Stephens County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,101. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Breckenridge. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1876. It was originally named Buchanan County, after U.S. President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

, but was renamed in 1861 for

Alexander H. Stephens Alexander Hamilton Stephens (February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883) was an American politician who served as the vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and later as the 50th governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in ...

, the vice president of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.7%) are covered by water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 180 * U.S. Highway 183 * State Highway 67

Adjacent counties

* Young County (north) *

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1856 and organized the following year. Palo Pinto County comprises ...

(east) *

Eastland County Eastland County is a county located in central West Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,725. The county seat is Eastland. The county was founded in 1858 and later organized in 1873. It is named for William Mosby Eastland ...

(south) * Shackelford County (west) * Throckmorton County (northwest)

Demographics

''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 A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, 9,674 people, 3,661 households, and 2,591 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 11 people per square mile (4/km²). The 4,893 housing units averaged 6 per square mile (2/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 86.89% White, 2.92% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.15% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. About 14.66% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,661 households, 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were not families. Around 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was distributed as 24.40% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,583, and for a family was $35,293. Males had a median income of $26,421 versus $21,280 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,475. About 12.60% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

* Breckenridge (county seat) *

Caddo The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, w ...

* La Casa

Notable people

* Jack Cox, businessman and politician * Rupert N. Richardson, historian and president of Hardin-Simmons University

Politics

Stephens County is a powerfully Republican county. In 2016, the Democrat for president,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

, received just 10% of the county's vote. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election was southerner

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, and the last Democrat to receive over 1,000 votes in the county was southerner Bill Clinton. The Democrat who has come closest to 1,000 votes since then is southerner

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...

, who got 811 votes.

References

External links

* *
Stephens County government's website
{{authority control 1876 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1876