Lamb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,045. Its county seat is Littlefield. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1908. It is named for George A. Lamb, who died in the Battle of San Jacinto. Lamb County was the home of the Texas House Speaker Bill W. Clayton, who served from 1975 until 1983. It is also the birthplace of country music singer Waylon Jennings.

History

Lamb County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar County. It was named after George A. Lamb, a soldier in the Battle of San Jacinto. In the 1960s, the water table began to decline. From the 1980s until 2023, the population declined by about 33%. Between circa 2013 and 2023, the population declined by about 8%. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamb County had an almost 1/100 death rate as of March 2023. As of that month, Lamb County, among American counties with 2,500 or more residents, had the eighth highest COVID-19 death rate. By 2023, there was water scarcity among farms, and many younger people moved to other counties for jobs.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1018 sqmi, of which 1.5 sqmi (0.2%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, 14,709 people, 5,360 households, and 3,991 families resided in the county. The population density was 14 /mi2. The 6,294 housing units averaged 6 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 76.1% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. About 43.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 5,360 households, 35.4% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were not families. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19. In the county, the population was distributed as 29.6% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,898, and for a family was $31,833. Males had a median income of $36,434 versus $30,342 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,169. About 18.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

Littlefield Municipal Airport is located in Lamb County, 3 nmi west of the central business district of Littlefield, Texas.

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated place

Unincorporated community

Education

School districts serving the county include: The county is in the service area of South Plains College.

Media

, there is one newspaper, Lamb County Leader-News, with three employees. An additional employee had died of COVID-19 in 2022, and the newspaper did not hire another individual. The Olton Enterprise, another newspaper, stopped publication in 2021. In 2023, Alejandro de la Garza wrote, in regards to the media landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic as the pandemic had caused damage to local media outlets, "for many residents, their Facebook feeds took the place of local media."

Gallery

Politics

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, about 80% of the county's residents selected Donald Trump.

Healthcare

In August 22, 43% of the county's residents had completed at least one COVID-19 vaccination series.