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Lamb County, Texas facts for kids

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Lamb County
U.S. county
Lamb County Courthouse in Littlefield
Lamb County Courthouse in Littlefield
Map of Texas highlighting Lamb 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 1908
Named for George A. Lamb
Seat Littlefield
Largest city Littlefield
Area
 • Total 1,018 sq mi (2,640 km2)
 • Land 1,016 sq mi (2,630 km2)
 • Water 1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 13,045
 • Density 12.814/sq mi (4.9476/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 19th

Lamb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,045. Its county seat is Littlefield. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1908. It is named for George A. Lamb, who died in the Battle of San Jacinto.

Lamb County was the home of the Texas House Speaker Bill W. Clayton, who served from 1975 until 1983. It is also the birthplace of country music singer Waylon Jennings.

History

Lamb County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar County. It was named after George A. Lamb, a soldier in the Battle of San Jacinto.

In the 1960s, the water table began to decline. From the 1980s until 2023, the population declined by about 33%. Between circa 2013 and 2023, the population declined by about 8%.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamb County had an almost 1/100 death rate as of March 2023. As of that month, Lamb County, among American counties with 2,500 or more residents, had the eighth highest COVID-19 death rate.

By 2023, there was water scarcity among farms, and many younger people moved to other counties for jobs.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,018 square miles (2,640 km2), of which 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.2%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 4 —
1900 31 675.0%
1910 540 1,641.9%
1920 1,175 117.6%
1930 17,452 1,385.3%
1940 17,606 0.9%
1950 20,015 13.7%
1960 21,896 9.4%
1970 17,770 −18.8%
1980 18,669 5.1%
1990 15,072 −19.3%
2000 14,709 −2.4%
2010 13,977 −5.0%
2020 13,045 −6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850–2010 2010 2020
Lamb 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 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 7,553 6,020 4,981 51.35% 43.07% 38.18%
Black or African American alone (NH) 615 555 392 4.18% 3.97% 3.00%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 43 39 15 0.29% 0.28% 0.11%
Asian alone (NH) 9 17 4 0.06% 0.12% 0.03%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 3 4 5 0.02% 0.03% 0.04%
Other race alone (NH) 3 16 24 0.02% 0.11% 0.18%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 90 95 175 0.61% 0.68% 1.34%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6,393 7,231 7,449 43.46% 51.73% 57.10%
Total 14,709 13,977 13,045 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the census of 2000, 14,709 people, 5,360 households, and 3,991 families resided in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5.4 people/km2). The 6,294 housing units averaged 6 units per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.1% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. About 43.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,360 households, 35.4% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were not families. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county, the population was distributed as 29.6% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,898, and for a family was $31,833. Males had a median income of $36,434 versus $30,342 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,169. About 18.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

  • US 70.svg U.S. Highway 70
  • US 84.svg U.S. Highway 84
  • US 385.svg U.S. Highway 385

Airports

Littlefield Municipal Airport is located in Lamb County, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) west of the central business district of Littlefield, Texas.

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated place

Unincorporated community

Education

School districts serving the county include:

  • Amherst Independent School District
  • Anton Independent School District
  • Littlefield Independent School District
  • Muleshoe Independent School District
  • Olton Independent School District
  • Springlake-Earth Independent School District
  • Sudan Independent School District
  • Whiteface Consolidated Independent School District

The county is in the service area of South Plains College.

Media

As of 2023, there is one newspaper, Lamb County Leader-News, with three employees. An additional employee had died of COVID-19 in 2022, and the newspaper did not hire another individual.

The Olton Enterprise, another newspaper, stopped publication in 2021.

In 2023, Alejandro de la Garza wrote, in regards to the media landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic as the pandemic had caused damage to local media outlets, "for many residents, their Facebook feeds took the place of local media."

Gallery

  • World's tallest windmill, Littlefield, TX IMG 4779

    Littlefield claims the world's tallest windmill.

  • Lamb County Library, Littlefield, TX IMG 4772

    Lamb County Library in downtown Littlefield across from the First Baptist Church

  • Lamb County, TX Leader News IMG 4783

    Lamb County Leader-News in Littlefield

  • Lamb County Veterans Memorial Texas

    Lamb County Veterans Memorial

  • Littlefield grain elevator, Littlefield, TX IMG 4765

    Littlefield Farmers Co-op grain elevator

Healthcare

In August 22, 43% of the county's residents had completed at least one COVID-19 vaccination series.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Lamb para niños

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