Ellis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, its population was estimated to be 192,455. The county seat is Waxahachie. The county was founded in 1849 and organized the next year. It is named for Richard Ellis, president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of Independence. Ellis County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 952 sqmi, of which 935 sqmi are land and 16 sqmi (1.7%) are covered by water. Lake Waxahachie is located about five miles south of Waxahachie in Ellis County, Texas. Owned and operated by Ellis County Water Control and Improvement District Number One on behalf of the city of Waxahachie, the lake was formed by impounding the Waxahachie Creek in 1956. The water covers about 650 acres and has a maximum depth around 50. The former community of South Prong was located beside the creek before the lake was created. There has been a country club and a two-acre public park with boat ramp since the lake was completed. The lake is a recreational resource for the entire county.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities (multiple counties)

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

According to the census of 2000, 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families resided in the county. The population density was 118 /mi2. The 39,071 housing units averaged 42 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 80.63% White, 8.64% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 7.92% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. About 18.42% of the population was Hispanic or Latinos of any race. By 2020, its population increased to 192,455. The racial makeup in 2020 was 55.34% non-Hispanic white, 12.33% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.79% Asian American, 0.41% some other race, 3.62% multiracial, and 27.04% Hispanic or Latino of any race. A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 3.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county. American Community Survey 2023 Racial Data The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Ellis County’s population was 222,829. It was also estimated that the county was 28.4% Hispanic or Latino, 51.9% NH White, 16.5% NH Black, 1.0% NH Asian, 0.4% NH Native, 0.1% NH Pacific Islander, and 1.7% NH Multiracial.

Politics

Ellis is a staunchly Republican county in presidential elections. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, and since 2000, Republican presidential candidates have won with more than 66% of the vote.

Law enforcement

The Ellis County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services to the county. The current sheriff is Brad Norman. The agency also operates the Ellis County Jail in Waxahachie.

Media

Ellis County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth television media market in North Texas. Stations in the market are KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, KFWD-TV, and KDTX-TV. The county is home to one local radio station KBEC 1390 AM and 99.1 FM. The station has been in continuous operation since 1955 and is the oldest Family owned radio station in Texas. A weekly newspaper, the Ellis County Press, is based in Ferris and published Thursdays. The Waxahachie Daily Light and Waxahachie Sun are published biweekly; other weekly newspapers are The Ennis News and Midlothian Mirror.

Education

School districts include: It is in the service area of Navarro College.

Notable people