Wheeler County | |
---|---|
![]() Wheeler County Courthouse | |
![]() Location within the U.S. state of Texas | |
![]() Texas's location within the U.S. | |
Coordinates: 35°24′N100°16′W / 35.4°N 100.27°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1879 |
Named after | Royall T. Wheeler |
Seat | Wheeler |
Largest city | Shamrock |
Area | |
• Total | 915 sq mi (2,370 km2) |
• Land | 915 sq mi (2,370 km2) |
• Water | 1.0 sq mi (3 km2) 0.1% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,990 |
• Density | 5.5/sq mi (2.1/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | 13th |
Website | www |
Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,990. [1] Its county seat is Wheeler. [2] The county was formed in 1876 and organized in 1879. [3] It is named for Royall Tyler Wheeler, a chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
Wheeler County was formerly one of 30 entirely dry counties in the state of Texas. [4] However, circa 2010, the community of Shamrock, located in Wheeler County at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 83, voted to allow liquor sales. Within the city limits of Shamrock is the only place to purchase liquor in Wheeler County.
The Pioneer West Museum, the Wheeler County historical museum, is located in Shamrock off U.S. Highway 83.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 915 square miles (2,370 km2), of which 915 square miles (2,370 km2) are land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.1%) is covered by water. [5]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 512 | — | |
1890 | 778 | 52.0% | |
1900 | 636 | −18.3% | |
1910 | 5,258 | 726.7% | |
1920 | 7,397 | 40.7% | |
1930 | 15,555 | 110.3% | |
1940 | 12,411 | −20.2% | |
1950 | 10,317 | −16.9% | |
1960 | 7,947 | −23.0% | |
1970 | 6,434 | −19.0% | |
1980 | 7,137 | 10.9% | |
1990 | 5,879 | −17.6% | |
2000 | 5,284 | −10.1% | |
2010 | 5,410 | 2.4% | |
2020 | 4,990 | −7.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1850–1900 [7] 1910 [8] 1920 [9] 1930 [10] 1940 [11] 1950 [12] 1960 [13] 1970 [14] 1980 [15] 1990 [16] 2000 [17] 2010 [18] 2020 [19] |
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 [20] | Pop 2010 [21] | Pop 2020 [19] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 4,386 | 3,847 | 3,469 | 83.01% | 71.11% | 69.52% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 137 | 112 | 81 | 2.59% | 2.07% | 1.62% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 29 | 20 | 33 | 0.55% | 0.37% | 0.66% |
Asian alone (NH) | 29 | 23 | 24 | 0.55% | 0.43% | 0.48% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0.08% | 0.00% | 0.04% |
Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0.00% | 0.06% | 0.24% |
Mixed or multiracial (NH) | 35 | 61 | 142 | 0.66% | 1.13% | 2.85% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 664 | 1,344 | 1,227 | 12.57% | 24.84% | 24.59% |
Total | 5,284 | 5,410 | 4,990 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the census [22] of 2000, 5,284 people, 2,152 households, and 1,487 families resided in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (2.3 people/km2). The 2,687 housing units had an average density of 3 units per square mile (1.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.83% White, 2.78% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.64% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. About 12.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,152 households, 29.6% had children under 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were not families. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.9% under 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,029, and for a family was $36,989. Males had a median income of $26,790 versus $19,091 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,083. About 11.6% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under 18 and 16.8% of those 65 or over.
Wheeler County is located in Texas House of Representatives District 88. The county was previously in District 68 from 2013 to 2023. Republican Ken King, a businessman from Canadian in Hemphill County, has represented Wheeler County in the Texas House of Representatives since the redistricting. [23] [24]
The representative from 1971 to 1979 was the Democrat Phil Cates, later a lobbyist in Austin. [25]
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
1912 | 35 | 6.31% | 402 | 72.43% | 118 | 21.26% |
1916 | 56 | 8.00% | 554 | 79.14% | 90 | 12.86% |
1920 | 198 | 26.33% | 516 | 68.62% | 38 | 5.05% |
1924 | 197 | 17.12% | 908 | 78.89% | 46 | 4.00% |
1928 | 1,038 | 57.86% | 750 | 41.81% | 6 | 0.33% |
1932 | 165 | 6.75% | 2,263 | 92.56% | 17 | 0.70% |
1936 | 277 | 10.24% | 2,415 | 89.31% | 12 | 0.44% |
1940 | 517 | 16.55% | 2,600 | 83.23% | 7 | 0.22% |
1944 | 511 | 19.54% | 1,869 | 71.47% | 235 | 8.99% |
1948 | 370 | 15.04% | 2,010 | 81.71% | 80 | 3.25% |
1952 | 1,645 | 51.37% | 1,551 | 48.44% | 6 | 0.19% |
1956 | 1,178 | 48.22% | 1,252 | 51.25% | 13 | 0.53% |
1960 | 1,428 | 58.43% | 1,011 | 41.37% | 5 | 0.20% |
1964 | 1,138 | 44.11% | 1,440 | 55.81% | 2 | 0.08% |
1968 | 1,176 | 45.97% | 812 | 31.74% | 570 | 22.28% |
1972 | 1,766 | 77.87% | 502 | 22.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
1976 | 1,273 | 44.08% | 1,598 | 55.33% | 17 | 0.59% |
1980 | 1,626 | 59.28% | 1,090 | 39.74% | 27 | 0.98% |
1984 | 2,251 | 73.51% | 805 | 26.29% | 6 | 0.20% |
1988 | 1,703 | 61.33% | 1,067 | 38.42% | 7 | 0.25% |
1992 | 1,458 | 52.69% | 938 | 33.90% | 371 | 13.41% |
1996 | 1,355 | 59.20% | 750 | 32.77% | 184 | 8.04% |
2000 | 1,787 | 74.80% | 579 | 24.24% | 23 | 0.96% |
2004 | 1,960 | 81.87% | 420 | 17.54% | 14 | 0.58% |
2008 | 1,918 | 85.43% | 314 | 13.99% | 13 | 0.58% |
2012 | 1,878 | 88.25% | 232 | 10.90% | 18 | 0.85% |
2016 | 2,087 | 90.50% | 194 | 8.41% | 25 | 1.08% |
2020 | 2,159 | 92.38% | 168 | 7.19% | 10 | 0.43% |
2024 | 2,093 | 92.04% | 169 | 7.43% | 12 | 0.53% |
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 2,025 | 89.88% | 192 | 8.52% | 36 | 1.60% |
Media related to Wheeler County, Texas at Wikimedia Commons