Cochran County, Texas

Cochran County
Cochran County
County
	The Cochran County Courthouse in Morton.
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 33°36′N 102°50′W / 33.6°N 102.83°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1924
Named for	Robert E. Cochran
Seat	Morton
Largest city	Morton
Area
• Total	775 sq mi (2,010 km2)
• Land	775 sq mi (2,010 km2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.2 km2) 0.01%
Population (2020)
• Total	2,547
• Density	3.3/sq mi (1.3/km2)
Congressional district	19th
Website	www.co.cochran.tx.us

Cochran County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,547.^[1]^[2] The county seat is Morton.^[3] The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1924.^[4] It is named for Robert E. Cochran, a defender of the Alamo.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 775 square miles (2,010 km²), of which 775 square miles (2,010 km²) are land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km²) (0.01%) is covered by water.^[6] Cochran County lies on the high plains of the Llano Estacado. The western border of the county lies along the border of Texas and New Mexico.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Bailey County (north)
Lamb County (northeast)
Hockley County (east)
Terry County (southeast)
Yoakum County (south)
Lea County, New Mexico (southwest/Mountain Time Zone)
Roosevelt County, New Mexico (northwest/Mountain Time Zone)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	25	—
1910	65	160.0%
1920	67	3.1%
1930	1,963	2,829.9%
1940	3,735	90.3%
1950	5,928	58.7%
1960	6,417	8.2%
1970	5,326	−17.0%
1980	4,825	−9.4%
1990	4,377	−9.3%
2000	3,730	−14.8%
2010	3,127	−16.2%
2020	2,547	−18.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1850–2010^[8] 2010^[9] 2020^[10]

**Cochran County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[9]	Pop 2020^[10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,329	912	42.50%	35.81%
Black or African American alone (NH)	110	62	3.52%	2.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	12	6	0.38%	0.24%
Asian alone (NH)	3	0	0.10%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	0	0.10%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	16	40	0.51%	1.57%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,654	1,527	52.89%	59.95%
Total	3,127	2,547	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^[11] of 2000, there were 3,730 people, 1,309 households, and 1,017 families living in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (1.9 people/km²). There were 1,587 housing units at an average density of 2 units per square mile (0.77/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.48% White, 4.53% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 27.35% from other races, and 2.55% from two or more races. 44.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,309 households, out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.30% were non-families. 20.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,525, and the median income for a family was $31,163. Males had a median income of $25,064 versus $17,652 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,125. About 21.40% of families and 27.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Bledsoe
Morton (county seat)
Whiteface

Unincorporated communities

Politics

As with other areas in the Solid South, Cochran County voted predominantly Democratic at the presidential level through 1968.

United States presidential election results for Cochran County, Texas^[12]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	809	80.90%	177	17.70%	14	1.40%
2016	679	75.36%	190	21.09%	32	3.55%
2012	649	70.77%	256	27.92%	12	1.31%
2008	758	71.71%	284	26.87%	15	1.42%
2004	856	77.12%	249	22.43%	5	0.45%
2000	807	68.92%	344	29.38%	20	1.71%
1996	667	49.93%	541	40.49%	128	9.58%
1992	750	51.33%	454	31.07%	257	17.59%
1988	771	52.74%	681	46.58%	10	0.68%
1984	1,117	66.13%	557	32.98%	15	0.89%
1980	1,064	66.21%	513	31.92%	30	1.87%
1976	701	40.31%	1,031	59.29%	7	0.40%
1972	1,106	72.01%	415	27.02%	15	0.98%
1968	548	33.62%	633	38.83%	449	27.55%
1964	497	28.22%	1,260	71.55%	4	0.23%
1960	646	38.59%	1,028	61.41%	0	0.00%
1956	599	39.33%	923	60.60%	1	0.07%
1952	780	46.07%	906	53.51%	7	0.41%
1948	119	10.03%	971	81.87%	96	8.09%
1944	123	12.30%	716	71.60%	161	16.10%
1940	122	13.69%	765	85.86%	4	0.45%
1936	58	7.74%	683	91.19%	8	1.07%
1932	31	7.99%	345	88.92%	12	3.09%
1928	197	64.38%	109	35.62%	0	0.00%
1924	9	12.50%	59	81.94%	4	5.56%