Deaf Smith County, Texas

Not to be confused with Smith County, Texas.

Deaf Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,583.^[1][2] The county seat is Hereford,^[3] which is known as the "Beef Capital of the World". The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1890.^[4] The Hereford, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Deaf Smith County.

Deaf Smith County
County
Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°58′N 102°36′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1890
Named after	Deaf Smith
Seat	Hereford
Largest city	Hereford
Area
• Total	1,498 sq mi (3,880 km2)
• Land	1,497 sq mi (3,880 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,583
• Density	12/sq mi (5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	13th
Website	www.co.deaf-smith.tx.us

History

In 1876, the state legislature defined and named the county, but it was not organized until 1890, with the town of La Plata as the original county seat. The county was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith^[5] (1787–1837), a partially deaf scout and soldier who served in the Texas Revolution, and was the first to reach the Alamo after its fall in 1836. The pronunciation of "Deaf", as used by Smith himself, is /diːf/ DEEF; however, most residents pronounce it /dɛf/ DEF.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  Deaf Smith as he appears at the Deaf Smith County Museum
• 
  The Deaf Smith County Historical Museum in Hereford
• 
  The Deaf Smith County Library formerly housed the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame on the ground floor. The museum is now located in a new building in the Historic District of Fort Worth.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,498 sq mi (3,880 km²), of which 1,497 sq mi (3,880 km²) are land and 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²) (0.1%) are covered by water.^[6]

Major highways

• Interstate 40
• U.S. Highway 60
• U.S. Highway 385
• State Highway 214

Adjacent counties

• Oldham County (north)
• Potter County (northeast)
• Randall County (east)
• Castro County (southeast)
• Parmer County (south)
• Curry County, New Mexico (southwest/Mountain Time Zone)
• Quay County, New Mexico (west/Mountain Time Zone)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	38		—
1890	179		371.1%
1900	843		370.9%
1910	3,942		367.6%
1920	3,747		−4.9%
1930	5,979		59.6%
1940	6,056		1.3%
1950	9,111		50.4%
1960	13,187		44.7%
1970	18,999		44.1%
1980	21,165		11.4%
1990	19,153		−9.5%
2000	18,561		−3.1%
2010	19,372		4.4%
2020	18,583		−4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850–2010[8] 2010[9] 2020[10]

Deaf Smith 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[11]	Pop 2010[9]	Pop 2020[10]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	7,491	5,939	4,233	40.36%	30.66%	22.78%
Black or African American alone (NH)	247	158	107	1.33%	0.82%	0.58%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	61	52	47	0.33%	0.27%	0.25%
Asian alone (NH)	37	56	44	0.20%	0.29%	0.24%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	4	2	0	0.02%	0.01%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	7	29	40	0.04%	0.15%	0.22%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	60	97	187	0.32%	0.50%	1.01%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	10,654	13,039	13,925	57.40%	67.31%	74.93%
Total	18,561	19,372	18,583	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census^[12] of 2000, 18,561 people, 6,180 households, and 4,832 families resided in the county. The population density was 12 people/sq mi (4.6 people/km²). The 6,914 housing units averaged 5 per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.28% White, 1.51% African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 22.92% from other races, and 2.11% from two or more races. About 57.40% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 6,180 households, 41.00% had children under 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 12.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.80% were not families. Around 19.70% of all households was made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the county, the age distribution was 33.30% under 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household was $29,601, and for a family was $32,391. Males had a median income of $26,090 versus $19,113 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,119. About 19.30% of families and 20.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.30% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

The headquarters of the Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative are located in Hereford. The cooperative provides electricity for Deaf Smith, as well as Castro, Parmer, and Oldham Counties.^[13]

Communities

City

• Hereford (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Dawn
• Ford
• Glenrio (partly in Quay County, New Mexico)
• Milo Center
• Simms
• Westway

Ghost towns

• Ayr
• Bootleg
• Kelso
• La Plata

Politics

United States presidential election results for Deaf Smith County, Texas^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,233	75.43%	1,019	23.78%	34	0.79%
2020	3,294	71.45%	1,264	27.42%	52	1.13%
2016	2,911	69.05%	1,185	28.11%	120	2.85%
2012	3,042	70.60%	1,239	28.75%	28	0.65%
2008	3,466	73.06%	1,247	26.29%	31	0.65%
2004	4,139	78.23%	1,133	21.41%	19	0.36%
2000	3,687	73.98%	1,240	24.88%	57	1.14%
1996	3,051	60.44%	1,655	32.79%	342	6.77%
1992	3,137	56.43%	1,642	29.54%	780	14.03%
1988	3,744	65.39%	1,930	33.71%	52	0.91%
1984	4,762	75.79%	1,485	23.64%	36	0.57%
1980	4,073	69.46%	1,666	28.41%	125	2.13%
1976	2,776	51.08%	2,613	48.08%	46	0.85%
1972	3,690	73.67%	1,240	24.76%	79	1.58%
1968	2,474	52.49%	1,545	32.78%	694	14.73%
1964	1,793	46.01%	2,094	53.73%	10	0.26%
1960	2,024	60.44%	1,299	38.79%	26	0.78%
1956	1,685	55.16%	1,361	44.55%	9	0.29%
1952	2,468	70.86%	1,006	28.88%	9	0.26%
1948	535	25.61%	1,496	71.61%	58	2.78%
1944	508	28.14%	1,117	61.88%	180	9.97%
1940	423	25.68%	1,219	74.01%	5	0.30%
1936	142	10.24%	1,236	89.11%	9	0.65%
1932	198	13.16%	1,307	86.84%	0	0.00%
1928	570	58.10%	411	41.90%	0	0.00%
1924	192	25.16%	538	70.51%	33	4.33%
1920	205	30.78%	459	68.92%	2	0.30%
1916	77	17.04%	356	78.76%	19	4.20%
1912	21	7.81%	221	82.16%	27	10.04%

Education

School districts:^[15]

• Adrian Independent School District
• Friona Independent School District
• Hereford Independent School District
• Vega Independent School District
• Walcott Independent School District
• Wildorado Independent School District

All of the county is in the service area of Amarillo College.^[16]

See also

• Texas portal

• List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
• Margaret Clark Formby
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Deaf Smith County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Deaf Smith County