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El Paso County, Texas facts for kids

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El Paso County
El Paso skyline
El Paso skyline
Flag of El Paso County
Flag
Official seal of El Paso County
Seal
Map of Texas highlighting El Paso County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Texas
Founded 1871
Seat El Paso
Largest city El Paso
Area
 • Total 1,015 sq mi (2,630 km2)
 • Land 1,013 sq mi (2,620 km2)
 • Water 2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 865,657
 • Density 852.9/sq mi (329.29/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts 16th, 23rd

El Paso County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 865,657, making it the ninth-most populous county in the state of Texas. Its seat is the city of El Paso, the sixth-most populous city in Texas and the 22nd-most populous city in the United States. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1871.

El Paso is short for "El Paso del Norte", which is Spanish for "The Route of the North". It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either side of the river. The county is northeast of the Mexico–United States border.

El Paso County is included in the El Paso metropolitan area. Along with Hudspeth County, it is one of two counties of Texas entirely in the Mountain Time Zone (all other Texas counties except for northwestern Culberson County use Central Time). El Paso County is one of nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas.

Geography

US-Mexico border fence
El Paso is on the US-Mexico border

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,015 square miles (2,630 km2), of which 1,013 square miles (2,620 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties and municipalities

National protected area

Major highways

  • I-10
  • I-110
  • US 54

  • Bus. US 54
  • US 62
  • US 180
  • SH 20
  • SH 178
  • Loop 375
  • Loop 478
  • Spur 6
  • Spur 16
  • Spur 601
  • FM 258
  • FM 1281
  • RM 2775
  • FM 3255
  • FM 3380

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 4,051
1870 3,671 −9.4%
1880 3,845 4.7%
1890 15,678 307.8%
1900 24,886 58.7%
1910 52,599 111.4%
1920 101,877 93.7%
1930 131,597 29.2%
1940 131,067 −0.4%
1950 194,968 48.8%
1960 314,070 61.1%
1970 359,291 14.4%
1980 479,899 33.6%
1990 591,610 23.3%
2000 679,622 14.9%
2010 800,647 17.8%
2020 865,657 8.1%
2022 (est.) 868,763 8.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850–2010 2010 2020
El Paso County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1990 Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 151,313 115,535 105,246 98,219 25.58% 17.00% 13.15% 11.35%
Black or African American alone (NH) 20,525 18,671 20,649 24,415 3.47% 2.75% 2.58% 2.82%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,634 2,057 2,269 2,365 0.28% 0.30% 0.28% 0.27%
Asian alone (NH) 5,820 6,148 7,551 10,692 0.98% 0.90% 0.94% 1.24%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) N/A 440 805 1,527 N/A 0.06% 0.10% 0.18%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 699 497 602 2,422 0.12% 0.07% 0.08% 0.28%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) N/A 4,620 5,391 10,666 N/A 0.68% 0.67% 1.23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 411,619 531,654 658,134 715,351 69.58% 78.23% 82.20% 82.64%
Total 591,610 679,622 800,647 865,657 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 800,647 people living in the county. 82.1% were White of largely Hispanic descent, 10.5% of other races, 3.1% African American or Black, 2.5% of two or more races, 1.0% Asian, 0.8% Native American and 0.1% Pacific Islander. 82.2% were Latino (of any race).

As of the census of 2000, there were 679,622 people, 210,022 households, and 166,127 families living in the county. The population density was 671 people per square mile (259 people/km2). There were 224,447 housing units at an average density of 222 per square mile (86/km2). The city was 78.23% Latino of any race. The racial makeup of the county was 73.95% White, 17.91% from other races, 3.06% African American or Black, 0.82% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, and 3.19% from two or more races.

There were 210,022 households, out of which 44.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 18.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.90% were non-families. 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.63.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.00% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,051, and the median income for a family was $33,410. Males had a median income of $26,882 versus $20,722 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,421. About 20.50% of families and 23.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.50% of those under age 18 and 18.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Village

Census-designated places

Military Base

Unincorporated communities

Economy

As of 2021, El Paso County had a total GDP of around $30 billion and $35,000 per capita.

Education

School districts include:

  • Anthony Independent School District
  • Canutillo Independent School District
  • Clint Independent School District
  • El Paso Independent School District
  • Fabens Independent School District
  • San Elizario Independent School District
  • Socorro Independent School District
  • Tornillo Independent School District
  • Ysleta Independent School District

All of the county is in the service area of El Paso Community College.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de El Paso (Texas) para niños

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