County population in 2014: 11,625 (72% urban, 28% rural); it was 10,909 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 1,138 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 1,919 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 3,098 Renter-occupied apartments: 938 (it was 866 in 2000)
% of renters here:
22%
State:
36%
Land area: 835 sq. mi.
Water area: 0.3 sq. mi.
Population density: 14 people per square mile (low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Ward County: 78.3 (low, U.S. average is 100)
Estimated median household income in 2015: $53,705 ($29,386 in 1999)
This county:
$53,705
Texas:
$55,653
Median contract rent in 2015 for apartments: $498 (lower quartile is $431, upper quartile is $705)
This county:
$498
State:
$774
Estimated median house or condo value in 2015: $80,694 (it was $31,800 in 2000)
Ward:
$80,694
Texas:
$152,000
Lower value quartile - upper value quartile: $35,645 - $134,421 Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $980 Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $369
Institutionalized population: 125
Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):
Murders: 0
Rapes: 0
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 3
Burglaries: 1
Thefts: 5
Auto thefts: 1
Crime in 2004 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):
Murders: 0
Rapes: 1
Robberies: 1
Assaults: 2
Burglaries: 1
Thefts: 1
Auto thefts: 0
Single-family new house construction building permits:
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2015: $745 (0.7%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2015: $384 (0.6%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2015: 16.5%
(13.7% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 10.6% for Black residents, 20.5% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 9.7% for American Indian residents, 31.1% for other race residents, 5.6% for two or more races residents)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2015: 15.2%
Ward County:
15.2%
Texas:
15.9%
(12.8% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 9.6% for Black residents, 18.5% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 8.0% for American Indian residents, 26.2% for other race residents, 4.7% for two or more races residents)
Median age of residents in 2015: 35 years old
(Males: 33 years old, Females: 37 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 44 years old, Black residents: 23 years old, American Indian residents: 29 years old, Asian residents: 42 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 29 years old, Other race residents: 40 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Ward County is $407 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $484 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $603 a month.
Notable locations in this county outside city limits:
Notable locations in Ward County: Dawson Windmills (A), East Windmill (B), Ell Long Ranch (C), Glass and Everitt Ranch (D), Gulf Windmill (E), Hardland Windmill (F), Hidden Water Windmill (G), House Windmill (H), J Bar Ranch (I), Lea Ranch (J), Middle Windmill (K), New Windmill (L), North Adolph Windmill (M), Old House Windmill (N), Pee Wee Windmill (O), Pigman Windmill (P), R B Valley Windmill (Q), R B Windmill (R), Red Windmill (S), Sand Camp (T). Display/hide their locations on the map
Current college students: 253 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 70.1% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 12.4%
Number of foreign born residents: 719 (49% naturalized citizens)
Ward County:
6.6%
Whole state:
13.9%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
1995 to March 2000: 55
1990 to 1994: 79
1985 to 1989: 122
1980 to 1984: 78
1975 to 1979: 141
1970 to 1974: 66
1970 to 1974: 58
1965 to 1969: 120
Note: State values scaled to Ward County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 19.3 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 74.0%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 3,509
One, attached: 118
Two: 78
3 or 4: 111
5 to 9: 72
10 to 19: 78
20 or more: 113
Mobile homes: 748
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 5
Housing units in Ward County with a mortgage: 945 (8 second mortgage, 24 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 1,508
Here:
38.5% with mortgage
State:
64.2% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Ward County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Evangelical Protestant
3,364
20
Catholic
2,525
3
Mainline Protestant
690
6
Other
162
2
None
3,917
-
Ward 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
Ward County:
1.96 / 10,000 pop.
State:
1.47 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (no gas): 2
This county:
1.96 / 10,000 pop.
Texas:
1.11 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 11
Ward County:
10.80 / 10,000 pop.
Texas:
3.95 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 7
This county:
6.87 / 10,000 pop.
