Hill County, Texas

Hill County
County
Hill County Courthouse in downtown Hillsboro
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°59′N97°08′W / 31.99°N 97.13°W / 31.99; -97.13
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1853
Named for	George Washington Hill
Seat	Hillsboro
Largest city	Hillsboro
Area
• Total	986 sq mi (2,550 km2)
• Land	959 sq mi (2,480 km2)
• Water	27 sq mi (70 km2)  2.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	35,874
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	www.co.hill.tx.us

Hill County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 35,874. ^[1] Its county seat is Hillsboro. ^[2] The county is named for George Washington Hill, secretary of war and secretary of the navy under the Republic of Texas. Hill County is part of Central Texas, though not included in the Texas Hill Country.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 986 square miles (2,550 km²), of which 959 square miles (2,480 km²) are land and 27 square miles (70 km²) (2.7%) are covered by water. ^[3]

Major highways

• Interstate 35
  • Interstate 35E
  • Interstate 35W
• U.S. Highway 77
• State Highway 22
• State Highway 31
• State Highway 81
• State Highway 171
• State Highway 174

Adjacent counties

• Johnson County (north)
• Ellis County (northeast)
• Navarro County (east)
• Limestone County (southeast)
• McLennan County (south)
• Bosque County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	3,653		—
1870	7,453		104.0%
1880	16,554		122.1%
1890	27,583		66.6%
1900	41,355		49.9%
1910	46,760		13.1%
1920	43,332		−7.3%
1930	43,036		−0.7%
1940	38,355		−10.9%
1950	31,282		−18.4%
1960	23,650		−24.4%
1970	22,596		−4.5%
1980	25,024		10.7%
1990	27,146		8.5%
2000	32,321		19.1%
2010	35,089		8.6%
2020	35,874		2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [4] 1850–2010 [5] 2010 [6] 2020 [7]

Hill County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [6]	Pop 2020 [7]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	25,836	24,123	73.63%	67.24%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,161	2,055	6.16%	5.73%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	118	137	0.34%	0.38%
Asian alone (NH)	105	188	0.30%	0.52%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	20	15	0.06%	0.04%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	19	87	0.05%	0.24%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	403	1,385	1.15%	3.86%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6,427	7,884	18.32%	21.98%
Total	35,089	35,874	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 ^[8] of 2000, 32,321 people, 12,204 households, and 8,725 families were residing in the county. The population density was 34 people/sq mi (13 people/km²). The 14,624 housing units averaged 15 per square mile (5.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 7.40% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 6.04% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. About 13.49% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 12,204 households, 30.70% had children under 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were not families. About 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58, and the average family size was 3.07.

A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 3.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county. ^[9]

In the county, the age distribution was 25.90% under 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,600, and for a family was $37,791. Males had a median income of $29,438 versus $20,765 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,514. About 11.90% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.70% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Hill County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency that oversees Hill County and operates the Hill County Jail in Hillsboro. ^{[10] [11] [12]} The current sheriff is Rodney B. Watson.^{[ citation needed ]}.The first sheriff of Hill County was Charley Davis. ^[13]

Media

Serving Hill County exclusively are media outlets KHBR Radio - 1560 AM and The Reporter newspaper. Hill County is currently listed as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets include: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV, although it is located in Central Texas and a neighboring county of the Waco metropolitan area. All of the Waco/Temple/Killeen market stations also provide coverage for Hill County. They include: KCEN-TV, KWTX-TV, KXXV-TV, KDYW, and KWKT-TV. Northland Cable Television continues to offer all of the above stations in Hillsboro.

Communities

Confederate memorial at Hill County Courthouse

Cities

• Abbott
• Aquilla
• Covington
• Hillsboro (county seat)
• Hubbard
• Itasca
• Mount Calm
• Whitney

Towns

• Blum
• Bynum
• Carl's Corner
• Malone
• Mertens
• Penelope

Unincorporated communities

• Birome
• Brandon
• Huron
• Irene
• Lovelace
• Mayfield
• Menlow
• Peoria
• Vaughan
• Woodbury

Ghost towns

• Kirby
• Prairiedale

Politics

Hill County, like most of the rural South, is currently overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to carry Hill County was Bill Clinton in 1992. Before this, like most of Texas, Hill County was solidly Democratic: up to 1979, the county had voted Republican only against Catholic Al Smith in 1928 and against George McGovern in 1972.

United States presidential election results for Hill County, Texas ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,926	79.87%	2,860	19.15%	145	0.97%
2016	10,108	77.93%	2,547	19.64%	315	2.43%
2012	9,132	75.82%	2,752	22.85%	161	1.34%
2008	9,264	70.25%	3,811	28.90%	113	0.86%
2004	9,225	70.67%	3,751	28.74%	77	0.59%
2000	7,054	65.71%	3,524	32.83%	157	1.46%
1996	4,401	46.46%	3,988	42.10%	1,084	11.44%
1992	3,669	35.36%	3,929	37.87%	2,778	26.77%
1988	4,796	52.14%	4,381	47.63%	21	0.23%
1984	5,344	60.80%	3,420	38.91%	26	0.30%
1980	4,113	46.03%	4,688	52.46%	135	1.51%
1976	2,680	33.37%	5,327	66.32%	25	0.31%
1972	4,481	70.25%	1,882	29.50%	16	0.25%
1968	1,809	25.93%	3,415	48.95%	1,753	25.13%
1964	1,557	23.25%	5,130	76.61%	9	0.13%
1960	2,226	33.76%	4,340	65.83%	27	0.41%
1956	2,487	37.08%	4,199	62.61%	21	0.31%
1952	3,242	41.85%	4,504	58.14%	1	0.01%
1948	657	12.18%	4,362	80.85%	376	6.97%
1944	516	8.62%	4,876	81.48%	592	9.89%
1940	627	9.46%	6,002	90.54%	0	0.00%
1936	265	5.32%	4,710	94.58%	5	0.10%
1932	360	6.36%	5,297	93.55%	5	0.09%
1928	2,446	50.34%	2,413	49.66%	0	0.00%
1924	807	12.07%	5,778	86.39%	103	1.54%
1920	1,022	19.83%	3,254	63.12%	879	17.05%
1916	382	8.61%	3,951	89.07%	103	2.32%
1912	129	4.18%	2,674	86.73%	280	9.08%

See also

• Texas portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hill County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Hill County

References

1. "Hill County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 23, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
4. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
5. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
6. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Hill County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
7. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Hill County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
9. Leonhardt, David; Quealy, Kevin (June 26, 2015), "Where Same-Sex Couples Live", The New York Times, retrieved July 6, 2015
10. "Hill County Sheriff's Office arrest three in NYE aggravated robbery". KCEN. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
11. "Hill County Sheriff's Office in Hillsboro, Texas". www.usacops.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
12. "Niederhaus To Run For Hill County Sheriff". hillsbororeporter.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
13. "TSHA | Hill County". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 9, 2018.

External links

• Hill County government's website
• Hill County from the Handbook of Texas Online

31°59′N97°08′W / 31.99°N 97.13°W / 31.99; -97.13