Hill County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 35,874. Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county is named for George Washington Hill, secretary of war and secretary of the navy under the Republic of Texas. Hill County is part of Central Texas, though not included in the Texas Hill Country.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 986 sqmi, of which 959 sqmi are land and 27 sqmi (2.7%) are covered by water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, 32,321 people, 12,204 households, and 8,725 families were residing in the county. The population density was 34 /mi2. The 14,624 housing units averaged 15 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 7.40% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 6.04% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. About 13.49% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of the 12,204 households, 30.70% had children under 18 living with them, 57.50% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were not families. About 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58, and the average family size was 3.07. A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 3.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county. In the county, the age distribution was 25.90% under 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,600, and for a family was $37,791. Males had a median income of $29,438 versus $20,765 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,514. About 11.90% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.70% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Hill County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency that oversees Hill County and operates the Hill County Jail in Hillsboro. The current sheriff is Rodney B. Watson..The first sheriff of Hill County was Charley Davis.

Media

Serving Hill County exclusively are media outlets KHBR Radio - 1560 AM and The Reporter newspaper. Hill County is currently listed as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets include: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV, although it is located in Central Texas and a neighboring county of the Waco metropolitan area. All of the Waco/Temple/Killeen market stations also provide coverage for Hill County. They include: KCEN-TV, KWTX-TV, KXXV-TV, KDYW, and KWKT-TV. Northland Cable Television continues to offer all of the above stations in Hillsboro.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Politics

Hill County, like most of the rural South, is currently overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to carry Hill County was Bill Clinton in 1992. Before this, like most of Texas, Hill County was solidly Democratic: up to 1979, the county had voted Republican only against Catholic Al Smith in 1928 and against George McGovern in 1972.

Education

School districts include: The entire county is in the service area of Hill College, according to the Texas Education Code.