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COUNTY

Hale County

Texas · 31,819 residents (2025 est.) · 1,004.68 sq mi
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The short version

Hale County has notably lower household income than the US average, with a median household income of $51,897. Population has declined 12% since 2000. 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $116,500. At a median age of 34.4, residents skew younger than the country as a whole. Households here earn about 34% less than the Texas median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
15% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
32,131
−12%since 2000
from 36,602 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
32 / sq mi
−10%since 2009
from 35 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
34.4
+10%since 2000
from 31.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:31,819 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
32K33K34K36K37K1990201020202024Hale County
202432K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.5%(2,097)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.4%(2,364)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.3%(2,336)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198%(2,574)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.5%(2,720)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.3%(4,281)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.9%(4,147)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.8%(3,483)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.1%(3,554)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.1%(2,610)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.2%(1,352)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(613)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$51,897
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $31,280 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$26,080
+91%since 2000
from $13,655 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
32.7%
+13.9 ptssince 2009
from 18.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
20.5%
+2.6 ptssince 2000
from 18.0% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.459
+6%since 2010
from 0.432 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade9.8%
US avg: 6.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing8.5%
US avg: 1.6%
Retail trade6.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Construction6.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Finance & insurance6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services4.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Manufacturing2.4%
US avg: 0.4%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.4%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$116,500
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $53,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$836
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $408 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
60.5%
−4.2 ptssince 2000
from 64.8% in 2000
39.5% rent
Vacancy rate
17.7%
+4.4 ptssince 2009
from 13.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
15.8%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 19.0% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
41.4%
+9.6 ptssince 2009
from 31.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.2
+9%since 2009
from 2.1 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
20
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Hale County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic45.2%(16,526)
Black5.6%(2,044)
Hispanic / Latino47.9%(17,532)
Asian0.3%(107)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic31.4%(10,095)
Black4.5%(1,447)
Hispanic / Latino61.3%(19,688)
Asian0.5%(147)
Other2.3%(754)
Diversity Score
65
−6%since 2009
from 70 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
33
−6%since 2020
from 35 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican49.6%(15,928)
Spaniard3.2%(1,015)
Dominican0.9%(289)
Puerto Rican0.8%(247)
Argentine0.3%(96)
Salvadoran0.1%(43)
Bolivian0.1%(42)
Colombian0.1%(36)
Guatemalan0.1%(31)
Cuban0.1%(18)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Thai0.5%(153)
Nepalese0.1%(47)
Filipino0.1%(38)
Asian Indian0.1%(32)
Chinese0.1%(18)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German6%(1,936)
American4.2%(1,353)
English4.1%(1,321)
Irish3.1%(983)
Scottish0.8%(272)
French0.5%(170)
Italian0.4%(135)
Scotch-Irish0.4%(115)
Greek0.3%(82)
Portuguese0.2%(77)
Dutch0.2%(65)
+ 17 more ancestry groups with data
Polish0.2%(61)
Swedish0.2%(58)
Ukrainian0.2%(55)
Welsh0.2%(55)
Norwegian0.1%(47)
Russian0.1%(46)
Swiss0.1%(35)
British0.1%(31)
Arab0.1%(30)
Egyptian0.1%(30)
West Indian0.1%(30)
Jamaican0.1%(19)
Czech0%(15)
Danish0%(14)
Hungarian0%(12)
Austrian0%(11)
RANKED:Largest Mexican population · Largest German population · Largest American population · Largest English population · Largest Spaniard population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
15.3%
+1.0 ptssince 2000
from 14.4% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
74.3%
+8.4 ptssince 2000
from 65.9% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2000
from 4.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.8 min
+72%since 2000
from 11.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
79.2%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 80.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
14.8%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
3.1%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.7%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.5%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.3%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 6.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
59.1%
+1.6 ptssince 2011
from 57.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
16.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 15.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
30.4%
−27.6 ptssince 2009
from 57.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
52.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
Female
48.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.3% in 2009
Foreign born
9.2%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
3.9%
−47.8 ptssince 2009
from 51.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
15.0%
+2.9 ptssince 2012
from 12.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
21.0%
−58.1 ptssince 2013
from 79.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
81.5%
+7.9 ptssince 2017
from 73.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
63.2%
−0.5 ptssince 2016
from 63.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
35.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2016
from 35.5% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38.3%(5,159)
Married46.8%(6,300)
Widowed4.4%(593)
Divorced10.5%(1,415)
Women 15+
Never married28.3%(3,361)
Married51.1%(6,059)
Widowed9.2%(1,096)
Divorced11.4%(1,351)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Hale County

Franklin County
Pop 32,449
Wayne County
Pop 32,481
Decatur County
Pop 29,432
Marion County
Pop 29,097
Places similar to Hale County
Head to head

Compare Hale County to nearby counties

HALE COUNTY VS
Floyd County
Income$58,462+13%
Home value$89,600−23%
Population4,881−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HALE COUNTY VS
Lamb County
Income$60,760+17%
Home value$82,400−29%
Population12,579−60%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HALE COUNTY VS
Lubbock County
Income$64,155+24%
Home value$214,100+84%
Population328,906+934%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HALE COUNTY VS
Swisher County
Income$36,165−30%
Home value$86,300−26%
Population6,703−79%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Hale County, Texas?

Hale County, Texas has about 32,131 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Hale County, Texas?

The typical household in Hale County, Texas earns about $51,897 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Hale County, Texas expensive?

In Hale County, Texas, the median home is worth about $116,500, and the typical rent is about $836 a month.

How educated are people in Hale County, Texas?

About 15.3% of adults age 25 and over in Hale County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Hale County, Texas?

About 20.5% of people in Hale County, Texas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Hale County, Texas grown since 1990?

Yes, Hale County, Texas has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 2,540 residents, a change of about -7 percent over that period.

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Explore from here

9 census tracts
Census Tract 9503Census Tract 9504Census Tract 9501Census Tract 9506Census Tract 9502Census Tract 9505Census Tract 9509Census Tract 9507Census Tract 9508
7 ZIP codes
ZIP 79072ZIP 79311ZIP 79041ZIP 79250ZIP 79032ZIP 79021ZIP 79073
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →