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Wharton County, Texas

County in TX, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

41,794
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

38.1
years ∙ half population younger than 38.1, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
62.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

8.5%
foreign-born population
91.5%Native
8.5% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Wharton County is a county in Texas, United States.
Location
County in TX, US
Co-ordinates
DEC29.278480° N, 96.229674° W
DMS29° 16′ 42.53″ N, 96° 13′ 46.83″ W

Population Density & area

38.48/sq mi (14.86/km²)
Total Area
1,094 sq mi (2,834 km²)
Land Area
1,086 sq mi (2,813 km²) · 99.25%
Water Area
8 sq mi (21 km²) · 0.75%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.9% male
Male 49.9%
Female 50.1%
males per 100 females
Wharton County 99.6
Texas 99.6
United States 98

Nativity

8.5%
foreign-born population
91.5%Native
8.5% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Wharton County 8.5%
Texas 17.6%
United States 14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

38.1
years ∙ half population younger than 38.1, half older
Wharton County
38.1
Texas
35.6
United States
38.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
77.2
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Wharton County 77.2
Texas 62.4
United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Wharton County Texas United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 25.4% 25% 22%
Working age (18-64) 56.4% 61.6% 60.8%
Senior (65+) 18.2% 13.4% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 77.2 62.4 64.4
Child dependency ratio 45 40.6 36.1
Old-age dependency ratio 32.2 21.8 28.3
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
43.3%
Black
10.9%
Asian
0.5%
Hispanic
42%
Other
3.3%
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

Low High
62.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Wharton County 62.3%
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 Wharton County population
Wharton County Texas United States
Hispanic or Latino 42% 39.7% 19.3%
Mexican 36.8% 32.1% 11.3%
Puerto Rican 0.4% 0.8% 1.8%
Cuban 0.3% 0.5% 0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino 4.6% 6.3% 5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino 58% 60.3% 80.7%
One race 55.1% 57.2% 76.4%
White 43.3% 39.1% 57.4%
Black or African American 10.9% 11.9% 11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2% 0.1% 0.5%
Asian 0.5% 5.5% 5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0.1% 0.4% 0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.9% 3.1% 4.3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

72.2% family
Family 72.2%
Non family 27.8%
% family households
Wharton County 72.2%
Texas 67.7%
United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.58
persons per household
Wharton County
2.58
Texas
2.69
United States
2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Wharton County population
Wharton County Texas United States
Total households 15,890 10,992,816 129,227,496
Average houshold size 2.58 2.69 2.53
Family households 11,466 7,443,447 82,990,528
Average family size 3.07 3.3 3.14
Married couple family 8,408 5,376,819 60,637,388
Other families 3,058 2,066,628 22,353,140
Male householder 950 591,475 6,572,819
Female householder 2,108 1,475,153 15,780,321
Non-family households 4,424 3,549,369 46,236,968
One-person households 3,894 2,885,361 37,140,836
Male householder 2,276 1,366,738 16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone 669 338,159 5,225,110
Female householder 1,618 1,518,623 20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone 1,052 643,272 10,089,070
Other living arrangements 530 664,008 9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

17,711
housing units
Wharton County 17,711
Texas 12,128,515
United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

89.7% occupied
Occupied 89.7%
Vacant 10.3%
vacancy rate
Wharton County 10.3%
Texas 9.4%
United States 10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

77.7%
Single family houses
Single family houses
77.7%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
11.3%
Mobile homes
10.3%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.6%

Median Year Built

1980
Half of houses were built before 1980, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
7.7%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
24.8%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
43.3%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
24.1%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Wharton County Texas United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.3 5.4 5.5
1–3 rooms 12.6% 17.1% 15.1%
4–6 rooms 61.9% 52.8% 51.6%
7+ rooms 25.5% 30.1% 33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 2.8% 3% 2.9%
1 bedroom 7.3% 12.7% 10.9%
2 bedrooms 28.5% 21% 25%
3 bedrooms 48.6% 39.5% 38.7%
4+ bedrooms 12.8% 23.9% 22.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1980 1992 1981
Total housing units 17,711 12,128,515 143,775,355
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

