• county
  • FIPS 48189
  • Largest town: Plainview

Hale County, Texas

Hale County had 31,953 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,004.7 square miles of land. It ranks 91st of 254 in Texas by population and 72nd by land area.

Population
31,953
#91 of 254 in Texas · #1,393 in US
Area
1,004.7 sq mi
#72 of 254 in Texas · #675 in US
Density
32 / sq mi
#104 of 254 in Texas · #1,871 in US
Median household income
$52,487
#202 of 254 in Texas · #2,518 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Hale County within Texas. Pin: Austin.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Hale County

Hale County population, land area and income

Hale County had 31,953 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,004.7 square miles of land. It ranks 91st of 254 in Texas by population and 72nd by land area. That works out to 31.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Texas has 19,267 residents; Hale County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $52,487 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

31,953

3144th1st

1393rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,005 sq mi

3144th1st

675th of 3,144 (US)

Density

31.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

1871st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$52,487

3143rd1st

2518th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Texas (254)

Population

31,953

254th1st

91st of 254 (TX)

Land area

1,005 sq mi

254th1st

72nd of 254 (TX)

Density

31.8 / sq mi

254th1st

104th of 254 (TX)

Median household income

$52,487

254th1st

202nd of 254 (TX)

How Hale County's population changed since 2020

Hale County lost 514 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.6%. That ranks 195th of 254 in Texas for growth. The median Texas county changed by +2.1%, and the state as a whole by +7.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Hale County recorded 1,689 births and 1,609 deaths, a natural change of +80. Net international migration added +416 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -1,065. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 1,065 people.

32.5k202032.2k202132.0k202232.0k202332.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,689
Deaths
1,609
Net international migration
+416
Net domestic migration
-1,065
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-61

