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COUNTY

Wharton County

Texas · 42,060 residents (2025 est.) · 1,086 sq mi
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The short version

Wharton County is a county of 41,794 people in Texas. 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $189,900. There are 38 people per square mile. 72% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 9%.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.1
US median: 38.9
Less educated
21% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 84%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
41,794
+1%since 2000
from 41,188 in 2000
42,060 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
38 / sq mi
+2%since 2009
from 38 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.1
+8%since 2000
from 35.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,086 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
40K40K41K41K42K19902000201020202024Wharton County
202442K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.7%(2,818)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.7%(2,809)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.3%(3,033)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.8%(2,829)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.1%(2,971)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.7%(4,904)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.1%(5,041)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411%(4,606)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.4%(5,194)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.9%(4,538)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(2,190)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.1%(861)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$66,924
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,208 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,628
+125%since 2000
from $15,388 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
45.0%
+20.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.4% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
13.6%
−2.9 ptssince 2000
from 16.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.464
+1%since 2010
from 0.460 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade13.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Information9.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade8.8%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance8.3%
US avg: 5.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing8.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Professional, scientific, technical5.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services4.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Construction4.4%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing3.6%
US avg: 0.4%
Public administration3%
US avg: 4.8%
Education & health services2.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$189,900
+84%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $56,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,046
+38%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $415 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
72.3%
+3.5 ptssince 2000
from 68.8% in 2000
27.7% rent
Vacancy rate
10.3%
−3.5 ptssince 2009
from 13.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.58 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.68 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
21.3%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 20.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
43.7%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 42.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.8
+48%since 2009
from 1.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
70
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic53%(21,832)
Black14.7%(6,060)
Hispanic / Latino31.3%(12,888)
Asian0.3%(113)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic43.3%(18,096)
Black10.9%(4,563)
Hispanic / Latino42%(17,560)
Asian0.5%(209)
Other3.3%(1,366)
Diversity Score
78
+2%since 2009
from 77 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
36
+28%since 2020
from 28 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
Mexican36.8%(15,384)
Salvadoran0.5%(210)
Puerto Rican0.4%(148)
Spaniard0.3%(125)
Cuban0.3%(110)
Peruvian0.2%(76)
Argentine0.1%(59)
Ecuadorian0.1%(52)
Colombian0.1%(38)
+ 2 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Cambodian0.2%(69)
Asian Indian0.1%(33)
Vietnamese0.1%(30)
Taiwanese0.1%(26)
Korean0.1%(23)
Chinese0%(18)
Pakistani0%(10)
Ancestry
Czech11.2%(4,678)
German9.5%(3,976)
English6.6%(2,750)
American5.1%(2,112)
Irish4.2%(1,745)
Italian1.4%(606)
Polish0.9%(362)
French0.8%(349)
Scottish0.7%(298)
Welsh0.7%(287)
Austrian0.7%(278)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(269)
+ 21 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.4%(173)
Dutch0.3%(129)
Swedish0.3%(126)
Russian0.2%(73)
Norwegian0.2%(71)
Romanian0.1%(55)
Swiss0.1%(55)
British0.1%(52)
Canadian0.1%(38)
Finnish0.1%(35)
Arab0.1%(29)
Lebanese0.1%(29)
Hungarian0.1%(24)
Croatian0%(15)
Brazilian0%(13)
Slovak0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
20.7%
+6.4 ptssince 2000
from 14.3% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
85.5%
+15.8 ptssince 2000
from 69.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
5.1%
+0.5 ptssince 2000
from 4.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.7 min
+40%since 2000
from 18.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
79.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 79.7% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
12.5%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 15.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.1%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
5.2%
+2.7 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 0.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.0%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
7.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.9%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 6.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.9%
−6.6 ptssince 2011
from 67.5% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
72.3%
+5.9 ptssince 2020
from 66.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.7%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 16.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
30.2%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 28.4% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 49.3% in 2009
Female
50.1%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 50.7% in 2009
Foreign born
8.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.7%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2012
from 14.5% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
14.2%
−9.2 ptssince 2013
from 23.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
81.8%
+19.8 ptssince 2017
from 62.0% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
89.9%
+4.8 ptssince 2020
from 85.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
89.4%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 90.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
72.8%
−2.2 ptssince 2016
from 75.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
26.4%
+2.9 ptssince 2016
from 23.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33%(5,365)
Married56.1%(9,125)
Widowed3%(491)
Divorced7.8%(1,276)
Women 15+
Never married24%(4,044)
Married57.7%(9,736)
Widowed8.3%(1,394)
Divorced10.1%(1,703)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
14.2%
−9.2 ptssince 2013
from 23.4% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
51.8%
+3.3 ptssince 2020
from 48.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 14.0% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.3%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 16.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
63.4%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 60.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
33.8%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 31.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)19%(336)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.2%(374)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era43.2%(764)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War9.3%(164)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.2%(21)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 1,767 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Wharton County to nearby counties

WHARTON COUNTY VS
Colorado County
Income$66,377−1%
Home value$209,800+10%
Population21,439−49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHARTON COUNTY VS
Jackson County
Income$65,414−2%
Home value$203,900+7%
Population15,393−63%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHARTON COUNTY VS
Fort Bend County
Income$114,041+70%
Home value$374,500+97%
Population975,191+2219%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WHARTON COUNTY VS
Matagorda County
Income$58,628−12%
Home value$172,900−9%
Population36,463−13%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wharton County, Texas?

Wharton County, Texas has about 41,794 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Wharton County, Texas earns about $66,924 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Wharton County, Texas expensive?

In Wharton County, Texas, the median home is worth about $189,900, and the typical rent is about $1,046 a month.

How educated are people in Wharton County, Texas?

About 20.7% of adults age 25 and over in Wharton County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Wharton County, Texas?

About 13.6% of people in Wharton County, Texas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Wharton County, Texas grown since 1990?

Yes, Wharton County, Texas has grown since 1990. The population has added about 1,839 residents, a change of about 5 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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Wharton County, Texas: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy