See also: List of Texas county name etymologies and List of Texas county seat name etymologies

The state of Texas is divided into 254 counties, more than any other U.S. state.^[1] Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931.^[2]

Each county is run by a commissioners court consisting of four elected commissioners (one from each of four precincts drawn based on population) and a county judge elected from all the voters of the county. In smaller counties, the county judge actually does perform judicial duties, but in larger counties the judge's role is limited to serving on the commissioners court. Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets, and sets overall county policy. All county elections are partisan.^[3]

Counties in Texas also have less legal power than cities or towns. While the counties have eminent domain power and control all unincorporated land within their boundaries, they have neither home rule authority nor zoning power. The county is responsible for providing essential services (except for fire and ambulance, which are often done by volunteer fire departments).

Unlike other states, Texas does not allow for consolidated city-county governments. Cities and counties (as well as other political entities) are permitted to enter "interlocal agreements" to share services (as an example, a city and a school district may enter into agreements with the county whereby the county bills for and collects property taxes for the city and school district; thus, only one tax bill is sent instead of three).^[4] School districts are independent of county and city government (with the exception of the Stafford district, which is city controlled).

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify states and counties, is provided with each entry.^[5] Texas' code is 48, which when combined with any county code would be written as 48XXX. The FIPS code for each county links to census data for that county.

Contents 1 List 2 Defunct counties 3 See also 4 References

List

County	FIPS Code[6]	County Seat	Created	Origin	Etymology	Population	Area	Map
Anderson County	001	Palestine	1846	Houston County	Kenneth Lewis Anderson (1805–1845), the last vice president of the Republic of Texas	&0000000000055109.00000055,109	&0000000000001071.0000001,071 sq mi (&0000000000002774.0000002,774 km²)
Andrews County	003	Andrews	1876	Bexar County	Richard Andrews (?–1835), the first Texan soldier to die in the Texas Revolution	&0000000000013004.00000013,004	&0000000000001501.0000001,501 sq mi (&0000000000003888.0000003,888 km²)
Angelina County	005	Lufkin	1846	Nacogdoches County	A Hainai Native American woman who assisted early Spanish missionaries and was named Angelina by them	&0000000000080130.00000080,130	&0000000000000802.000000802 sq mi (&0000000000002077.0000002,077 km²)
Aransas County	007	Rockport	1871	Refugio County	The Rio Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu, a Spanish outpost in early Texas	&0000000000022497.00000022,497	&0000000000000252.000000252 sq mi (&0000000000000653.000000653 km²)
Archer County	009	Archer City	1858	Fannin County	Branch Tanner Archer, a commissioner for the Republic of Texas	&0000000000008854.0000008,854	&0000000000000910.000000910 sq mi (&0000000000002357.0000002,357 km²)
Armstrong County	011	Claude	1876	Bexar County	One of several Texas pioneer families, although it is not certain which one	&0000000000002148.0000002,148	&0000000000000914.000000914 sq mi (&0000000000002367.0000002,367 km²)
Atascosa County	013	Jourdanton	1856	Bexar County	The Spanish word for "boggy"	&0000000000038628.00000038,628	&0000000000001232.0000001,232 sq mi (&0000000000003191.0000003,191 km²)
Austin County	015	Bellville	1836	One of the original 23 counties	Stephen F. Austin (1793–1836), known as the Father of Texas	&0000000000023590.00000023,590	&0000000000000653.000000653 sq mi (&0000000000001691.0000001,691 km²)
Bailey County	017	Muleshoe	1876	Bexar County	Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo	&0000000000006594.0000006,594	&0000000000000827.000000827 sq mi (&0000000000002142.0000002,142 km²)
Bandera County	019	Bandera	1856	Bexar County	Bandera Pass, named in turn for the Spanish word for "flag"	&0000000000017645.00000017,645	&0000000000000792.000000792 sq mi (&0000000000002051.0000002,051 km²)
Bastrop County	021	Bastrop	1836	One of the original 23 counties	Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, Dutch settler who assisted Stephen F. Austin in obtaining land grants	&0000000000057733.00000057,733	&0000000000000888.000000888 sq mi (&0000000000002300.0000002,300 km²)
Baylor County	023	Seymour	1858	Fannin County	Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War	&0000000000004093.0000004,093	&0000000000000871.000000871 sq mi (&0000000000002256.0000002,256 km²)
Bee County	025	Beeville	1857	San Patricio County, Goliad County, Refugio County, Live Oak County, and Karnes County	Barnard Elliott Bee, Sr. (1787–1853), a secretary of state of the Republic of Texas	&0000000000032359.00000032,359	&0000000000000880.000000880 sq mi (&0000000000002279.0000002,279 km²)
Bell County	027	Belton	1850	Milam County	Peter Hansborough Bell, the third governor of Texas (1849–1853)	&0000000000237974.000000237,974	&0000000000001059.0000001,059 sq mi (&0000000000002743.0000002,743 km²)
Bexar County	029	San Antonio	1836	One of the original 23 counties	San Antonio de Béjar, the capital of Mexican Texas, in turn named for Saint Anthony and the municipality of Béjar in Spain	&0000000001392931.0000001,392,931	&0000000000001247.0000001,247 sq mi (&0000000000003230.0000003,230 km²)
Blanco County	031	Johnson City	1858	Burnet County, Comal County, Gillespie County and Hays County	The Blanco River (Blanco means "white" in Spanish)	&0000000000008418.0000008,418	&0000000000000711.000000711 sq mi (&0000000000001841.0000001,841 km²)
Borden County	033	Gail	1876	Bexar County	Gail Borden, Jr. (1801–1874), businessman, publisher, surveyor, and inventor of condensed milk	&0000000000000729.000000729	&0000000000000899.000000899 sq mi (&0000000000002328.0000002,328 km²)
Bosque County	035	Meridian	1854	McLennan County	The Bosque River (Bosque is Spanish for "wooded")	&0000000000017204.00000017,204	&0000000000000989.000000989 sq mi (&0000000000002561.0000002,561 km²)
Bowie County	037	Boston	1840	Red River County	James Bowie (1796–1836), the legendary knife fighter who died at the Battle of the Alamo	&0000000000089306.00000089,306	&0000000000000888.000000888 sq mi (&0000000000002300.0000002,300 km²)
Brazoria County	039	Angleton	1836	One of the original 23 counties	The Brazos River	&0000000000241767.000000241,767	&0000000000001387.0000001,387 sq mi (&0000000000003592.0000003,592 km²)
Brazos County	041	Bryan	1841	Washington County Named Navasota County until 1842	The Brazos River	&0000000000152415.000000152,415	&0000000000000586.000000586 sq mi (&0000000000001518.0000001,518 km²)
Brewster County	043	Alpine	1887	Presidio County	Henry Percy Brewster (1816–1884), a secretary of war for the Republic of Texas and soldier in the Civil War	&0000000000008866.0000008,866	&0000000000006193.0000006,193 sq mi (&0000000000016040.00000016,040 km²)
Briscoe County	045	Silverton	1876	Bexar County	Andrew Briscoe (1810–1849), a soldier during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000001790.0000001,790	&0000000000000900.000000900 sq mi (&0000000000002331.0000002,331 km²)
