Kleberg County, Texas

Last updated

Kleberg County
County
Kleberg courthouse.jpg
The Kleberg County Courthouse in Kingsville. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2010.
Map of Texas highlighting Kleberg County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas in United States.svg
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 27°26′N97°40′W / 27.43°N 97.66°W / 27.43; -97.66
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Texas.svg Texas
Founded1913
Named after Robert J. Kleberg
Seat Kingsville
Largest cityKingsville
Area
 • Total
1,090 sq mi (2,800 km2)
 • Land881 sq mi (2,280 km2)
 • Water209 sq mi (540 km2)  19%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
31,040
 • Density28/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 34th
Website www.co.kleberg.tx.us

Kleberg County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,040. [1] The county seat is Kingsville. [2] The county was organized in 1913 [3] and is named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler.

Contents

Kleberg County is part of the Kingsville, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX Combined Statistical Area. Most of the county's land lies in the famed King Ranch, which also extends into neighboring counties.

History

The county was organized in 1913 [4] and was named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler.

In 1997, the county commissioners designated "HeavenO" as the county's official greeting because of a taboo stemming from "Hello"'s perceived connotations of Hell. [5] [6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,090 square miles (2,800 km2), of which 881 square miles (2,280 km2) is land and 209 square miles (540 km2) (19%) is water. [7] It borders the Gulf of Mexico. Baffin Bay makes up a large part of the border with Kenedy County.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1920 7,837—
1930 12,45158.9%
1940 13,3447.2%
1950 21,99164.8%
1960 30,05236.7%
1970 33,16610.4%
1980 33,3580.6%
1990 30,274−9.2%
2000 31,5494.2%
2010 32,0611.6%
2020 31,040−3.2%
2024 (est.)30,442 [8] −1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]
1850–2010 [10] 2010 [11] 2020 [12]

2020 census

Kleberg 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.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000 [13] Pop 2010 [11] Pop 2020 [12] % 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)8,9977,4796,72828.52%23.33%21.68%
Black or African American alone (NH)1,0911,0709953.46%3.34%3.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)9751830.31%0.16%0.27%
Asian alone (NH)4447157841.41%2.23%2.53%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)262610.08%0.08%0.00%
Other Race alone (NH)2128970.07%0.09%0.31%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)2381974320.75%0.61%1.39%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)20,63522,49521,92065.41%70.16%70.62%
Total31,54932,06131,040100.00%100.00%100.00%

2000 Census

As of the census [14] of 2000, there were 31,549 people, 10,896 households, and 7,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 12,743 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 71.87% White, 3.70% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 19.00% from other races, and 3.25% from two or more races. 65.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,896 households, out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 13.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.30% under the age of 18, 15.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,313, and the median income for a family was $33,055. Males had a median income of $31,179 versus $19,494 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,542. About 21.20% of families and 26.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.50% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

68.1% of the people in Kleberg County are religious: 37.3% are Catholics, 9.8% are Baptists, 8% are Muslims, 3.3% are Methodists, 2.7% are Pentecostals, 2.0% are Mormons, 0.9% are Lutherans, 0.7% are Presbyterians, 0.6% are Episcopalians and 2.8% are from another Christian faith. [15]

Communities

Cities and towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

Politics

United States presidential election results for Kleberg County, Texas [16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1916 10618.34%42773.88%457.79%
1920 17225.56%45567.61%466.84%
1924 22619.57%72162.42%20818.01%
1928 75151.94%69548.06%00.00%
1932 19810.15%1,72788.56%251.28%
1936 1569.13%1,48887.12%643.75%
1940 42920.78%1,63179.02%40.19%
1944 42121.51%1,47375.27%633.22%
1948 69724.26%2,08372.50%933.24%
1952 2,03738.94%3,19361.04%10.02%
1956 2,12146.39%2,43653.28%150.33%
1960 2,09235.66%3,77364.32%10.02%
1964 1,65226.52%4,56873.32%100.16%
1968 2,71333.84%4,63357.80%6708.36%
1972 5,31254.19%4,48145.71%100.10%
1976 3,77139.09%5,80360.15%730.76%
1980 4,60845.84%5,12550.98%3203.18%
1984 5,71253.48%4,92446.10%450.42%
1988 4,44344.67%5,36753.96%1361.37%
1992 3,89736.89%5,10948.36%1,55814.75%
1996 3,39137.68%5,13657.07%4725.25%
2000 4,52649.23%4,48148.74%1872.03%
2004 5,36653.81%4,55045.62%570.57%
2008 4,54045.97%5,25653.22%800.81%
2012 4,05845.56%4,75453.37%951.07%
2016 4,36745.55%4,71649.19%5045.26%
2020 5,57550.24%5,38148.49%1411.27%
2024 5,61255.95%4,33843.25%810.81%
United States Senate election results for Kleberg County, Texas1 [17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 5,04751.02%4,61446.64%2322.35%

Kleberg County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by José Manuel Lozano, a Republican party politician. [18] Kleberg County has leaned Democratic most of its history but has become more competitive in the 21st century. An indicator of that trend is Lozano, who was originally a Democrat but switched to the Republican party in 2012. Kleberg County Attorney Kira Talip Sanchez was originally elected as a Democrat in 2014 but switched parties in August 2023 and is now a Republican. [19] No candidate from either party has managed to reach 60% of the vote share in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Compared to the rest of the ancestral Democratic stronghold of South Texas, Kleberg County has seen a relatively mild swing towards the Democrats - for example, in 2024, the county voted to the left of nearby Starr County for the first time in its history. Some of this may be attributed to Kleberg County's lower Hispanic population, especially in rural areas.

Education

School districts in the county include:

Coastal Bend College (formerly Bee County College) is the designated community college for the Kingsville, Ricardo, and Santa Gertrudis school district areas. The Riviera ISD portion is in the Del Mar College-Corpus Christi Junior College District. [20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kleberg 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. ↑ Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer, p. 959
  4. ↑ Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer, p. 959.
  5. ↑ Kelley Shannon, "Say Goodbye to ‘Hello’ and Hello to ‘Heaven-o’", The Los Angeles Times, January 19, 1997.
  6. ↑ "Heaven-o", The Chicago Tribune, January 21, 1997.
  7. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ "QuickFacts: Kleburg County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  10. ↑ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  11. 1 2 "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Kleberg County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Archived from the original on January 9, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Kleberg County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Archived from the original on January 9, 2024.
  13. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Kleberg County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  14. ↑ "U.S. Census". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. ↑ https://www.bestplaces.net/religion/county/texas/kleberg
  16. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  17. ↑ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  18. ↑ "J. M. Lozano". Texas Legislators: Past & Present. Texas Legislative Reference Library.
  19. ↑ Goldsberry, Jenny; Zimmermann, David (August 20, 2023). "Texas county attorney leaves Democratic Party for GOP over border crisis". Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Texas Education Code, Title 3. Higher Education, Subtitle G. Non-baccalaureate System, Chapter 130. Junior College Districts". Texas Constitution and Statutes. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Sec. 130.167. Bee County College District Service Area." "Sec. 130.177. Del Mar College-corpus Christi Junior College District Service Area. The legislation calls it "Bee County College".

27°26′N97°40′W / 27.43°N 97.66°W / 27.43; -97.66

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