Childress County, Texas

Childress County
Childress County
County
	Veterans Memorial at the Childress County Courthouse in Childress
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°32′N 100°12′W / 34.54°N 100.2°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1887
Named for	George Campbell Childress
Seat	Childress
Largest city	Childress
Area
• Total	714 sq mi (1,850 km2)
• Land	696 sq mi (1,800 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2) 2.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	6,664
• Density	9.3/sq mi (3.6/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	13th
Website	www.childresscountytexas.us

Childress County (/ˈtʃɪldrɪs/ CHIL-driss) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,664.^[1]^[2] The county seat is Childress.^[3] The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1887.^[4] It is named for George Campbell Childress, the author of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

County and regional history is preserved in the Childress County Heritage Museum in downtown Childress. The Bradley 3 Ranch, operated by matriarch Minnie Lou Bradley, is entirely in Childress County, but has a Memphis (Hall County) mailing address.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 714 square miles (1,850 km²), of which 696 square miles (1,800 km²) are land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (2.4%) are covered by water.^[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	25	—
1890	1,175	4,600.0%
1900	2,138	82.0%
1910	9,538	346.1%
1920	10,933	14.6%
1930	16,044	46.7%
1940	12,149	−24.3%
1950	12,123	−0.2%
1960	8,421	−30.5%
1970	6,605	−21.6%
1980	6,950	5.2%
1990	5,953	−14.3%
2000	7,688	29.1%
2010	7,041	−8.4%
2020	6,664	−5.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1850–2010^[7] 2010^[8] 2020^[9]

**Childress County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[8]	Pop 2020^[9]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	4,327	3,852	61.45%	57.80%
Black or African American alone (NH)	684	572	9.71%	8.58%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	28	20	0.40%	0.30%
Asian alone (NH)	47	51	0.67%	0.77%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	2	0.03%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	9	16	0.13%	0.24%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	59	209	0.84%	3.14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,885	1,942	26.77%	29.14%
Total	7,041	6,664	100.00%	100.00%

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^[10] of 2000, 7,688 people, 2,474 households, and 1,650 families resided in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4.2 people/km²). The 3,059 housing units averaged 4 units per square mile (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 67.70% White, 14.09% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 15.70% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. About 20.47% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,474 households, 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were not families. About 30.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was distributed as 22.10% under the age of 18, 12.10% from 18 to 24, 30.60% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 142.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 149.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,457, and for a family was $35,543. Males had a median income of $25,606 versus $20,037 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,452. About 13.70% of families and 17.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.30% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Childress (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Childress County in the Texas House of Representatives.^[11]

United States presidential election results for Childress County, Texas^[12]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,943	85.26%	310	13.60%	26	1.14%
2016	1,802	86.47%	253	12.14%	29	1.39%
2012	1,665	83.42%	320	16.03%	11	0.55%
2008	1,782	77.61%	497	21.65%	17	0.74%
2004	1,629	75.98%	511	23.83%	4	0.19%
2000	1,506	70.84%	602	28.32%	18	0.85%
1996	1,072	54.64%	719	36.65%	171	8.72%
1992	1,033	44.18%	881	37.68%	424	18.14%
1988	1,201	52.98%	1,060	46.76%	6	0.26%
1984	1,574	63.44%	900	36.28%	7	0.28%
1980	1,443	53.19%	1,222	45.04%	48	1.77%
1976	1,043	39.72%	1,578	60.09%	5	0.19%
1972	1,716	69.81%	729	29.66%	13	0.53%
1968	1,045	37.88%	1,093	39.62%	621	22.51%
1964	952	32.48%	1,977	67.45%	2	0.07%
1960	1,571	56.78%	1,189	42.97%	7	0.25%
1956	1,268	45.61%	1,503	54.06%	9	0.32%
1952	1,890	50.12%	1,879	49.83%	2	0.05%
1948	273	9.75%	2,415	86.22%	113	4.03%
1944	299	10.69%	2,295	82.05%	203	7.26%
1940	335	10.92%	2,729	88.98%	3	0.10%
1936	209	9.06%	2,076	89.99%	22	0.95%
1932	153	6.84%	2,072	92.58%	13	0.58%
1928	1,438	66.45%	726	33.55%	0	0.00%
1924	178	13.03%	1,117	81.77%	71	5.20%
1920	158	11.00%	1,206	83.98%	72	5.01%
1916	31	2.93%	948	89.52%	80	7.55%
1912	34	4.24%	721	89.90%	47	5.86%