County population in 2012: 27,856 (50% urban, 50% rural); it was 27,026 in 2000 County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 3,618 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 4,046 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 7,620 Renter-occupied apartments: 3,207 (it was 2,974 in 2000)
% of renters here:
28%
State:
36%
Land area: 953 sq. mi. Water area: 32.6 sq. mi.
Population density: 30 people per square mile
(low).
Mar. 2012 cost of living index in Palo Pinto County: 80.5 (low, U.S. average is 100)
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Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (19.2%), Manufacturing (13.0%), Retail trade (11.0%).
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2009: $1,369 (1.5%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2009: $602 (1.0%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 14.2%
(11.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 15.5% for Black residents, 27.6% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 17.0% for American Indian residents, 29.5% for other race residents, 42.1% for two or more races residents) Median age of residents in 2010: 40 years old
(Males: 39 years old, Females: 41 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 42 years old, Black residents: 32 years old, American Indian residents: 37 years old, Asian residents: 41 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 23 years old, Other race residents: 23 years old)
Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:
This county:
15.9%
Whole state:
15.4%
Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:
This county:
5.9%
Whole state:
6.7%
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Palo Pinto County is $409 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $507 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $700 a month.
Notable locations in this county outside city limits:
Notable locations in Palo Pinto County: Belding Ranch (A), Camp Constantin (B), Dodson Prairie Community Hall (C), Judd Switch (D), Worth Ranch (E), Santo Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services (F), Mountain River Volunteer Fire Department (G), Possum Kingdom West Side Volunteer Fire Department (H), Lone Camp Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders (I), Brazos Volunteer Fire Department (J), Lake Palo Pinto Volunteer Fire Department (K), Strawn Volunteer Fire Department (L), Possum Kingdom West Lake Volunteer Emergency Medical Service (M), Possum Kingdom Lake Volunteer Emergency Medical Services (N), Palo Pinto County Jail (O). Display/hide their locations on the map
Churches in Palo Pinto County include: Pleasant Valley Church (A), Ward Mountain Church (B), Willow Pond Church (C), Cedar Springs Church (D), Dodson Prairie Church (E), Fairview Church (F), Lone Camp Baptist Church (G), Live Oak Church (H), Lukingdom Church (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Cemeteries: Locke Cemetery (1), Santo East Cemetery (2), Smith Cemetery (3), Blue Cemetery (4), Blue Flat Cemetery (5), Bosley Cemetery (6), Brannon Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map
Lakes and reservoirs: Lake C B Long (A), Rock Crusher Lake (B), Decker Lake (C), Bailey Lake (D), Wilson Lake (E), Dike Lake (F), Henslee Lake Number 1 (G), Henslee Lake Number 2 (H). Display/hide their locations on the map
Streams, rivers, and creeks: Worser Creek (A), Wolf Branch (B), Whatley Creek (C), Ward Branch (D), Walnut Creek (E), Vaughn Branch (F), Town Branch (G), Panther Creek (H), Soda Springs Creek (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Current college students: 610 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 71.2% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 12.1%
Number of foreign born residents: 1,201 (37% naturalized citizens)
Palo Pinto County:
4.4%
Whole state:
13.9%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
1995 to March 2000: 298
1990 to 1994: 102
1985 to 1989: 188
1980 to 1984: 210
1975 to 1979: 143
1970 to 1974: 93
1970 to 1974: 43
1965 to 1969: 124
Mean travel time to work (commute): 24.9 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 64.9%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 9,593
One, attached: 335
Two: 398
3 or 4: 162
5 to 9: 309
10 to 19: 117
20 or more: 315
Mobile homes: 2,806
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 67
Housing units in Palo Pinto County with a mortgage: 2,281 (72 second mortgage, 111 home equity loan, 6 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 2,948
Here:
43.6% with mortgage
State:
64.2% with mortgage
Religion statistics:
Percentage of population affiliated with a religious congregations: 58.16%
Here
58.2%
USA
50.2%
Total adherents: 15,718 Total congregations: 60
Adherents
Breakdown of population affiliated with a religious congregations
Name
Southern Baptist Convention
Catholic Church
United Methodist Church
Churches of Christ
LDS (Mormon) Church
Adherents
9,613 (61.2%)
1,558 (9.9%)
1,390 (8.8%)
1,033 (6.6%)
576 (3.7%)
Congregations
24 (40.0%)
3 (5.0%)
7 (11.7%)
11 (18.3%)
1 (1.7%)
Name
Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Episcopal Church
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Other
Adherents
361 (2.3%)
257 (1.6%)
156 (1.0%)
136 (0.9%)
638 (4.1%)
Congregations
1 (1.7%)
1 (1.7%)
2 (3.3%)
1 (1.7%)
9 (15.0%)
Source: Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Average size of farms: 503 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $15,890 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $82.14 The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 5.18% The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 84.45% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $18,231 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 5.98% Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 5.78% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $29,306 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 92.95% Average age of principal farm operators: 57 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 8.17 Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 1.41% All wheat for grain: 1446 harvested acres Vegetables: 78 harvested acres Land in orchards: 2,869 acres
Tornado activity:
Palo Pinto County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is slightly below Texas state average. It is 1.2 times above overall U.S. average. Tornadoes in this county have caused 6 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004. On 10/30/1979, a category 1 (max. wind speeds 73-112 mph) tornado injured 2 people and caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages.