Brooks County	047	Falfurrias	1911	Starr County	John Abijah Brooks, a Texas Ranger and legislator	&0000000000007976.0000007,976	&0000000000000943.000000943 sq mi (&0000000000002442.0000002,442 km²)
Brown County	049	Brownwood	1856	Comanche County and Travis County	Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco	&0000000000037674.00000037,674	&0000000000000944.000000944 sq mi (&0000000000002445.0000002,445 km²)
Burleson County	051	Caldwell	1846	Milam County	Edward Burleson (1798–1851), a general and statesman of the Texas Revolution	&0000000000016470.00000016,470	&0000000000000666.000000666 sq mi (&0000000000001725.0000001,725 km²)
Burnet County	053	Burnet	1852	Bell County, Travis County and Williamson County	David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas (1836)	&0000000000034147.00000034,147	&0000000000000995.000000995 sq mi (&0000000000002577.0000002,577 km²)
Caldwell County	055	Lockhart	1848	Bastrop County and Gonzales County	Mathew Caldwell, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000032194.00000032,194	&0000000000000546.000000546 sq mi (&0000000000001414.0000001,414 km²)
Calhoun County	057	Port Lavaca	1846	Jackson County, Matagorda County and Victoria County	John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States (1825–1832)	&0000000000020647.00000020,647	&0000000000000512.000000512 sq mi (&0000000000001326.0000001,326 km²)
Callahan County	059	Baird	1858	Bexar County, Bosque County, and Travis County	James Hughes Callahan, a soldier during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000012905.00000012,905	&0000000000000899.000000899 sq mi (&0000000000002328.0000002,328 km²)
Cameron County	061	Brownsville	1848	Nueces County and lands ceded by Mexico	Ewen Cameron, a soldier during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000335227.000000335,227	&0000000000000906.000000906 sq mi (&0000000000002347.0000002,347 km²)
Camp County	063	Pittsburg	1874	Upshur County	John Lafayette Camp (1828–1891), a Texas state politician	&0000000000011549.00000011,549	&0000000000000198.000000198 sq mi (&0000000000000513.000000513 km²)
Carson County	065	Panhandle	1876	Bexar County	Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas (1836–1838)	&0000000000006516.0000006,516	&0000000000000923.000000923 sq mi (&0000000000002391.0000002,391 km²)
Cass County	067	Linden	1846	Bowie County Named Davis County 1861–1871	Lewis Cass (1782–1866), a senator from Michigan who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States	&0000000000030438.00000030,438	&0000000000000938.000000938 sq mi (&0000000000002429.0000002,429 km²)
Castro County	069	Dimmitt	1876	Bexar County	Henri Castro (1786–1865), a French consul general for the Republic of Texas and founder of a colony in Texas	&0000000000008285.0000008,285	&0000000000000898.000000898 sq mi (&0000000000002326.0000002,326 km²)
Chambers County	071	Anahuac	1858	Jefferson County and Liberty County	Thomas Jefferson Chambers, an early lawyer in Texas	&0000000000026031.00000026,031	&0000000000000599.000000599 sq mi (&0000000000001551.0000001,551 km²)
Cherokee County	073	Rusk	1846	Nacogdoches County	The Cherokee Native American tribe	&0000000000046659.00000046,659	&0000000000001052.0000001,052 sq mi (&0000000000002725.0000002,725 km²)
Childress County	075	Childress	1876	Bexar County and Young County	George Campbell Childress (1804–1841), one of the authors of the Texas Declaration of Independence	&0000000000007688.0000007,688	&0000000000000710.000000710 sq mi (&0000000000001839.0000001,839 km²)
Clay County	077	Henrietta	1857	Cooke County	Henry Clay, Kentucky statesman and ninth secretary of state of the United States (1825–1829)	&0000000000011006.00000011,006	&0000000000001098.0000001,098 sq mi (&0000000000002844.0000002,844 km²)
