Lee County, Texas

Lee County
Lee County
County
	County courthouse in Giddings, built 1899
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 30°19′N 96°58′W / 30.31°N 96.96°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1874
Named for	Robert E. Lee
Seat	Giddings
Largest city	Giddings
Area
• Total	634 sq mi (1,640 km2)
• Land	629 sq mi (1,630 km2)
• Water	5.1 sq mi (13 km2) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	17,478
• Density	28/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	10th
Website	www.co.lee.tx.us

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,478.^[1] Its county seat is Giddings.^[2] The county was founded in 1874 and is named for Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The county has many Confederate memorials and monuments to the Confederate States of America.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 634 square miles (1,640 km²), of which 5.1 square miles (13 km²) (0.8%) are covered by water.^[3]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Milam County (north)
Burleson County (northeast)
Washington County (east)
Fayette County (southeast)
Bastrop County (southwest)
Williamson County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	8,937	—
1890	11,952	33.7%
1900	14,595	22.1%
1910	13,132	−10.0%
1920	14,014	6.7%
1930	13,390	−4.5%
1940	12,751	−4.8%
1950	10,144	−20.4%
1960	8,949	−11.8%
1970	8,048	−10.1%
1980	10,952	36.1%
1990	12,854	17.4%
2000	15,657	21.8%
2010	16,612	6.1%
2020	17,478	5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[4] 1850–2010^[5] 2010^[6] 2020^[7]

**Lee County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[6]	Pop 2020^[7]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	10,798	10,612	65.00%	60.72%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,772	1,631	10.67%	9.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	44	47	0.26%	0.27%
Asian alone (NH)	52	57	0.31%	0.33%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	17	1	0.10%	0.01%
Some other race alone (NH)	7	37	0.04%	0.21%
Mixed/multiracial (NH)	198	614	1.19%	3.51%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,724	4,479	22.42%	25.63%
Total	16,612	17,478	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^[8] of 2000, 15,657 people, 5,663 households, and 4,150 families were residing in the county. The population density was 25 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km²). The 6,851 housing units had an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.59% White, 12.08% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 8.90% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races. About 18.19% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. About 35.5% were of German and 8.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000; 80.1% spoke English, 14.4% Spanish, and 5.1% German as their first language. Of the 5,663 households, 35.7% had children under 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65, and the average family size was 3.15. In the county, the age distribution was 28.8% under 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.60 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 98.0 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,280, and for a family was $42,073. Males had a median income of $30,635 versus $21,611 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,163. About 9.70% of families and 11.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those 65 or over. As of the 2010 census, Lee County has a similar ethnic makeup compared to the overall United States.^[9]

Politics

Lee County was historically Democratic, although less so than the majority of Texas, as it was somewhat allied with the isolated Republican German-American Unionist stronghold centered in Gillespie and Kendall Counties. It nonetheless voted Democratic in every election up to 1976 except the landslide Republican triumphs of 1956 and 1972, plus the heavily war-influenced elections of 1916 and 1940, when its German-American population was suspicious of the Democratic Party's position towards Germany. Since 1980, like all of the rural white South, Lee County has become powerfully Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has won a majority in the county since Jimmy Carter in 1976, although during the drought- and farm crisis-dominated 1988 election Michael Dukakis won a 14-vote plurality. In the past five elections, the GOP candidate has always passed two-thirds of the county's vote and Donald Trump exceeded three-quarters in 2016 & 2020.

United States presidential election results for Lee County, Texas^[10]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,255	77.22%	1,750	21.60%	95	1.17%
2016	4,997	76.20%	1,372	20.92%	189	2.88%
2012	4,507	72.27%	1,632	26.17%	97	1.56%
2008	4,312	67.62%	2,000	31.36%	65	1.02%
2004	4,160	68.33%	1,899	31.19%	29	0.48%
2000	3,699	66.82%	1,733	31.30%	104	1.88%
1996	2,354	49.00%	2,008	41.80%	442	9.20%
1992	2,108	41.68%	1,847	36.52%	1,103	21.81%
1988	2,513	49.60%	2,527	49.87%	27	0.53%
1984	2,967	64.05%	1,659	35.82%	6	0.13%
1980	1,803	52.08%	1,581	45.67%	78	2.25%
1976	1,348	40.81%	1,937	58.64%	18	0.54%
1972	1,877	66.70%	920	32.69%	17	0.60%
1968	1,075	35.97%	1,283	42.92%	631	21.11%
1964	923	32.86%	1,884	67.07%	2	0.07%
1960	1,048	42.76%	1,369	55.85%	34	1.39%
1956	1,200	52.77%	1,061	46.66%	13	0.57%
1952	1,316	48.61%	1,389	51.31%	2	0.07%
1948	465	21.91%	1,540	72.57%	117	5.51%
1944	771	35.11%	953	43.40%	472	21.49%
1940	1,150	54.61%	954	45.30%	2	0.09%
1936	271	18.99%	1,155	80.94%	1	0.07%
1932	110	5.67%	1,831	94.33%	0	0.00%
1928	449	27.63%	1,176	72.37%	0	0.00%
1924	271	11.87%	1,561	68.35%	452	19.79%
1920	325	14.65%	712	32.09%	1,182	53.27%
1916	836	56.11%	571	38.32%	83	5.57%
1912	134	13.58%	687	69.60%	166	16.82%

Government and infrastructure

Giddings State School, a Texas Youth Commission reformatory, in unincorporated Lee County

The Texas Youth Commission operates the Giddings State School in unincorporated Lee County, near Giddings.^[11] As of 2004^[update], the Giddings State School was Lee County's largest employer.^[12]

Communities

City

Giddings (county seat)

Town

Lexington

Unincorporated communities

Education

School districts:^[13]

Most of Lee County is assigned to Blinn Junior College District. Austin Community College is the designated community college for portions of Lee County in Elgin ISD.^[14]