend which began with native son Dwight D. Eisenhower heading the ticket in 1952 and 1956, reversing a trend typical of the Solid South. In the 2020 Presidential election, Joe Biden's percentage (a best for a Democrat since 1976), was due to Biden winning precincts within the city highway loop in Lubbock.[11] The heavy Republican lean of the county is mostly due to Republican landslide victories in precincts located outside the city highway loop in the county.

In October 2023 Lubbock County Commissioners passed a controversial “Sanctuary County for the Unborn” ordinance. The ordinance outlaws "the act of transporting another person along their roads for an abortion."[12]

United States presidential election results for Lubbock County, Texas[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 78,861 65.27% 40,017 33.12% 1,939 1.60%
2016 65,651 66.31% 28,023 28.30% 5,339 5.39%
2012 63,469 69.61% 26,271 28.81% 1,444 1.58%
2008 66,304 67.98% 30,486 31.26% 744 0.76%
2004 70,135 75.29% 22,472 24.12% 544 0.58%
2000 56,054 73.75% 18,469 24.30% 1,485 1.95%
1996 47,304 63.50% 22,786 30.59% 4,399 5.91%
1992 48,847 58.95% 22,240 26.84% 11,771 14.21%
1988 50,760 69.26% 22,202 30.29% 330 0.45%
1984 57,151 74.98% 18,793 24.66% 275 0.36%
1980 46,711 68.83% 18,732 27.60% 2,424 3.57%
1976 38,478 60.40% 24,797 38.92% 432 0.68%
1972 43,564 73.47% 15,353 25.89% 379 0.64%
1968 25,646 51.13% 15,430 30.77% 9,078 18.10%
1964 17,372 44.02% 22,057 55.89% 34 0.09%
1960 20,065 56.35% 15,340 43.08% 202 0.57%
1956 13,970 52.57% 12,540 47.19% 66 0.25%
1952 16,137 57.95% 11,650 41.84% 58 0.21%
1948 2,837 18.66% 11,114 73.08% 1,256 8.26%
1944 1,169 10.77% 7,654 70.50% 2,033 18.73%
1940 1,283 13.63% 8,113 86.19% 17 0.18%
1936 622 8.81% 6,425 90.97% 16 0.23%
1932 590 9.91% 5,330 89.53% 33 0.55%
1928 3,079 60.79% 1,979 39.07% 7 0.14%
1924 411 17.54% 1,740 74.26% 192 8.19%
1920 204 14.05% 1,180 81.27% 68 4.68%
1916 34 4.87% 633 90.69% 31 4.44%
1912 16 3.73% 366 85.31% 47 10.96%

Communities[edit]

Cities[edit]

Towns[edit]

Village[edit]

Unincorporated communities[edit]

Ghost town[edit]

Education[edit]

School districts serving the county include:[14]

The county is in the service area of South Plains College.[15]

Texas Tech University is in Lubbock.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Lubbock County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 191.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  6. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  7. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Lubbock County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  9. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Lubbock County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  11. ^ Park, Alice; Smart, Charlie; Taylor, Rumsey; Watkins, Miles (March 30, 2021). "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  12. ^ Harte, Julia (October 24, 2023). "Fight over Texas anti-abortion transport bans reaches biggest battlegrounds yet". Reuters. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  14. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lubbock County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022. - list
  15. ^ Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

External links[edit]

33°37′N 101°49′W / 33.61°N 101.82°W / 33.61; -101.82