Hockley County, Texas

Hockley County
Hockley County
County
	The Hockley County Courthouse in Levelland
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 33°37′N 102°20′W / 33.61°N 102.34°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1921
Named for	George Washington Hockley
Seat	Levelland
Largest city	Levelland
Area
• Total	909 sq mi (2,350 km2)
• Land	908 sq mi (2,350 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.02%
Population (2020)
• Total	21,537
• Density	24/sq mi (9.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	19th
Website	www.co.hockley.tx.us

Hockley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,537.^[1] Its county seat is Levelland.^[2] The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1921.^[3] It is named for George Washington Hockley, a secretary of war of the Republic of Texas.

Hockley County comprises the Levelland Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Lubbock–Levelland Combined Statistical Area.

History

Hockley County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar and Young Counties. It was named for George Washington Hockley,^[4] the commander of artillery in the Battle of San Jacinto and later Secretary of War of the Republic of Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 909 square miles (2,350 km²), of which 908 square miles (2,350 km²) are land and 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km²) (0.02%) is covered by water.^[5]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Lamb County (north)
Lubbock County (east)
Terry County (south)
Cochran County (west)
Yoakum County (southwest)
Bailey County (northwest)
Hale County (northeast)
Lynn County (southeast)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	44	—
1910	137	211.4%
1920	137	0.0%
1930	9,298	6,686.9%
1940	12,693	36.5%
1950	20,407	60.8%
1960	22,340	9.5%
1970	20,396	−8.7%
1980	23,230	13.9%
1990	24,199	4.2%
2000	22,716	−6.1%
2010	22,935	1.0%
2020	21,537	−6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1850–2010^[7] 2010^[8] 2020^[9]

**Hockley County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[8]	Pop 2020^[9]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	11,795	9,752	51.43%	45.28%
Black or African American alone (NH)	801	565	3.49%	2.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	83	82	0.36%	0.38%
Asian alone (NH)	60	49	0.26%	0.23%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	4	0.01%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	39	59	0.17%	0.27%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	161	402	0.70%	1.87%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	9,993	10,624	43.57%	49.33%
Total	22,935	21,537	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, 22,716 people, 7,994 households, and 6,091 families resided in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile (9.7 people/km²). The 9,148 housing units averaged 10 units per square mile (3.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.38% White, 3.72% Black or African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 18.68% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. About 37.24% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 7,994 households, 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were not families, and 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the county, the population was distributed as 29.10% under the age of 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,085, and for a family was $35,288. Males had a median income of $29,735 versus $20,671 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,022. About 14.80% of families and 18.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.10% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Anton
Levelland (county seat)
Ropesville

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Politics

United States presidential election results for Hockley County, Texas^[11]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,536	80.69%	1,482	18.30%	82	1.01%
2016	5,809	79.46%	1,260	17.23%	242	3.31%
2012	5,546	77.74%	1,486	20.83%	102	1.43%
2008	5,795	75.80%	1,797	23.51%	53	0.69%
2004	6,160	81.30%	1,385	18.28%	32	0.42%
2000	5,250	77.84%	1,419	21.04%	76	1.13%
1996	4,230	60.86%	2,170	31.22%	550	7.91%
1992	4,261	54.16%	2,301	29.25%	1,306	16.60%
1988	4,368	60.25%	2,850	39.31%	32	0.44%
1984	5,462	72.39%	2,044	27.09%	39	0.52%
1980	4,599	64.03%	2,447	34.07%	137	1.91%
1976	3,137	44.00%	3,949	55.39%	44	0.62%
1972	4,084	70.84%	1,625	28.19%	56	0.97%
1968	2,265	36.85%	2,426	39.47%	1,456	23.69%
1964	1,674	29.20%	4,049	70.63%	10	0.17%
1960	2,159	40.29%	3,169	59.15%	30	0.56%
1956	2,001	38.58%	3,175	61.22%	10	0.19%
1952	2,651	47.17%	2,962	52.70%	7	0.12%
1948	346	9.53%	3,071	84.58%	214	5.89%
1944	319	9.47%	2,641	78.44%	407	12.09%
1940	261	9.85%	2,382	89.92%	6	0.23%
1936	90	4.91%	1,731	94.44%	12	0.65%
1932	76	4.68%	1,513	93.22%	34	2.09%
1928	765	75.82%	235	23.29%	9	0.89%
1924	20	21.28%	69	73.40%	5	5.32%