Ector County, Texas

County in TX, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

164,654

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

31.4

years ∙ half population younger than 31.4, half older

Diversity Index

51.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

16.7%

foreign-born population

83.3%Native

16.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Ector County is a county in Texas, United States.

Location

County in TX, US

Co-ordinates

DEC31.865301° N, 102.542507° W

DMS31° 51′ 55.08″ N, 102° 32′ 33.03″ W

Population Density & area

183.4/sq mi (70.8/km²)

Total Area

901.8 sq mi (2,335.7 km²)

Land Area

897.9 sq mi (2,325.5 km²) · 99.56%

Water Area

3.9 sq mi (10.2 km²) · 0.44%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.3% male

Male 51.3%

Female 48.7%

males per 100 females

Ector County 105.3

Texas 99.6

United States 98

Nativity

16.7%

foreign-born population

83.3%Native

16.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Ector County 16.7%

Texas 17.6%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

31.4

years ∙ half population younger than 31.4, half older

Ector County

31.4

Texas

35.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

67.4

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Ector County 67.4

Texas 62.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	30.4%	25%	22%
Working age (18-64)	59.7%	61.6%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	9.9%	13.4%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	67.4	62.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	50.8	40.6	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	16.5	21.8	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

28.7%

Black

4.2%

Asian

1.1%

Hispanic

63.5%

Other

2.5%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

51.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Ector County 51.2%

Texas 67.1%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Ector County population

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Hispanic or Latino	63.5%	39.7%	19.3%
Mexican	56.7%	32.1%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.5%	0.8%	1.8%
Cuban	2.2%	0.5%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	4%	6.3%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	36.5%	60.3%	80.7%
One race	34.4%	57.2%	76.4%
White	28.7%	39.1%	57.4%
Black or African American	4.2%	11.9%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.1%	0.5%
Asian	1.1%	5.5%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.2%	0.1%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.4%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.1%	3.1%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

66.8% family

Family 66.8%

Non family 33.2%

% family households

Ector County 66.8%

Texas 67.7%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.52

persons per household

Ector County

2.52

Texas

2.69

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Ector County population

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Total households	64,563	10,992,816	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.52	2.69	2.53
Family households	43,141	7,443,447	82,990,528
Average family size	3.1	3.3	3.14
Married couple family	28,706	5,376,819	60,637,388
Other families	14,435	2,066,628	22,353,140
Male householder	4,584	591,475	6,572,819
Female householder	9,851	1,475,153	15,780,321
Non-family households	21,422	3,549,369	46,236,968
One-person households	17,511	2,885,361	37,140,836
Male householder	9,103	1,366,738	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	2,273	338,159	5,225,110
Female householder	8,408	1,518,623	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	3,725	643,272	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	3,911	664,008	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

68,899

housing units

Ector County 68,899

Texas 12,128,515

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

93.7% occupied

Occupied 93.7%

Vacant 6.3%

vacancy rate

Ector County 6.3%

Texas 9.4%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

60.1%

Single family houses

60.1%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

20.7%

Mobile homes

17.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

1.9%

Median Year Built

1984

Half of houses were built before 1984, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

0.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

29.2%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

39.1%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

31.1%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.1	5.4	5.5
1–3 rooms	14.8%	17.1%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	63.2%	52.8%	51.6%
7+ rooms	22.1%	30.1%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.4%	3%	2.9%
1 bedroom	11.6%	12.7%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	22.7%	21%	25%
3 bedrooms	46%	39.5%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	16.3%	23.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1984	1992	1981
Total housing units	68,899	12,128,515	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

64.7% owners

Renter-occupied 35.3%

Owner-occupied 64.7%

homeownership rate

Ector County 64.7%

Texas 62.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.69

Owner-occupied

2.2

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Ector County 2.69

Texas 2.87

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Total occupied units	64,563	10,992,816	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	30.3%	30.1%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	41.2%	40.4%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	12.2%	15.4%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	16.5%	14.1%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	92.9%	95.2%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	4.5%	3.2%	2.2%
1.51 or more	2.7%	1.6%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	6.1%	5.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	34.8%	33%	33.1%
2 vehicles	37.3%	39.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	21.8%	22.3%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	38.3%	37.4%	51.4%
Electricity	60.3%	61.2%	41.3%
Solar	0.5%	0.3%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.6%	0.4%	2%
No fuel used	0.3%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.6%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.1%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$200,200

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Ector County

$200,200

Texas

$283,800

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

29.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

29.7%

Owners without a mortgage

14.1%

Renters

52.3%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Property value
Median Value	$200,200	$283,800	$332,700
Under $100,000	23.8%	13.3%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	26.2%	17.9%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	26.8%	22.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	17.6%	28%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	4.8%	14.9%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.8%	3.7%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	47.3%	56%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	52.7%	44%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,891	$2,106	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$545	$678	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,259	$1,403	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

17.6%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Ector County 17.6%

Texas 33.8%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

21.7%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Ector County 21.7%

Texas 14.1%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

46,290

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

74.5%

College / Undergraduate

13.3%

Graduate / Professional

4.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

25.1%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Ector County

25.1%

Texas

36.3%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	46,290	7,886,029	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	8%	5.6%	5.7%
K–12	74.5%	70.6%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5.7%	5.4%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	24.6%	21.1%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.8%	21.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	21.5%	22.3%	21.7%
College or graduate school	17.5%	23.9%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	13.3%	18.9%	21%
Graduate, professional school	4.2%	5%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	25.1%	36.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	86.9%	86.9%	82%
Private school	13.1%	13.1%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

98,717

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

9.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

11.8%

HS graduate

30.9%

Some college no degree

21.8%

Associates degree

Bachelors degree

12.2%

Graduate or professional degree

5.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

47% · 53%

9th-12th, no diploma

59.9% · 40.1%

HS graduate

57.6% · 42.4%

Some college no degree

47.7% · 52.3%

Associates degree

43.3% · 56.7%

Bachelors degree

45% · 55%

Graduate or professional degree

46.8% · 53.2%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Population (25+)	98,717	19,717,474	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	9.9%	7.3%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	11.8%	6.8%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	30.9%	24.3%	26%
Some college, no degree	21.8%	20.1%	19.1%
Associate's degree	8%	7.7%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.6%	33.8%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	12.2%	21.5%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	5.5%	12.3%	14.1%
High School or higher	78.3%	86%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$53,233

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$41,042

HS graduate

$49,534

Some college or associates

$50,935

Bachelors degree

$61,551

Graduate or professional degree

$70,680

Poverty Rate

5.4%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

24.7%

HS graduate

14.1%

Some college or associates

9.5%

Bachelors degree or higher

5.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Ector County	Texas	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$53,233	$51,033	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$41,042	$30,970	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$49,534	$37,956	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$50,935	$46,890	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$61,551	$70,006	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$70,680	$87,663	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	24.7%	24.3%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	14.1%	14.8%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9.5%	9.6%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.4%	4.5%	4.5%

Insights for Ector County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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