72.3% owners
Renter-occupied 27.7%
Owner-occupied 72.3%
homeownership rate
Wharton County 72.3%
Texas 62.6%
United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.61
Owner-occupied
2.51
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Wharton County 2.61
Texas 2.87
United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Wharton County Texas United States
Total occupied units 15,890 10,992,816 129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later 21.9% 30.1% 24.8%
2010 to 2019 36.5% 40.4% 39.6%
2000 to 2009 18% 15.4% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 23.6% 14.1% 19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 96% 95.2% 96.6%
1.01 to 1.50 2.8% 3.2% 2.2%
1.51 or more 1.2% 1.6% 1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 7.2% 5.4% 8.4%
1 vehicle 24.9% 33% 33.1%
2 vehicles 39.5% 39.3% 36.6%
3 or more vehicles 28.5% 22.3% 21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas 40.2% 37.4% 51.4%
Electricity 58.7% 61.2% 41.3%
Solar 0% 0.3% 0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.1% 3.9%
All other fuels 0.4% 0.4% 2%
No fuel used 0.6% 0.6% 1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 1.4% 0.5% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 1.3% 0.8% 0.8%
No telephone service available 1.9% 0.9% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$189,900
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Wharton County
$189,900
Texas
$283,800
United States
$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

31.4%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
31.4%
Owners without a mortgage
14.5%
Renters
49.3%
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
Wharton County Texas United States
Property value
Median Value $189,900 $283,800 $332,700
Under $100,000 21.4% 13.3% 11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000 31.4% 17.9% 15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000 19.9% 22.1% 17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 17.3% 28% 26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 8.2% 14.9% 20.9%
$1,000,000 and more 1.9% 3.7% 7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 41.1% 56% 60.6%
Without a mortgage 58.9% 44% 39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,840 $2,106 $1,963
Without a mortgage $617 $678 $638
Gross rent
Median rent $1,046 $1,403 $1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

20.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Wharton County 20.7%
Texas 33.8%
United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

14.4%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Wharton County 14.4%
Texas 14.1%
United States 10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

9,451
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
5.1%
K–12
78.2%
College / Undergraduate
15.1%
Graduate / Professional
1.7%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

26.6%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Wharton County
26.6%
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
Wharton County Texas United States
Total enrolled (age 3+) 9,451 7,886,029 80,089,790
Nursery / preschool 5.1% 5.6% 5.7%
K–12 78.2% 70.6% 67.6%
Kindergarten 4.8% 5.4% 5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 24.4% 21.1% 19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 23.2% 21.8% 21%
High School: Grades 9–12 25.8% 22.3% 21.7%
College or graduate school 16.8% 23.9% 26.7%
College, undergraduate 15.1% 18.9% 21%
Graduate, professional school 1.7% 5% 5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 26.6% 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

27,334
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
7.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
6.7%
HS graduate
32.9%
Some college no degree
19.4%
Associates degree
12.4%
Bachelors degree
15.7%
Graduate or professional degree
5.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
63.3% · 36.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
54.4% · 45.6%
HS graduate
52.2% · 47.8%
Some college no degree
45.7% · 54.3%
Associates degree
41.6% · 58.4%
Bachelors degree
41.5% · 58.5%
Graduate or professional degree
43.2% · 56.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Wharton County Texas United States
Population (25+) 27,334 19,717,474 230,807,303
Less than 9th grade 7.7% 7.3% 4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 6.7% 6.8% 5.7%
High school diploma or GED 32.9% 24.3% 26%
Some college, no degree 19.4% 20.1% 19.1%
Associate's degree 12.4% 7.7% 8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 20.7% 33.8% 35.7%
Bachelor's degree 15.7% 21.5% 21.6%
Graduate or professional 5.1% 12.3% 14.1%
High School or higher 85.5% 86% 89.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$47,085
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$37,330
HS graduate
$45,083
Some college or associates
$42,813
Bachelors degree
$59,110
Graduate or professional degree
$83,683

Poverty Rate

2.9%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
25.5%
HS graduate
17%
Some college or associates
7.3%
Bachelors degree or higher
2.9%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Wharton County Texas United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $47,085 $51,033 $52,696
Less than high school graduate $37,330 $30,970 $32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $45,083 $37,956 $40,153
Some college or associate's degree $42,813 $46,890 $47,260
Bachelor's degree $59,110 $70,006 $70,044
Graduate or professional degree $83,683 $87,663 $90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 25.5% 24.3% 24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 17% 14.8% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 7.3% 9.6% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2.9% 4.5% 4.5%

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