Cochran County	079	Morton	1876	Bexar County and Young County	Robert E. Cochran (1810–1836), a defender of the Alamo	&0000000000003730.0000003,730	&0000000000000775.000000775 sq mi (&0000000000002007.0000002,007 km²)
Coke County	081	Robert Lee	1889	Tom Green County	Richard Coke, the fifteenth governor of Texas (1874–1876)	&0000000000003864.0000003,864	&0000000000000899.000000899 sq mi (&0000000000002328.0000002,328 km²)
Coleman County	083	Coleman	1858	Brown County and Travis County	Robert M. Coleman, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto	&0000000000009235.0000009,235	&0000000000001273.0000001,273 sq mi (&0000000000003297.0000003,297 km²)
Collin County	085	McKinney	1846	Fannin County	Collin McKinney (1766–1861), an author of the Texas Declaration of Independence	&0000000000491675.000000491,675	&0000000000000848.000000848 sq mi (&0000000000002196.0000002,196 km²)
Collingsworth County	087	Wellington	1876	Bexar County and Young County	James Collinsworth, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first chief justice of the Republic of Texas (spelling differs due to an error in the bill creating the county)	&0000000000003206.0000003,206	&0000000000000919.000000919 sq mi (&0000000000002380.0000002,380 km²)
Colorado County	089	Columbus	1836	One of the original 23 counties	The Colorado River	&0000000000020390.00000020,390	&0000000000000963.000000963 sq mi (&0000000000002494.0000002,494 km²)
Comal County	091	New Braunfels	1846	Bexar County	The Comal River	&0000000000078021.00000078,021	&0000000000000562.000000562 sq mi (&0000000000001456.0000001,456 km²)
Comanche County	093	Comanche	1856	Bosque County and Coryell County	The Comanche Native American tribe	&0000000000014026.00000014,026	&0000000000000938.000000938 sq mi (&0000000000002429.0000002,429 km²)
Concho County	095	Paint Rock	1858	Bexar County	The Concho River	&0000000000003966.0000003,966	&0000000000000992.000000992 sq mi (&0000000000002569.0000002,569 km²)
Cooke County	097	Gainesville	1848	Fannin County	William Gordon Cooke, a soldier during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000036363.00000036,363	&0000000000000874.000000874 sq mi (&0000000000002264.0000002,264 km²)
Coryell County	099	Gatesville	1854	Bell County	James Coryell, a frontiersman who was killed by Native Americans	&0000000000074978.00000074,978	&0000000000001052.0000001,052 sq mi (&0000000000002725.0000002,725 km²)
Cottle County	101	Paducah	1876	Fannin County	George Washington Cottle, who died defending the Alamo	&0000000000001904.0000001,904	&0000000000000901.000000901 sq mi (&0000000000002334.0000002,334 km²)
Crane County	103	Crane	1887	Tom Green County	William Carey Crane, a president of Baylor University	&0000000000003996.0000003,996	&0000000000000786.000000786 sq mi (&0000000000002036.0000002,036 km²)
Crockett County	105	Ozona	1875	Bexar County	David Crockett (1786–1836), the legendary frontiersman who died at the Battle of the Alamo	&0000000000004099.0000004,099	&0000000000002808.0000002,808 sq mi (&0000000000007273.0000007,273 km²)
Crosby County	107	Crosbyton	1876	Bexar County and Young County	Stephen Crosby, a land commissioner	&0000000000007072.0000007,072	&0000000000000900.000000900 sq mi (&0000000000002331.0000002,331 km²)
Culberson County	109	Van Horn	1911	El Paso County	David Browning Culberson, a lawyer and soldier in the Civil War	&0000000000002975.0000002,975	&0000000000003813.0000003,813 sq mi (&0000000000009876.0000009,876 km²)
Dallam County	111	Dalhart	1876	Bexar County	James Wilmer Dallam, a lawyer and newspaper publisher	&0000000000006222.0000006,222	&0000000000001505.0000001,505 sq mi (&0000000000003898.0000003,898 km²)