Where Hale County is

The Census internal point of Hale County is at 34.068400, -101.822900. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Texas's 254 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Hale County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cass County: +0.6%Jackson County: +1.9%Lipscomb County: -5.2%Hall County: +1.0%Hemphill County: -6.9%Kent County: -7.4%Dallam County: +5.4%Bandera County: +8.7%Culberson County: +3.1%Howard County: -11.4%Lavaca County: +1.2%Zavala County: -4.7%Taylor County: +3.7%Ellis County: +19.6%McLennan County: +3.5%Parker County: +20.2%Kinney County: +2.1%Uvalde County: +2.3%Haskell County: -0.0%Coke County: +2.3%Dickens County: -2.0%Colorado County: +4.0%Hansford County: -4.7%Collingsworth County: -1.2%Comanche County: +5.4%Crosby County: -1.3%Andrews County: +1.6%Atascosa County: +7.1%Brooks County: -5.0%Burnet County: +12.6%La Salle County: +0.4%Terry County: -1.6%Throckmorton County: +5.6%Yoakum County: -1.2%Hockley County: +0.0%Rockwall County: +25.5%Schleicher County: -5.8%Swisher County: -1.0%Motley County: -4.6%Hale County: -1.6%King County: -19.5%Hays County: +19.7%Irion County: +0.9%Bastrop County: +17.2%Blanco County: +16.6%Kimble County: +2.5%Dawson County: -5.7%Loving County: -28.4%Scurry County: -4.2%Sterling County: +0.2%Garza County: -20.1%Shackelford County: +1.9%Stonewall County: -0.8%Titus County: +0.8%Hopkins County: +5.3%Callahan County: +6.3%Childress County: +0.3%Lubbock County: +5.1%Dimmit County: -4.7%Donley County: -2.7%Baylor County: +2.1%Johnson County: +16.4%Glasscock County: +3.2%Sutton County: -2.6%Runnels County: -1.7%Ector County: +2.7%Kaufman County: +34.4%Jack County: +10.7%Mitchell County: -0.5%Falls County: +4.7%Castro County: +0.6%Palo Pinto County: +6.3%Limestone County: +1.9%Kerr County: +2.3%Franklin County: +5.2%Roberts County: +1.7%Young County: +2.2%Erath County: +4.2%Cochran County: +0.7%Hutchinson County: -4.2%Floyd County: -6.2%Mason County: +0.5%Parmer County: -1.9%Eastland County: +2.8%McMullen County: -5.4%Randall County: +6.5%Armstrong County: -2.3%Hamilton County: +4.8%Hartley County: -6.4%Nolan County: -3.7%Lynn County: +6.2%Menard County: -2.5%Karnes County: +2.2%Cottle County: -7.4%Winkler County: -4.8%Jeff Davis County: -10.4%Stephens County: +4.2%Bell County: +7.3%Borden County: -13.2%Madison County: +3.1%Fisher County: -0.3%Camp County: +5.9%Gillespie County: +5.2%Liberty County: +24.4%Upton County: -5.3%Waller County: +13.7%Fort Bend County: +15.6%Montgomery County: +19.9%Crockett County: -9.5%Sherman County: -0.7%Rusk County: +2.2%Wichita County: +0.3%Moore County: +2.8%Pecos County: -3.1%Webb County: +2.0%Kleberg County: -1.8%Fayette County: +4.0%Aransas County: +6.9%Presidio County: -6.9%Archer County: +7.0%Cherokee County: +5.2%Galveston County: +4.5%Comal County: +23.2%Concho County: +0.3%Jim Hogg County: -5.4%DeWitt County: +2.1%Brewster County: -0.6%Tarrant County: +5.4%Caldwell County: +14.1%Hardin County: +4.1%Fannin County: +7.4%Guadalupe County: +12.4%Clay County: +4.6%Coryell County: +3.9%Medina County: +8.9%Potter County: -3.1%Brown County: +1.5%Marion County: -1.7%Denton County: +14.3%Bee County: +0.6%Wise County: +17.9%Leon County: +5.8%Zapata County: -0.4%Coleman County: +4.0%Reagan County: -8.3%Mills County: +2.5%Reeves County: -19.0%Live Oak County: +5.5%Gaines County: +5.5%Oldham County: +3.4%Trinity County: +6.2%Williamson County: +18.2%San Saba County: -3.8%Wilson County: +10.7%Van Zandt County: +9.3%Lamar County: +2.2%Willacy County: -0.6%Brazos County: +6.4%Llano County: +8.7%Refugio County: -0.0%Martin County: -1.6%Midland County: +7.5%Wilbarger County: -3.0%Briscoe County: +5.1%Gonzales County: +1.8%Kenedy County: -5.7%Cameron County: +2.4%Gregg County: +1.9%Hidalgo County: +4.8%Hunt County: +18.4%Jefferson County: -0.9%Delta County: +8.1%Harris County: +5.8%Carson County: +0.5%Hill County: +7.8%Shelby County: +0.6%Hood County: +11.4%Grayson County: +10.6%Walker County: +9.4%McCulloch County: -1.8%Orange County: +1.6%Lee County: +5.4%Houston County: +0.6%San Jacinto County: +6.5%Robertson County: +5.3%Real County: +0.8%Red River County: +1.2%Sabine County: +1.7%Starr County: +1.1%Lamb County: -2.5%Goliad County: +2.8%El Paso County: +1.0%Wharton County: +1.1%Wheeler County: -3.1%Bexar County: +5.6%Lampasas County: +8.5%Calhoun County: -0.6%Maverick County: +1.7%Henderson County: +6.1%Freestone County: +6.2%Hardeman County: -4.0%Tom Green County: -0.1%Tyler County: +3.7%Chambers County: +19.5%Morris County: +1.8%Burleson County: +14.1%Newton County: -2.1%Upshur County: +7.3%Deaf Smith County: -0.2%Edwards County: -2.6%Bosque County: +4.2%Bowie County: -1.0%Matagorda County: +0.3%Terrell County: -4.3%Knox County: -2.9%Milam County: +5.6%Bailey County: +2.4%Nueces County: -0.1%Victoria County: +0.7%Dallas County: +1.7%Jones County: +5.9%Angelina County: +1.8%Washington County: +5.6%Gray County: -1.4%Grimes County: +13.6%Ochiltree County: -2.4%San Patricio County: +3.8%Val Verde County: +0.8%Foard County: -3.4%Frio County: +6.0%Kendall County: +16.3%Somervell County: +9.7%Panola County: +2.3%Nacogdoches County: +1.7%Ward County: -5.5%Wood County: +8.2%Montague County: +9.2%Duval County: -2.3%Navarro County: +6.9%Anderson County: +2.7%Jim Wells County: -0.0%Cooke County: +6.0%Rains County: +9.3%Austin County: +8.0%Brazoria County: +10.6%Polk County: +7.4%Travis County: +5.2%Collin County: +16.6%San Augustine County: -2.0%Harrison County: +3.7%Smith County: +6.4%Hudspeth County: +13.0%Crane County: -1.7%Jasper County: -0.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.0%
  2. < +0.8%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +6.9%
  5. ≥ +6.9%
no data

Orange pin: Hale County internal point. Dark pin: Austin.

Internal point

Decimal
34.068400, -101.822900
DMS
34°04'6.24"N 101°49'22.44"W
UTM
14N 239480.9E 3773336.9N
Geohash
9wp9fcyyf
Plus code
856W359G+9R

Towns in Hale County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Hale County, 23,576 people together, or 74% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Hale County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Plainview with 19,429.

  1. 01Plainview19,429
  2. 02Abernathy (part)2,147
  3. 03Hale Center2,000
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Hale County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Hale County. The most populous is Lubbock County, TX, with 327,394 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Austin and the nearest big city

Austin is 354.5 miles SE of Hale County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Lubbock, TX (population 272,086), 35.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Plainview, TX (population 19,429), 10.2 miles away.

Hale County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Hale County is 48189: state code 48 for Texas plus county code 189. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $52,487.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Hale County, Texas?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 31,953. That is down 514 people (1.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 32,467.

What is the FIPS code of Hale County?

48189. The first two digits (48) are Texas; the last three (189) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Hale County?

Plainview, with 19,429 residents inside Hale County in 2024.

Which counties border Hale County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lubbock County, TX; Hockley County, TX; Lamb County, TX; Castro County, TX; Swisher County, TX; Floyd County, TX; Crosby County, TX.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.