Stephens 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 9,101. 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 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 the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

, 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 first and only Vice President of the Confederate States of America, vice president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865, and l ...

, the vice president of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

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 (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 (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto, Texas, Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1 ...

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

Demographics

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, 9,674 people, 3,661 households, and 2,591 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 4,893 housing units averaged . The racial makeup 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 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 $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

City

* Breckenridge (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

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, who ...

* Crystal Falls * Eolian * Frankell * Gunsight * Harpersville * Ivan * La Casa * Necessity

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, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

, 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. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

, 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 former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

, who got 811 votes.

References

External links

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