Dallas County	113	Dallas	1846	Nacogdoches County and Robertson County	George Mifflin Dallas, the eleventh vice president of the United States (1845–1849)	&0000000002294706.0000002,294,706	&0000000000000880.000000880 sq mi (&0000000000002279.0000002,279 km²)
Dawson County	115	Lamesa	1846	Bexar County	Nicholas Mosby Dawson, a soldier of the Texas Revolution	&0000000000014985.00000014,985	&0000000000000902.000000902 sq mi (&0000000000002336.0000002,336 km²)
Deaf Smith County	117	Hereford	1876	Bexar County	Erastus "Deaf" Smith (1787–1837), a scout during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000018561.00000018,561	&0000000000001497.0000001,497 sq mi (&0000000000003877.0000003,877 km²)
Delta County	119	Cooper	1870	Hopkins County and Lamar County	Its triangular shape, much like the Greek letter Delta	&0000000000005327.0000005,327	&0000000000000277.000000277 sq mi (&0000000000000717.000000717 km²)
Denton County	121	Denton	1846	Fannin County	John Bunyan Denton (1806–1841), a preacher, lawyer, and soldier killed during a raid on a Native American camp	&0000000000584238.000000584,238	&0000000000000888.000000888 sq mi (&0000000000002300.0000002,300 km²)
DeWitt County	123	Cuero	1846	Goliad County, Gonzales County and Victoria County	Green DeWitt, who founded an early colony in Texas	&0000000000020013.00000020,013	&0000000000000909.000000909 sq mi (&0000000000002354.0000002,354 km²)
Dickens County	125	Dickens	1876	Bexar County	J. Dickens, who died at the Battle of the Alamo	&0000000000002762.0000002,762	&0000000000000904.000000904 sq mi (&0000000000002341.0000002,341 km²)
Dimmit County	127	Carrizo Springs	1858	Bexar County, Maverick County, Uvalde County and Webb County	Philip Dimmitt, a major figure in the Texas Revolution	&0000000000010248.00000010,248	&0000000000001331.0000001,331 sq mi (&0000000000003447.0000003,447 km²)
Donley County	129	Clarendon	1876	Bexar County	Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer	&0000000000003828.0000003,828	&0000000000000930.000000930 sq mi (&0000000000002409.0000002,409 km²)
Duval County	131	San Diego	1858	Live Oak County, Nueces County and Starr County	Burr Harrison DuVal (1809–1836), a soldier in the Texas Revolution who died in the Goliad Massacre	&0000000000013120.00000013,120	&0000000000001793.0000001,793 sq mi (&0000000000004644.0000004,644 km²)
Eastland County	133	Eastland	1858	Bosque County, Coryell County and Travis County	William Mosby Eastland, a soldier during the Texas Revolution	&0000000000018297.00000018,297	&0000000000000926.000000926 sq mi (&0000000000002398.0000002,398 km²)
Ector County	135	Odessa	1887	Tom Green County	Mathew Ector (1822–1879), a Confederate general	&0000000000121123.000000121,123	&0000000000000901.000000901 sq mi (&0000000000002334.0000002,334 km²)
Edwards County	137	Rocksprings	1858	Bexar County	Haden Edwards (1771–1849), an early settler of Nacogdoches	&0000000000002162.0000002,162	&0000000000002120.0000002,120 sq mi (&0000000000005491.0000005,491 km²)
El Paso County	139	El Paso	1848	Santa Fe County	The pass the Rio Grande creates flowing through the mountains on either side of the river	&0000000000721598.000000721,598	&0000000000001013.0000001,013 sq mi (&0000000000002624.0000002,624 km²)
Ellis County	141	Waxahachie	1849	Navarro County	Richard Ellis (1781–1846), president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of Independence	&0000000000111360.000000111,360	&0000000000000940.000000940 sq mi (&0000000000002435.0000002,435 km²)
Erath County	143	Stephenville	1856	Bosque County and Coryell County	George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto	&0000000000033001.00000033,001	&0000000000001086.0000001,086 sq mi (&0000000000002813.0000002,813 km²)
