County population in 2016: 7,560 (39% urban, 61% rural); it was 7,828 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 810 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 1,270 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 2,231 Renter-occupied apartments: 761 (it was 754 in 2000)
% of renters here:
25%
State:
36%
Land area: 770 sq. mi.
Water area: 48.4 sq. mi.
Population density: 10 people per square mile (low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Refugio County: 79.3 (low, U.S. average is 100)
Industries providing employment: Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (18.8%), Educational, health and social services (12.5%), Construction (10.9%), Information (10.9%), Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services (10.9%).
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2016: $1,509 (1.5%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2016: $919 (1.2%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2016: 14.8%
Refugio County:
14.8%
Texas:
15.6%
(9.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 19.3% for Black residents, 17.8% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 46.2% for American Indian residents, 8.5% for other race residents, 25.3% for two or more races residents)
Median age of residents in 2016: 43.2 years old
(Males: 41.1 years old, Females: 43.5 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 51.5 years old, Black residents: 48.3 years old, American Indian residents: 15.2 years old, Asian residents: 43.5 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 34.8 years old, Other race residents: 43.3 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Refugio County is $420 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $484 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $645 a month.
Current college students: 166 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 80.0% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 11.1%
Number of foreign born residents: 210 (21.9% naturalized citizens)
Refugio County:
2.8%
Whole state:
17.0%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
2010 or later: 0
2000 to 2009: 78
1990 to 1999: 75
1980 to 1989: 59
1970 to 1979: 51
Before 1970: 21
Note: State values scaled to Refugio County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 22.5 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 70.9%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 3,091
One, attached: 51
Two: 67
3 or 4: 32
5 to 9: 72
20 or more: 13
Mobile homes: 475
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 7
Housing units in Refugio County with a mortgage: 674 (10 second mortgage, 8 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 1,391
Here:
99.9% with mortgage
State:
57.8% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Refugio County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Evangelical Protestant
2,688
16
Catholic
2,357
8
Mainline Protestant
706
9
Other
3
1
None
1,629
-
Refugio County Religion Details
Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Food Environment Statistics:
Number of grocery stores: 2
Refugio County:
2.72 / 10,000 pop.
State:
1.47 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (no gas): 3
This county:
4.09 / 10,000 pop.
Texas:
1.11 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 5
Refugio County:
6.81 / 10,000 pop.
Texas:
3.95 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 4
This county:
5.45 / 10,000 pop.
State:
6.13 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Refugio County:
10.5%
Texas:
8.9%
Adult obesity rate:
Refugio County:
27.2%
State:
26.6%
Low-income preschool obesity rate:
Here:
22.2%
State:
15.7%
Agriculture in Refugio County:
Average size of farms: 1847 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $78,172 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $169.73 The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.00% The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 41.42% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $79,535 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 14.61% Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 1.01% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $66,429 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 80.66% Average age of principal farm operators: 59 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 8.15 Corn for grain: 13379 harvested acres Upland cotton: 32927 harvested acres
Earthquake activity:
Refugio County-area historical earthquake activity is below Texas state average. It is 86% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 4/9/1993 at 12:29:19, a magnitude 4.3 (4.1 MB, 4.3 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 66.3 miles away from Refugio County center On 4/14/1995 at 00:32:56, a magnitude 5.7 (5.6 MB, 5.7 MS, 5.7 MW, Depth: 11.1 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 396.1 miles away from the county center On 4/7/2008 at 09:51:12, a magnitude 3.9 (3.9 MB, 3.9 MW, 3.8 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 66.5 miles away from the county center On 3/24/1997 at 22:31:34, a magnitude 3.8 (3.8 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 64.9 miles away from the county center On 7/20/1991 at 23:38:19, a magnitude 3.6 (3.4 LG, 3.6 LG, Depth: 6.2 mi) earthquake occurred 66.3 miles away from Refugio County center On 6/16/1978 at 11:46:54, a magnitude 5.3 (4.4 MB, 4.6 UK, 5.3 ML) earthquake occurred 390.3 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)
Most recent natural disasters:
Texas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 04, 2015 to June 23, 2015, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4223: May 29, 2015, FEMA Id: 4223, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood, Wind
Texas Tropical Storm Alex, Incident Period: June 27, 2010 to August 14, 2010, Emergency Declared EM-3313: June 29, 2010, FEMA Id: 3313, Natural disaster type: Tropical Storm
Texas Hurricane Ike, Incident Period: September 07, 2008 to September 26, 2008, Emergency Declared EM-3294: September 10, 2008, FEMA Id: 3294, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Gustav, Incident Period: August 27, 2008 to September 07, 2008, Emergency Declared EM-3290: August 29, 2008, FEMA Id: 3290, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Wildfires, Incident Period: March 14, 2008 to September 01, 2008, Emergency Declared EM-3284: March 14, 2008, FEMA Id: 3284, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Hurricane Dean, Incident Period: August 17, 2007 to September 05, 2007, Emergency Declared EM-3277: August 18, 2007, FEMA Id: 3277, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: June 16, 2007 to August 03, 2007, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1709: June 29, 2007, FEMA Id: 1709, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Texas Hurricane Rita, Incident Period: September 23, 2005 to October 14, 2005, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1606: September 24, 2005, FEMA Id: 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: 3261, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Katrina, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 01, 2005, Emergency Declared EM-3216: September 02, 2005, FEMA Id: 3216, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
7 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Refugio County (17) is greater than the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 10 Emergencies Declared: 7
Causes of natural disasters: Hurricanes: 9, Floods: 5, Storms: 5, Tornadoes: 3, Winds: 3, Fire: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Tropical Storm: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (10%)
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (10%)
Transportation occupations (8%)
Sales and related occupations (6%)
Office and administrative support occupations (17%)
Education, training, and library occupations (13%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (10%)
Sales and related occupations (9%)
Management occupations (8%)
Healthcare support occupations (8%)
Personal care and service occupations (7%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Mexico (85%)
Poland (6%)
Japan (3%)
Cuba (3%)
Nicaragua (0%)
Ireland (0%)
Denmark (0%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Refugio County (%):
German (8%)
American (5%)
Irish (4%)
English (3%)
African (1%)
Scotch-Irish (1%)
Czech (1%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 2,336 (83.4%)
Carpooled: 295 (10.5%)
Taxicab, motorcycle, or other means: 7 (0.2%)
Bicycle: 5 (0.2%)
Walked: 85 (3.0%)
Worked at home: 68 (2.4%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
80 people in nursing homes
31 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
104 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
25 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilitiesAverage gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $47,078.