Earthquake activity:
Palo Pinto County-area historical earthquake activity is significantly below Texas state average. It is 99% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 5/31/2002 at 09:57:10, a magnitude 3.3 (3.3 LG, 3.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 95.5 miles away from the county center On 10/31/2008 at 05:01:54, a magnitude 3.0 (3.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 72.0 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG)
Most recent natural disasters:
Texas PK East Fire, Incident Period: April 16, 2011, Fire Management Assistance Declared: April 16, 2011, FEMA Id: FEMA-FM-2895, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Hohertz Fire, Incident Period: April 15, 2011, Fire Management Assistance Declared: April 16, 2011, FEMA Id: FEMA-FM-2893, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas PK West Fire, Incident Period: April 14, 2011, Fire Management Assistance Declared: April 15, 2011, FEMA Id: FEMA-FM-2888, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas 1148 Fire, Incident Period: April 9, 2009 to April 16, 2009, Fire Management Assistance Declared: April 10, 2009, FEMA Id: FEMA-FM-2814, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Wildfires, Incident Period: March 14, 2008 to September 1, 2008, Emergency Declared (EM-3284): March 14, 2008, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3284, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Caddo II Fire Complex, Incident Period: August 18, 2006, Fire Management Assistance Declared: August 19, 2006, FEMA Id: FEMA-FM-2667, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Extreme Wildfire Threat, Incident Period: November 27, 2005 to May 14, 2006, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared (DR-1624): January 11, 2006, FEMA Id: FEMA-DR-1624, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Hurricane Rita, Incident Period: September 23, 2005 to October 14, 2005, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared (DR-1606): September 24, 2005, FEMA Id: FEMA-DR-1606, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Rita, Incident Period: September 20, 2005 to October 14, 2005, Emergency Declared (EM-3261): September 21, 2005, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3261, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Katrina, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 1, 2005, Emergency Declared (EM-3216): September 2, 2005, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3216, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
7 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Palo Pinto County (17) is greater than the US average (12). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 6 Emergencies Declared: 6
Causes of natural disasters: Fires: 10, Storms: 4, Floods: 3, Hurricanes: 3, Tornadoes: 2 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Other production occupations including supervisors (9%)
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (7%)
Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (6%)
Metal workers and plastic workers (5%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
Other management occupations except farmers and farm managers (4%)
Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (6%)
Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (6%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (6%)
Cashiers (4%)
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (4%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (4%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Mexico (75%)
Guatemala (4%)
Germany (3%)
United Kingdom (2%)
India (2%)
Philippines (2%)
Vietnam (2%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Palo Pinto County (%):
United States or American (27%)
Irish (11%)
German (10%)
English (10%)
Scotch-Irish (2%)
French (except Basque) (2%)
Scottish (1%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 9,236 (79%)
Carpooled: 1,790 (15%)
Bus or trolley bus: 14 (0%)
Motorcycle: 4 (0%)
Bicycle: 8 (0%)
Walked: 270 (2%)
Other means: 104 (1%)
Worked at home: 315 (3%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders
People in group quarters in Palo Pinto County, Texas in 2000:
197 people in nursing homes
106 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
9 people in homes for the mentally retarded
People in group quarters in Palo Pinto County, Texas in 2010:
150 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
97 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities
10 people in group homes intended for adults
6 people in other noninstitutional facilities
Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $42,004.
