Wharton County, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Wharton County
U.S. county
The Wharton County Courthouse in Wharton
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1846
Named for	William H. Wharton and John Austin Wharton
Seat	Wharton
Largest city	El Campo
Area
• Total	1,094 sq mi (2,830 km²)
• Land	1,086 sq mi (2,810 km²)
• Water	8.2 sq mi (21 km²) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	41,570
• Density	37.998/sq mi (14.671/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	27th

Veterans Memorial with eternal flame (not visible in photo) at Wharton County Courthouse

Memorial to Sheriff Hamilton B. Dickson of Wharton County who served during the 1880s and was killed in an ambush in the line of duty.

Wharton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 41,570. Its county seat is Wharton. The county was named for brothers William Harris Wharton and John Austin Wharton.

Wharton County comprises the El Campo, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX Combined Statistical Area.

Geography
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
Legacy of slavery
Transportation
- Airports
- Major highways
Communities
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,094 square miles (2,830 km²), of which 1,086 square miles (2,810 km²) is land and 8.2 square miles (21 km²) (0.8%) is water.

The county is about 130 miles (210 km) southeast of Austin.

Adjacent counties

Austin County (north)
Fort Bend County (northeast)
Brazoria County (east)
Matagorda County (southeast)
Jackson County (southwest)
Colorado County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,752	—
1860	3,380	92.9%
1870	3,426	1.4%
1880	4,459	30.2%
1890	7,584	70.1%
1900	16,942	123.4%
1910	21,123	24.7%
1920	24,288	15.0%
1930	29,681	22.2%
1940	36,158	21.8%
1950	36,077	−0.2%
1960	38,152	5.8%
1970	36,729	−3.7%
1980	40,242	9.6%
1990	39,955	−0.7%
2000	41,188	3.1%
2010	41,280	0.2%
2020	41,570	0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Wharton County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	19,681	18,130	47.68%	43.61%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5,668	5,469	13.73%	13.16%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	62	69	0.15%	0.17%
Asian alone (NH)	154	164	0.37%	0.39%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	0	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	26	104	0.06%	0.25%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	242	667	0.59%	1.60%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	15,445	16,967	37.42%	40.82%
Total	41,280	41,570	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.

Legacy of slavery

A map commissioned by the United States government in the 1860s, and sold by the Union Army for the benefit of wounded troops, indicates that, based on data from the 1860 national census, 80.9% of the population of Wharton County was enslaved. The county then had a total of 3,380 people. This was the highest proportion of slaves in a single county in the state of Texas. Demand related to development of new areas for cultivation had caused the number of slaves overall in the state to triple between 1850 and 1860, from 58,000 to 182,566.

Transportation

Airports

El Campo Metropolitan Airport, a general aviation airport, is located in unincorporated Wharton County southwest of El Campo.

Wharton Regional Airport, also a general aviation airport, is located in the extreme southwestern portion of Wharton.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 59
- Interstate 69 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
U.S. Highway 90 Alternate
State Highway 60
State Highway 71
Farm to Market Road 102
Farm to Market Road 442
Farm to Market Road 1160
Farm to Market Road 1300