Falls County	145	Marlin	1850	Limestone County and Milam County	The waterfalls on the Brazos River	&0000000000018576.00000018,576	&0000000000000769.000000769 sq mi (&0000000000001992.0000001,992 km²)
Fannin County	147	Bonham	1837	Red River County	James Walker Fannin, Jr. (1805–1836), the commander of the group of Texans killed in the Goliad Massacre	&0000000000031242.00000031,242	&0000000000000892.000000892 sq mi (&0000000000002310.0000002,310 km²)
Fayette County	149	La Grange	1837	Bastrop County	Marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834), the French hero of the American Revolutionary War	&0000000000021804.00000021,804	&0000000000000950.000000950 sq mi (&0000000000002460.0000002,460 km²)
Fisher County	151	Roby	1876	Bexar County	Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1794–1839), a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and secretary of the Navy under the Republic of Texas	&0000000000004344.0000004,344	&0000000000000901.000000901 sq mi (&0000000000002334.0000002,334 km²)
Floyd County	153	Floydada	1876	Bexar County and Young County	Dolphin Ward Floyd, who died defending the Alamo	&0000000000007771.0000007,771	&0000000000000992.000000992 sq mi (&0000000000002569.0000002,569 km²)
Foard County	155	Crowell	1891	Cottle County, Hardeman County, King County and Knox County	Robert Levi Foard, an attorney and Civil War soldier	&0000000000001622.0000001,622	&0000000000000707.000000707 sq mi (&0000000000001831.0000001,831 km²)
Fort Bend County	157	Richmond	1837	Austin County, Brazoria County and Harris County	A blockhouse positioned in a bend of the Brazos River	&0000000000354452.000000354,452	&0000000000000875.000000875 sq mi (&0000000000002266.0000002,266 km²)
Franklin County	159	Mount Vernon	1875	Titus County	Benjamin Cromwell Franklin (1805–1873), an early judge and legislator in Texas	&0000000000009458.0000009,458	&0000000000000286.000000286 sq mi (&0000000000000741.000000741 km²)
Freestone County	161	Fairfield	1850	Limestone County	A type of peach[7]	&0000000000017867.00000017,867	&0000000000000885.000000885 sq mi (&0000000000002292.0000002,292 km²)
Frio County	163	Pearsall	1858	Atascosa County, Bexar County and Uvalde County	The Frio River (Frio is "cold" in Spanish)	&0000000000016252.00000016,252	&0000000000001133.0000001,133 sq mi (&0000000000002934.0000002,934 km²)
Gaines County	165	Seminole	1876	Bexar County	James Gaines, merchant and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence	&0000000000014467.00000014,467	&0000000000001502.0000001,502 sq mi (&0000000000003890.0000003,890 km²)
Galveston County	167	Galveston	1838	Brazoria County, Harris County and Liberty County	Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish governor of the Louisiana Territory (1777–1785)	&0000000000277563.000000277,563	&0000000000000399.000000399 sq mi (&0000000000001033.0000001,033 km²)
Garza County	169	Post	1876	Bexar County	A pioneer Bexar County family	&0000000000004872.0000004,872	&0000000000000896.000000896 sq mi (&0000000000002321.0000002,321 km²)
Gillespie County	171	Fredericksburg	1848	Bexar County and Travis County	Robert Addison Gillespie, a merchant and soldier in the Mexican-American War	&0000000000020814.00000020,814	&0000000000001061.0000001,061 sq mi (&0000000000002748.0000002,748 km²)
Glasscock County	173	Garden City	1887	Tom Green County	George Washington Glasscock (1810–1868), an early settler of the Austin, Texas area	&0000000000001406.0000001,406	&0000000000000901.000000901 sq mi (&0000000000002334.0000002,334 km²)
Goliad County	175	Goliad	1836	One of the original 23 counties	Its county seat, which preceded the modern county	&0000000000006928.0000006,928	&0000000000000854.000000854 sq mi (&0000000000002212.0000002,212 km²)
Gonzales County