8.28% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($34,343 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
8.28%
Texas average:
8.37%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
6.67% relocated from other counties in Texas ($25,814 average AGI)
1.62% relocated from other states ($8,529 average AGI)
Palo Pinto County:
1.62%
Texas average:
3.06%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2005 and 2006:
7.83% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($35,166 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
7.83%
Texas average:
7.44%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
6.40% relocated to other counties in Texas ($28,638 average AGI)
1.43% relocated to other states ($6,529 average AGI)
Palo Pinto County:
1.43%
Texas average:
2.17%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2005 and 2006:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 14.0 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 14.2
Births per 1000 population in Palo Pinto County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 12.4 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 12.5
Deaths per 1000 population in Palo Pinto County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 9.8 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 9.8
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Palo Pinto County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 4,495 (3,980 aged, 515 disabled) Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 20% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 20%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 3.66 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 10012.81 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 153.710 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 64241.54
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1513.940 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1230.070 Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 7.28
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 34.94 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 80.06
Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 3.64
Crimes per 100,000 population in 1996: 1
Suicides per 1,000,000 population from 2000 to 2006: 205.0. This is more than state average.
Mechanisms of suicide:
Deaths per 1,000,000 population:
Firearm - 157.7
Other - 47.3
Household type by relationship:
Households: 27,848
In family households: 23,924 (5,503 male householders, 2,099 female householders)
5,774 spouses, 7,699 children (6,807 natural, 247 adopted, 645 stepchildren), 1,053 grandchildren, 253 brothers or sisters, 216 parents, 368 other relatives, 753 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 3,924 (1,574 male householders (1,266 living alone)), 1,695 female householders (1,498 living alone)), 655 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 263 (247 institutionalized population)
Size of family households: 3,538 2-persons, 1,552 3-persons, 1,283 4-persons, 719 5-persons, 280 6-persons, 230 7-or-more-persons.
88.6% of residents of Palo Pinto County speak English at home.
10.3% of residents speak Spanish at home (49% speak English very well, 19% speak English well, 18% speak English not well, 13% don't speak English at all).
0.8% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (84% speak English very well, 8% speak English well, 7% speak English not well, 1% don't speak English at all).
0.4% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (27% speak English very well, 54% speak English well, 19% speak English not well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $155,619,000 ($5695 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $8,748,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $71,108,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $39,468,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $337,000 Federal grants: $38,440,000 Federal procurement contracts: $2,415,000 ($1,084,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $3,850,000 ($681,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $1,173,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $4,003,000 Federal Government insurance: $10,038,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 1,834
Here:
67 per 1000 residents
State:
85 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 1,837
Here:
67 per 1000 residents
State:
35 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +238
Here:
+9 per 1000 residents
State:
+29 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: +269
Here:
+10 per 1000 residents
State:
+10 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Palo Pinto County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 5.85 millions of gallons per day (all from surface)
Median number of rooms in houses and condos:
Here:
5.5
State:
5.8
Median number of rooms in apartments:
Here:
4.3
State:
3.8
Year house built
2005 or later: 432
2000 to 2004: 1,042
1990 to 1999: 1,737
1980 to 1989: 2,232
1970 to 1979: 2,432
1960 to 1969: 2,301
1950 to 1959: 1,650
1940 to 1949: 1,277
1939 or earlier: 1,434
Rooms in houses/apartments in Palo Pinto County, Texas
53% of Palo Pinto County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 51% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 79% lived in Texas.
Palo Pinto County:
53.5%
State average:
51.6%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 20279
Northeast: 502
Midwest: 1558
South: 2145
West: 1087
Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $34,400
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 1%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 3%
Year Householders Moved Into Unit:
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Palo Pinto County
40.0 years
33.0 years
(47.3%)
(52.7%)
, Erath County 
, Hood County 
, Jack County 
, Parker County 
, Stephens County 
, Young County 
.
