Rockwall County, Texas

Rockwall County
Rockwall County
County
	The Rockwall County Courthouse in Rockwall
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 32°53′N 96°25′W / 32.89°N 96.41°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1873
Named for	Rockwall, Texas, named in turn for its clastic dikes
Seat	Rockwall
Largest city	Rockwall
Area
• Total	149 sq mi (390 km2)
• Land	127 sq mi (330 km2)
• Water	22 sq mi (60 km2) 15%
Population (2020)
• Total	107,819
• Density	720/sq mi (280/km2)
Demonym	Rockwallian
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.rockwallcountytexas.com

Rockwall County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. At 149 square miles (390 sq km), Rockwall County has the smallest area of any Texas county. Per the 2020 Census, its population was 107,819.^[1] Its county seat is Rockwall.^[2] The county and city are named for a wall-like subterranean rock formation that runs throughout the county.

Rockwall County is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area. It was one of the top 25 fastest-growing counties in the U.S. in 2010.^[3] Rockwall County is listed as the sixth-wealthiest county in Texas.

Cities in Rockwall County include Rockwall, Heath, Royse City, Fate, McClendon-Chisholm, Mobile City, and part of Rowlett.

History

Rockwall County was formed in 1873 from portions of Kaufman County. It split off because access to the county seat of Kaufman was inconvenient. It was named for its county seat, Rockwall. Rockwall County also is home to the great rock wall, which is no longer in public view today. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 149 square miles (390 km²), of which 127 square miles (330 km²) are land and 22 square miles (57 km²) (15%) are covered by water.^[5] It is the smallest county by area in Texas.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Collin County (north)
Hunt County (east)
Kaufman County (south)
Dallas County (west)

Communities^[6]

Dallas (mostly in Dallas County with small parts in Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties)
Fate
Garland (mostly in Dallas County with a small part in Collin County)
Heath (small part in Kaufman County)
McLendon-Chisholm
Mobile City
Rockwall (county seat)
Rowlett (mostly in Dallas County)
Royse City (partly in Collin and Hunt counties)
Wylie (mostly in Collin County and a small part in Dallas County)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	2,984	—
1890	5,972	100.1%
1900	8,531	42.8%
1910	8,072	−5.4%
1920	8,591	6.4%
1930	7,658	−10.9%
1940	7,051	−7.9%
1950	6,156	−12.7%
1960	5,878	−4.5%
1970	7,046	19.9%
1980	14,528	106.2%
1990	25,604	76.2%
2000	43,080	68.3%
2010	78,337	81.8%
2020	107,819	37.6%
2023 (est.)	131,307	21.8%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1850–2010^[8] 2010–2020^[1]

**Rockwall County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010^[9]	Pop 2020^[10]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	58,046	70,198	74.10%	65.11%
Black or African American alone (NH)	4,397	8,179	5.61%	7.59%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	345	479	0.44%	0.44%
Asian alone (NH)	1,850	3,306	2.36%	3.07%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	47	75	0.06%	0.07%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	116	344	0.15%	0.32%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	1,066	4,678	1.36%	4.34%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	12,470	20,560	15.92%	19.07%
Total	78,337	107,819	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.

According to the census of 2000,^[11] there were 43,080 people, 14,530 households, and 11,972 families residing in the county. The population density was 334 people per square mile (129 people/km²). There were 15,351 housing units at an average density of 119 units per square mile (46/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.17% White, 3.24% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.45% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 11.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By the 2020 census, its population increased to 107,819 with a racial and ethnic makeup of 65.11% non-Hispanic whites, 7.59% African Americans, 0.44% Native Americans, 3.07% Asians, 0.07% Pacific Islanders, 0.32% some other race, 4.34% multiracial, and 19.07% Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[10]

Education

The following school districts serve Rockwall County:^[12]

Rockwall Independent School District (small portion in Kaufman County)
Royse City Independent School District (small portion in Collin, Hunt counties)

From 1997 to 2015 the number of non-Hispanic white children in K-12 schools in the county increased by 6,000 as part of a trend of white flight and suburbanization by non-Hispanic white families.^[13]^[14]

Collin College's official service area includes all of Rockwall County.^[15]

Politics

Prior to 1972, Rockwall County was a Democratic stronghold. The 1968 election was highly transitional for the county with Hubert Humphrey only winning with 39% of the vote thanks to the strong third-party candidacy of George Wallace. From 1972 on, the county has become a Republican stronghold. George H. W. Bush in 1992 has been the only Republican to fail to win a majority in the county since then, as the strong third-party candidacy of Ross Perot that year led him to a second-place finish in the county over national winner Bill Clinton. However, the county was represented in Congress by a Democrat as late as January 2004, when Representative and Rockwall resident Ralph Hall, a conservative Democrat, switched parties and became a Republican.

However, in recent years, especially as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro area continues to grow and spill over into neighboring counties, the county's Republican bent has lessened a bit. Native son George W. Bush registered 78% of the vote here in 2004, however, in 2020, Joe Biden turned in the best showing for the Democrats since Jimmy Carter's 32.10% in 1980 by getting 30.45%, besting even Barack Obama's 2008 margin of 26.40% (one of several counties across the country where Biden did better than Obama), and also the first time Democrats have cracked 30% of the vote here since Carter's 1980 run. Donald Trump's 68.15% margin is the lowest for Republicans since Bob Dole's 65.01% in 1996.

Local government

Rockwall County is divided into four precincts, each represented by a County Commissioner.

As of the most recent elections in 2020, all four Commissioners are Republicans.

United States presidential election results for Rockwall County, Texas^[16]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	36,726	68.15%	16,412	30.45%	753	1.40%
2016	28,451	70.81%	9,655	24.03%	2,074	5.16%
2012	27,113	75.81%	8,120	22.70%	531	1.48%
2008	23,300	72.45%	8,492	26.40%	370	1.15%
2004	20,120	78.65%	5,320	20.80%	141	0.55%
2000	13,666	77.42%	3,642	20.63%	344	1.95%
1996	8,319	65.01%	3,289	25.70%	1,188	9.28%
1992	6,427	48.44%	2,397	18.06%	4,445	33.50%
1988	7,214	72.58%	2,659	26.75%	66	0.66%
1984	6,688	80.11%	1,639	19.63%	22	0.26%
1980	4,036	65.27%	1,985	32.10%	163	2.64%
1976	2,087	53.02%	1,828	46.44%	21	0.53%
1972	1,890	75.06%	610	24.23%	18	0.71%
1968	614	31.09%	778	39.39%	583	29.52%
1964	445	25.36%	1,305	74.36%	5	0.28%
1960	652	41.19%	917	57.93%	14	0.88%
1956	657	41.50%	920	58.12%	6	0.38%
1952	602	33.73%	1,175	65.83%	8	0.45%
1948	117	9.35%	947	75.64%	188	15.02%
1944	98	7.22%	1,153	84.90%	107	7.88%
1940	95	5.92%	1,510	94.08%	0	0.00%
1936	26	2.18%	1,168	97.74%	1	0.08%
1932	62	4.77%	1,237	95.23%	0	0.00%
1928	289	25.37%	850	74.63%	0	0.00%
1924	93	6.32%	1,371	93.20%	7	0.48%
1920	104	10.46%	873	87.83%	17	1.71%
1916	27	3.10%	828	94.95%	17	1.95%
1912	0	0.00%	642	95.82%	28	4.18%