Newton County, Texas

Newton County
Newton County
County
	The Newton County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 30°47′N 93°45′W / 30.78°N 93.75°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1846
Named for	John Newton
Seat	Newton
Largest city	Newton
Area
• Total	940 sq mi (2,400 km2)
• Land	934 sq mi (2,420 km2)
• Water	6.1 sq mi (16 km2) 0.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	12,217
• Density	13/sq mi (5.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	36th
Website	www.co.newton.tx.us

Newton County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,217.^[1] Its county seat is Newton.^[2] The county is named for John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.

Newton County is included in the Beaumont-Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.

As of 2000, it had the second-lowest population density for all counties in East Texas, behind only Red River County, and the lowest population density in Deep East Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 940 square miles (2,400 km²), of which 934 square miles (2,420 km²) is land and 6.1 square miles (16 km²) (0.6%) is covered by water.^[3]

Major highways

Adjacent counties and parishes

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,689	—
1860	3,119	84.7%
1870	2,187	−29.9%
1880	4,350	98.9%
1890	4,650	6.9%
1900	7,282	56.6%
1910	10,850	49.0%
1920	12,196	12.4%
1930	12,524	2.7%
1940	13,700	9.4%
1950	10,832	−20.9%
1960	10,372	−4.2%
1970	11,657	12.4%
1980	13,254	13.7%
1990	13,569	2.4%
2000	15,072	11.1%
2010	14,445	−4.2%
2020	12,217	−15.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[4] 1850–2010^[5] 2010–2020^[6]

**Newton County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[7]	Pop 2020^[6]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	10,825	9,249	74.94%	75.71%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,891	2,075	20.01%	16.98%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	77	59	0.53%	0.48%
Asian alone (NH)	62	24	0.43%	0.20%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	0	0.01%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	27	0.00%	0.22%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	186	439	1.29%	3.59%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	403	344	2.79%	2.82%
Total	14,445	12,217	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, 15,072 people, 5,583 households, and 4,092 families resided in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6.2 people/km²). The 7,331 housing units averaged 8 units per square mile (3.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.84% White, 20.69% Black, 0.63% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.56% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. About 3.79% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,583 households, 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were not families; 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was distributed as 26.20% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,500, and for a family was $34,345. Males had a median income of $31,294 versus $17,738 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,381. About 15.50% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.40% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States Congress

Senators		Name	Party	First Elected	Level
	Senate Class 1	John Cornyn	Republican	1993	Senior Senator
	Senate Class 2	Ted Cruz	Republican	2012	Junior Senator
Representatives		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Newton County Represented
	District 36	Brian Babin	Republican	New district created with 2010 census. First elected 2014.	Entire county

Political culture

Newton County was once one of the most Democratic-leaning counties in East Texas and the Deep South altogether. Until 1968, the county had voted for the Democratic candidate in every election since Texas first participated in 1848 (excluding the 1860, 1864, and 1868 elections when the state had seceded). Even when Republicans Herbert Hoover and Dwight D. Eisenhower carried Texas in 1928, 1952, and 1956, respectively, Newton County remained Democratic, usually by wide margins.

The Democratic streak in Newton County was ended in 1968 when American Independent Party candidate George Wallace narrowly won the county with 42.6% of the vote against Democrat Hubert Humphrey's 41.7%. President Richard Nixon in 1972 became the first Republican to ever win the county in an election with 54% of the vote against Democrat George McGovern's 45.4%. After 1972, the county returned to voting Democratic, surviving the landslide elections of Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush in 1980, 1984, and 1988, respectively. In fact, Newton County was Walter Mondale's strongest county in East Texas in the 1984 election, winning 60.6% of the vote, and one of only four in the region to vote for him. Michael Dukakis in 1988 remains the last Democratic presidential candidate to win over 60% of the vote in the county.^[9]

Since 1988, the Democratic percentage in Newton County has decreased in every election, culminating in Al Gore's narrow win in 2000 with 50.16% against Governor George W. Bush's 48.56%. As of 2020, Gore remains the last Democrat to win the county's votes in a presidential election. Since 2004, the Republican candidate has comfortably carried the county in every election, with Bush winning 55.42% in 2004, John McCain winning 65.51% in 2008, Mitt Romney winning 70.06% in 2012 and Donald Trump winning 77.48% and 80.11% in 2016 and 2020 respectively.^[9]

United States presidential election results for Newton County, Texas^[10]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,882	80.11%	1,173	19.25%	39	0.64%
2016	4,288	77.48%	1,156	20.89%	90	1.63%
2012	4,112	70.06%	1,677	28.57%	80	1.36%
2008	3,446	65.51%	1,751	33.29%	63	1.20%
2004	3,159	55.42%	2,513	44.09%	28	0.49%
2000	2,423	48.56%	2,503	50.16%	64	1.28%
1996	1,409	31.62%	2,554	57.32%	493	11.06%
1992	1,212	22.00%	3,249	58.99%	1,047	19.01%
1988	1,659	31.25%	3,640	68.56%	10	0.19%
1984	2,123	39.03%	3,296	60.60%	20	0.37%
1980	1,379	29.25%	3,284	69.66%	51	1.08%
1976	1,011	22.46%	3,468	77.03%	23	0.51%
1972	1,946	53.98%	1,636	45.38%	23	0.64%
1968	555	15.67%	1,476	41.68%	1,510	42.64%
1964	738	24.97%	2,211	74.82%	6	0.20%
1960	756	29.19%	1,815	70.08%	19	0.73%
1956	1,030	49.61%	1,037	49.95%	9	0.43%
1952	917	35.99%	1,630	63.97%	1	0.04%
1948	110	7.86%	957	68.41%	332	23.73%
1944	187	15.28%	910	74.35%	127	10.38%
1940	174	8.22%	1,940	91.68%	2	0.09%
1936	93	7.71%	1,111	92.12%	2	0.17%
1932	46	2.81%	1,586	97.00%	3	0.18%
1928	397	41.27%	564	58.63%	1	0.10%
1924	145	15.30%	782	82.49%	21	2.22%
1920	58	8.68%	420	62.87%	190	28.44%
1916	34	6.09%	493	88.35%	31	5.56%
1912	11	3.12%	278	78.75%	64	18.13%

Communities

City

Newton (county seat)

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Education

School districts:

Areas of Newton County in Brookeland ISD, Burkeville ISD, and Newton ISD are assigned to Angelina College.^[11] Legislation does not specify a community college for the remainder of the county.