6.44% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($33,035 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
6.44%
Texas average:
7.14%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
5.21% relocated from other counties in Texas ($26,302 average AGI)
1.24% relocated from other states ($6,733 average AGI)
Refugio County:
1.24%
Texas average:
2.49%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2010 and 2011:
6.65% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($39,208 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
6.65%
Texas average:
6.69%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
6.02% relocated to other counties in Texas ($36,506 average AGI)
0.64% relocated to other states ($2,697 average AGI)
Refugio County:
0.64%
Texas average:
2.01%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2010 and 2011:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 13.2 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 12.3
Births per 1000 population in Refugio County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.2 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 11.8 Deaths per 1000 population from 2007 to 2014: 12.6
Deaths per 1000 population in Refugio County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 3.8 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 5.5
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Refugio County
Population without health insurance coverage in 2013: 22.3% Persons under 19 years old without health insurance coverage in 2013: 13.9%
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Refugio County
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Refugio County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 1,524 (1,312 aged, 212 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 232 (14%)
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Aged persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Disabled persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Most common underlying causes of death in Refugio County, Texas in 1999 - 2014:
Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (113)
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (112)
Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction (10)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 21% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 21%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 13.09 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 3,783 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 262 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 44,634
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,008 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,100 Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 26
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 25 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 157
Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 13
Crimes per 100,000 population in 1996: 1
Household type by relationship:
Households: 7,560
In family households: 6,431 (852 male householders, 1,121 female householders)
1,398 spouses, 2,262 children (2,107 natural, 75 adopted, 82 stepchildren), 341 grandchildren, 67 brothers or sisters, 47 parents, 180 other relatives, 162 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 957 (463 male householders (417 living alone)), 404 female householders (369 living alone)), 87 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 172
Size of family households: 844 2-persons, 547 3-persons, 314 4-persons, 166 5-persons, 65 6-persons, 28 7-or-more-persons.
Size of nonfamily households: 786 1-person, 70 2-persons, 8 3-persons.
874 married couples with children.
515 single-parent households (197 men, 318 women).
71.9% of residents of Refugio speak English at home.
27.9% of residents speak Spanish at home (74% speak English very well, 17% speak English well, 6% speak English not well, 4% don't speak English at all).
0.3% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (100% speak English very well).
0.1% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (100% speak English very well).
0.1% of residents speak other language at home (100% speak English very well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $55,694,000 ($7,290 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $806,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $21,064,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $13,848,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $6,358,000 Federal grants: $11,837,000 Federal procurement contracts: $357,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $2,231,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $772,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $2,528,000 Federal Government insurance: $27,390,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 493
Here:
65 per 1000 residents
State:
85 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 474
Here:
62 per 1000 residents
State:
35 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +14
Here:
+2 per 1000 residents
State:
+29 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -213
Here:
-28 per 1000 residents
State:
+10 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Refugio County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 0.83 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Median number of rooms in houses and condos:
Here:
5.6
State:
6.2
Median number of rooms in apartments:
Here:
4.6
State:
4.1
Year house built
2014 or later: 0
2010 to 2013: 119
2000 to 2009: 254
1990 to 1999: 406
1980 to 1989: 421
1970 to 1979: 427
1960 to 1969: 475
1950 to 1959: 803
1940 to 1949: 456
1939 or earlier: 391
Note: State values scaled to Refugio population
Rooms in houses/apartments in Refugio County, Texas
Note: State values scaled to Refugio County population
no vehicle: 59
1 vehicle: 597
2 vehicles: 899
3 vehicles: 319
4 vehicles: 115
5+ vehicles: 40
no vehicle: 137
1 vehicle: 325
2 vehicles: 252
3 vehicles: 63
4 vehicles: 0
5+ vehicles: 0
89% of Refugio County residents lived in the same house 1 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 29% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 98% lived in Texas.
Refugio County:
88.6%
State average:
84.1%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 6,556
Other state: 684
Northeast: 40
Midwest: 234
South: 259
West: 150
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Refugio County
Click here to upload your Refugio County photos (outside city limits)
43.2 years
34.5 years
(49.2%)
(50.8%)
, Hillsborough County, Florida 
, Calhoun County 
.
