Wheeler County, Texas


Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,990. Its county seat is Wheeler. The county was formed in 1876 and organized in 1879. It is named for Royall Tyler Wheeler, a chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
Wheeler County was formerly one of 30 entirely dry counties in the state of Texas. However, circa 2010, the community of Shamrock, located in Wheeler County at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 83, voted to allow liquor sales. Within the city limits of Shamrock is the only place to purchase liquor in Wheeler County.
The Pioneer West Museum, the Wheeler County historical museum, is located in Shamrock off U.S. Highway 83.
WWW co.wheeler.tx.us

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are land and is covered by water.

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 4,3863,8473,46983.01%71.11%69.52%
Black or African American alone 137112812.59%2.07%1.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 2920330.55%0.37%0.66%
Asian alone 2923240.55%0.43%0.48%
Pacific Islander alone 4020.08%0.00%0.04%
Other race alone 03120.00%0.06%0.24%
Mixed or multiracial 35611420.66%1.13%2.85%
Hispanic or Latino 6641,3441,22712.57%24.84%24.59%
Total5,2845,4104,990100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,990. The median age was 42.3 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 75.1% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 1.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.4% from some other race, and 11.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 24.6% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,001 households in the county, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.2% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,598 housing units, of which 23.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.4% were owner-occupied and 23.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 18.3%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 5,284 people, 2,152 households, and 1,487 families resided in the county. The population density was. The 2,687 housing units had an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 87.83% White, 2.78% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.64% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. About 12.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,152 households, 29.6% had children under 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were not families. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.9% under 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,029, and for a family was $36,989. Males had a median income of $26,790 versus $19,091 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,083. About 11.6% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under 18 and 16.8% of those 65 or over.

Politics

Wheeler County is located in Texas House of Representatives District 88. The county was previously in District 68 from 2013 to 2023. Republican Ken King, a businessman from Canadian in Hemphill County, has represented Wheeler County in the Texas House of Representatives since the redistricting.
The representative from 1971 to 1979 was the Democrat Phil Cates, later a lobbyist in Austin.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Education

School districts include:
FECISD formed on August 10, 1991 by the merger of Briscoe ISD and Mobeetie ISD.
The Texas Legislature assigns all of Wheeler County to Clarendon College.