The first settler of Johnson County was Henry Briden, who built a log cabin on the Nolan River in 1849.[4] His log cabin still exists, and can be seen along State Highway 174 in Rio Vista, Texas. The first county seat was Wardville, now located under the waters of Lake Pat Cleburne. In 1856, Buchanan became the county seat. Johnson County was divided in 1866, with the western half becoming Hood County. Camp Henderson became the new county seat and was renamed Cleburne in honor of Confederate General Patrick Cleburne.
In 2025, the sheriff in Johnson County utilized a national database generated by automatic license-plate readers to track down a Texas woman who possibly sought to have an out-of-state abortion.[5]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 734 square miles (1,900km2), of which 725 square miles (1,880km2) are land and 9.8 square miles (25km2) (1.3%) are covered by water.[6]
Johnson County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition 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 may be of any race.
Racial Makeup of Johnson County, Texas treating Hispanics as a Racial Category (2023)[13] NH=Non-Hispanic
White NH (63.6%)
Black NH (5.88%)
Native American NH (0.19%)
Asian NH (1.29%)
Pacific Islander NH (0.14%)
Other race NH (0.37%)
Two or more races NH (2.64%)
Hispanic Any Race (25.9%)
Racial Makeup of Hispanics in Johnson County, Texas (2023)[13]
White alone (19.7%)
Black alone (0.00%)
Native American alone (2.20%)
Asian alone (0.00%)
Pacific Islander alone (0.00%)
Other race alone (18.4%)
Two or more races (59.7%)
Total
Population
Percentage
Hispanic or Latino
52,531
25.9%
NH White
130,578
64.4%
NH Black
11,684
5.8%
NH Asian
2,570
1.3%
NH Native American
922
0.5%
NH Pacific Islander
846
0.4%
NH Multiracial
3,775
1.9%
The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Johnson County’s population was 202,906. It was also estimated that the county was 25.9% Hispanic or Latino, 64.4% NH White, 5.8% NH Black, 1.3% NH Asian, 0.5% NH Native, 0.4% NH Pacific Islander, and 1.9% NH Multiracial.[14]
2000 census
In 2000 there were 126,811 people, 43,636 households, and 34,428 families resided in the county.[15] The population density was 174 peopleper square mile (67 people/km2). The 46,269 housing units averaged 63 unitsper square mile (24/km2). In 2020, its population was 179,927, reflecting the increase of the Metroplex's population and suburbanization.
At the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the county was 90.01% White, 2.50% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.18% Pacific Islander, 4.52% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. About 12.12% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2010, its racial makeup was 76.55% non-Hispanic white, 2.52% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.63% Asian American, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 0.11% some other race, 1.29% multiracial, and 18.10% Hispanic or Latino of any race.[12] By 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 66.26% non-Hispanic white, 3.58% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.52% Pacific Islander, 0.34% some other race, 4.19% multiracial, and 23.68% Hispanic or Latino of any race.[10]
As of 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $44,621, and for a family was $49,963. Males had a median income of $36,718 versus $25,149 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,400. About 6.90% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.60% of those under age 18 and 10.90% of those age 65 or over.
Hill College a college in Hillsboro, a town in neighboring Hill County also provides tertiary education, with a campus in Cleburne since 1971.[citation needed] Johnson County is defined by the Texas Education Code as being in the Hill College service area.[17]
Johnson County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a commissioners' court. This court consists of the county judge (the chairperson of the court), who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.
The Commissioners' Court is the policy-making body for the county; in addition, the county judge is the senior executive and administrative position in the county. The Commissioners' Court sets the county tax rate, adopts the budget, appoints boards and commissions, approves grants and personnel actions, and oversees the administration of county government. Each commissioner supervises a Road and Bridge District. The Commissioners' Court approves the budget and sets the tax rate for the hospital district, which is charged with the responsibility for providing acute medical care for citizens who otherwise would not receive adequate medical services.
Like much of the South, Johnson County was once a Democratic Party stronghold, consistently giving Democrats 70-80% of the vote aside from national Republican landslides. During its early history, Johnson County was crucial in the establishment of the Greenback Party, with many of the movement's major figures hailing from the area (although the county itself never offered significant support to the party).[30] Since 1976, Johnson County has joined much of the South in becoming a stronghold of the Republican Party. The county has given over 70% of its votes to the party in each presidential election since 2004, even as the Dallas-Forth Worth metro area, of which it is a part, has shifted to the left.
United States Senate election results for Johnson County, Texas1[31]
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