Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167. Its seat is Bellville. The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s. Austin County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area. Austin County does not contain the city of Austin, the state capital of Texas, which lies in Travis County, about 110 miles to the northwest.

History

In 1836, the Texas Legislature established Austin County, naming it for Stephen F. Austin, who facilitated Texas' Anglo-American colonization.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 656 sqmi, of which 647 sqmi is land and 9.9 sqmi (1.5%) is covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Town

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, 23,590 people, 8,747 households, and 6,481 families resided in the county. The population density was 36 /mi2. The 10,205 housing units averaged 16 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 80.22% White, 10.64% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 6.99% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. About 16.13% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 26.9% were of German, 8.0% Czech, 6.4% English, and 5.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. Of the 8,747 households, 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were not families; 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14. In the county, the population was distributed as 27.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,615, and for a family was $46,342. Males had a median income of $32,455 versus $22,142 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,140. About 8.80% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Austin County was one of the earliest counties in Texas to turn Republican. After 1944, the only time a Democrat has carried this county is in 1964. Every Republican presidential candidate since 2000 has carried more than 70% of the county vote.

United States Congress

Austin County is part of Texas's 10th congressional district, which as of 2019 is represented in the United States House of Representatives by Michael McCaul.

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

District 18: Lois Kolkhorst (R) – first elected in 2014

Texas House of Representatives

District 13: Ben Leman (R) – first elected in 2018

Austin County Courthouse

County Judge: Tim Lapham (R) Tax Assessor-Collector: Marcus A. Peña (R) – first elected in 2012

Education

The following school districts serve Austin County: (partial) Blinn Junior College District is the designated community college for most of the county. Areas in Brazos ISD are in Wharton County Junior College District.

Transportation

Major highways

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Austin County.