Frio County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 18,385. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Pearsall. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1871. Frio is named for the

Frio River The Frio River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. The word ''frío'' is Spanish for ''cold'', a clear reference to the spring-fed coolness of the river. Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, it has also been ...

, whose name is Spanish for "cold".

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.07%) is covered by water.

Major highways

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

* U.S. Highway 57 * State Highway 85 * State Highway 173 * *

Adjacent counties

* Medina County (north) * Atascosa County (east) * McMullen County (southeast) * La Salle County (south) * Dimmit County (southwest) * Zavala County (west) * Uvalde County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,385 people, 4,673 households, and 3,306 families residing in the county. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 16,252 people, 4,743 households, and 3,642 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . The 5,660 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 71.86% White, 4.87% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 19.76% from other races, and 2.50% from two or more races. About 73.76% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 4,743 households, 40.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.20% were not families. About 20.60% of all households was made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.44. In the county, the population was distributed as 28.70% under the age of 18, 11.20% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 18.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $24,504, and for a family was $26,578. Males had a median income of $23,810 versus $16,498 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,069. About 24.50% of families and 29.00% 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 36.20% of those under age 18 and 30.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Frio County has leaned Democratic at the presidential level. It voted Republican in 2004, 2020, and 2024.

Communities

Cities

* Dilley * Pearsall (county seat)

Census-designated places

Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

* Hilltop *

Moore Moore may refer to: Language * Mooré language, spoken in West Africa People * Moore (surname) ** List of people with surname Moore * Moore Crosthwaite (1907–1989), a British diplomat and ambassador * Moore Disney (1765–1846), a senior ...

* North Pearsall

Unincorporated area

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

Ghost town

* Frio Town

Education

School districts include: * Charlotte Independent School District * Devine Independent School District * Dilley Independent School District * Hondo Independent School District * Pearsall Independent School District The designated community college is Southwest Texas Junior College.Texas Education Code: Sec. 130.200. SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

Frio County Government
*
Historic Frio County materials
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History.

''Frio County Profile'' from the Texas Association of Counties
{{authority control 1871 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1871 Majority-minority counties in Texas Hispanic and Latino American culture in Texas