Willacy County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Willacy County
County
Willacy County
The Willacy County Courthouse in Raymondville
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1912
Named for	John G. Willacy
Seat	Raymondville
Largest city	Raymondville
Area
• Total	784 sq mi (2,030 km²)
• Land	591 sq mi (1,530 km²)
• Water	194 sq mi (500 km²) 25%
Population (2020)
• Total	20,164
• Density	25.719/sq mi (9.930/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	34th

Willacy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,164. Its county seat is Raymondville. The county was created in 1911 and organized the next year.

Willacy County comprises the Raymondville micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville combined statistical area, which itself is part of the larger Rio Grande Valley region.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 Census
Historic sites
Communities
Education
See also

History

Willacy County was formed in 1911 from parts of Cameron and Hidalgo counties and originally included what is now Kenedy County; it was named for state senator John G. Willacy. Kenedy was split from Willacy in 1921, when the long-settled ranchers of the northern (Kenedy) part of the county sought to separate from the newly arrived farmers of the southern part.

The Bermuda onion was introduced to Willacy County in 1912. It grew well and slowly displaced ranchland in the southern part of the county, becoming the most important crop. For many years the town of Raymondville held an annual Onion Festival, using the tag line, "The Breath of a Nation." In 1940, the first oil wells were sunk in the county's Willamar Oil Field; today oil production is a major part of the local economy, although increasingly eclipsed by natural gas. Also in the 1940s, sorghum was introduced to the county, gradually displacing cotton and other crops. Cattle ranching remains a substantial economic activity as well.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 784 square miles (2,030 km²), of which 591 square miles (1,530 km²) is land and 194 square miles (500 km²) (25%) is water. It borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Major highways

Interstate 69E (Under Construction)
U.S. Highway 77
State Highway 186
Farm to Market Road 498

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Padre Island National Seashore (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	10,499	—
1940	13,230	26.0%
1950	20,920	58.1%
1960	20,084	−4.0%
1970	15,570	−22.5%
1980	17,495	12.4%
1990	17,705	1.2%
2000	20,082	13.4%
2010	22,134	10.2%
2020	20,164	−8.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Willacy County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	2,235	1,805	10.10%	8.95%
Black or African American alone (NH)	389	445	1.76%	2.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	22	47	0.10%	0.23%
Asian alone (NH)	134	160	0.61%	0.79%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	2	0.00%	0.01%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	9	34	0.04%	0.17%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	47	60	0.21%	0.30%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	19,297	17,611	87.18%	87.34%
Total	22,134	20,164	100.00%	100.00%

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 can be of any race.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, 22,134 people, 5,764 households, and 4,607 families were living in the county. Of all households, 46.0% had children under 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder no wife, and 20.1% were not families. About 32.9% of all households contained an individual who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28, and the average family size was 3.73.

Of the population, 85.8% of residents were White (10.1% non-Hispanic white), 2.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 9.3% of some other race and 1.8% of two or more races. 87.2% of residents were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

In the county, the age distribution was 26.8% under 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,881, and for a family was $25,399. The per capita income for the county was $10,800. 39.4% of families and 43.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.5% of those under age 18 and 38.3% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income makes it among the poorest counties in the United States.