Live Oak County, Texas

Live Oak County
Live Oak County
County
	The Live Oak County Courthouse in George West
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 28°21′N 98°08′W / 28.35°N 98.13°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1856
Named for	Groves of live oak
Seat	George West
Largest city	George West
Area
• Total	1,079 sq mi (2,790 km2)
• Land	1,040 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Water	39 sq mi (100 km2) 3.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	11,335
• Density	11/sq mi (4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th
Website	www.co.live-oak.tx.us

Live Oak County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for its native groves of live oak.^[1] George West is its county seat.^[2] Its population was 11,335 in the 2020 census.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,079 square miles (2,790 km²), of which 1,040 square miles (2,700 km²) is land and 39 square miles (100 km²) (3.6%) is water.^[4] It is home to the Choke Canyon Reservoir.

Major highways

Interstate 37
U.S. Highway 59
- Interstate 69W is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
U.S. Highway 281
- Interstate 69C is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 281 in most places south of George West.
SH 72
FM 99
FM 624
FM 799
FM 833

Adjacent counties

Karnes County (northeast)
Bee County (east)
San Patricio County (southeast)
Jim Wells County (south)
Duval County (southwest)
McMullen County (west)
Atascosa County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	593	—
1870	852	43.7%
1880	1,994	134.0%
1890	2,055	3.1%
1900	2,268	10.4%
1910	3,442	51.8%
1920	4,171	21.2%
1930	8,956	114.7%
1940	9,799	9.4%
1950	9,054	−7.6%
1960	7,846	−13.3%
1970	6,697	−14.6%
1980	9,606	43.4%
1990	9,556	−0.5%
2000	12,309	28.8%
2010	11,531	−6.3%
2020	11,335	−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[5] 1850–2010^[6] 2020^[7]

**Live Oak County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[8]	Pop 2020^[7]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	6,805	5,968	59.01%	52.65%
Black or African American alone (NH)	453	205	3.93%	1.81%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	62	49	0.54%	0.43%
Asian alone (NH)	56	35	0.49%	0.31%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	3	0.03%	0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	9	45	0.08%	0.40%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	83	240	0.72%	2.12%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,060	4,790	35.21%	42.26%
Total	11,531	11,335	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^[9] of 2000, there were 12,309 people, 4,230 households, and 3,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4.6 people/km²). There were 6,196 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.28% White, 2.45% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 7.72% from other races, and 1.94% from two or more races. 38.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,230 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 122.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 129.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,057, and the median income for a family was $38,235. Males had a median income of $30,061 versus $19,665 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,886. About 14.10% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Correctional Institution, Three Rivers is located in unincorporated Live Oak County, near Three Rivers.^[10]^[11]

Politics

Live Oak County voted predominantly Democratic at the presidential level during the first half of the 20th century. Native son Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1952 win was an exception. Jimmy Carter in 1976, however, was the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county, with Republicans winning since 1980.

United States presidential election results for Live Oak County, Texas^[12]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,199	83.08%	819	16.20%	36	0.71%
2016	3,464	80.52%	742	17.25%	96	2.23%
2012	3,154	76.68%	919	22.34%	40	0.97%
2008	3,095	74.11%	1,048	25.10%	33	0.79%
2004	3,147	74.91%	1,036	24.66%	18	0.43%
2000	2,828	70.63%	1,114	27.82%	62	1.55%
1996	1,929	53.41%	1,372	37.98%	311	8.61%
1992	1,805	45.52%	1,345	33.92%	815	20.55%
1988	2,277	58.69%	1,573	40.54%	30	0.77%
1984	2,481	66.00%	1,260	33.52%	18	0.48%
1980	2,193	60.61%	1,380	38.14%	45	1.24%
1976	1,287	43.47%	1,656	55.93%	18	0.61%
1972	1,745	73.97%	610	25.86%	4	0.17%
1968	938	40.02%	922	39.33%	484	20.65%
1964	795	35.71%	1,423	63.93%	8	0.36%
1960	1,048	57.52%	770	42.26%	4	0.22%
1956	1,077	65.71%	521	31.79%	41	2.50%
1952	1,443	71.22%	573	28.28%	10	0.49%
1948	479	30.57%	945	60.31%	143	9.13%
1944	548	39.00%	642	45.69%	215	15.30%
1940	499	35.90%	888	63.88%	3	0.22%
1936	231	20.17%	874	76.33%	40	3.49%
1932	114	9.56%	1,070	89.77%	8	0.67%
1928	484	55.82%	383	44.18%	0	0.00%
1924	323	31.92%	596	58.89%	93	9.19%
1920	161	32.46%	234	47.18%	101	20.36%
1916	119	20.73%	397	69.16%	58	10.10%
1912	26	6.52%	308	77.19%	65	16.29%