State:
6.13 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Ward County:
9.8%
Texas:
8.9%
Adult obesity rate:
Ward County:
27.8%
State:
26.6%
Low-income preschool obesity rate:
Here:
14.0%
State:
15.7%
Agriculture in Ward County:
Average size of farms: 5414 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $19,545 The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.00% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $22,080 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 0.09% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $20,006 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 93.02% Average age of principal farm operators: 57 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 0.64 Land in orchards: 21 acres
Tornado activity:
Ward County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below Texas state average. It is 6897467.5 times below overall U.S. average. Tornadoes in this county have caused 4 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004. On 5/29/1954, a category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado injured 2 people
Earthquake activity:
Ward County-area historical earthquake activity is significantly above Texas state average. It is 18% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
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 88.2 miles away from Ward County center On 1/2/1992 at 11:45:35, a magnitude 5.0 (4.6 MB, 5.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 56.7 miles away from the 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 168.1 miles away from the county center On 12/19/2005 at 20:27:40, a magnitude 4.3 (4.3 MB, 4.1 MW, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 113.8 miles away from the county center On 4/15/1995 at 14:33:29, a magnitude 4.0 (4.0 LG, Depth: 6.2 mi) earthquake occurred 88.1 miles away from Ward County center On 5/23/2004 at 09:22:05, a magnitude 4.0 (4.0 MB, 4.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 114.5 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 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 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
Texas Extreme Fire Hazards, Incident Period: August 01, 1999 to December 10, 1999, Emergency Declared EM-3142: September 01, 1999, FEMA Id: 3142, Natural disaster type: Fire
The number of natural disasters in Ward County (5) is a lot smaller than the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 1 Emergencies Declared: 4
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (9%)
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (9%)
Transportation occupations (8%)
Production occupations (8%)
Management occupations (7%)
Office and administrative support occupations (28%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (11%)
Sales and related occupations (11%)
Health technologists and technicians (10%)
Personal care and service occupations (8%)
Education, training, and library occupations (7%)
Management occupations (5%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Mexico (95%)
Canada (2%)
Sweden (1%)
Germany (1%)
Other Australian and New Zealand Subregion (0%)
Panama (0%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Ward County (%):
United States or American (13%)
German (7%)
Irish (6%)
English (5%)
Scotch-Irish (2%)
French (except Basque) (1%)
Dutch (1%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 3,009 (78%)
Carpooled: 616 (16%)
Motorcycle: 2 (0%)
Bicycle: 28 (1%)
Walked: 72 (2%)
Other means: 57 (1%)
Worked at home: 60 (2%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
People in group quarters in Ward County, Texas in 2000:
232 people in training schools for juvenile delinquents
72 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
54 people in nursing homes
6 people in homes for the mentally retarded
5 people in agriculture workers' dormitories on farms
People in group quarters in Ward County, Texas in 2010:
54 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities
54 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
17 people in correctional facilities intended for juveniles
Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $53,122.
7.94% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($33,788 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
7.94%
Texas average:
7.14%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
5.78% relocated from other counties in Texas ($25,074 average AGI)
2.16% relocated from other states ($8,714 average AGI)
Ward County:
2.16%
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:
7.65% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($42,371 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
7.65%
Texas average:
6.69%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
6.42% relocated to other counties in Texas ($35,963 average AGI)
1.24% relocated to other states ($6,408 average AGI)
Ward County:
1.24%
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: 14.4 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 14.8
Births per 1000 population in Ward County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 8.9 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 10.1 Deaths per 1000 population from 2007 to 2014: 10.2
Deaths per 1000 population in Ward County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 6.8 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 4.8
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Ward County
Population without health insurance coverage in 2013: 23.1% Persons under 19 years old without health insurance coverage in 2013: 14.5%
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Ward County
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Ward County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 1,810 (1,511 aged, 299 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 388 (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 Ward County, Texas in 1999 - 2014:
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (104)
Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction (33)
Congestive heart failure (23)
Alzheimer's disease, unspecified (11)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 19% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 19%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 9.65 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 4,847 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 241 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 44,931
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,582 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 987 Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 20
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 17 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 98
Household type by relationship:
Households: 10,533
In family households: 9,220 (2,024 male householders, 821 female householders)
2,082 spouses, 3,223 children (2,861 natural, 102 adopted, 260 stepchildren), 459 grandchildren, 83 brothers or sisters, 86 parents, 120 other relatives, 241 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 1,313 (556 male householders (469 living alone)), 594 female householders (547 living alone)), 163 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 125 (all institutionalized)
Size of family households: 1,188 2-persons, 631 3-persons, 501 4-persons, 320 5-persons, 136 6-persons, 69 7-or-more-persons.
2,112 married couples with children.
642 single-parent households (123 men, 519 women).
63.9% of residents of Ward County speak English at home.
35.5% of residents speak Spanish at home (63% speak English very well, 22% speak English well, 9% speak English not well, 6% don't speak English at all).
0.5% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (92% speak English very well, 8% speak English not well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $60,696,000 ($5,860 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $1,360,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $25,403,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $14,515,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $405,000 Federal grants: $17,942,000 Federal procurement contracts: $1,101,000 ($772,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $1,330,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $7,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $2,396,000 Federal Government insurance: $140,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 765
Here:
75 per 1000 residents
State:
85 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 524
Here:
51 per 1000 residents
State:
35 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +23
Here:
+2 per 1000 residents
State:
+29 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -912
Here:
-89 per 1000 residents
State:
+10 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Ward County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 7.94 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Note: State values scaled to Ward County population
no vehicle: 114
1 vehicle: 1,004
2 vehicles: 1,470
3 vehicles: 383
4 vehicles: 92
5+ vehicles: 35
no vehicle: 207
1 vehicle: 428
2 vehicles: 199
3 vehicles: 32
4 vehicles: 0
5+ vehicles: 0
60% of Ward County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 54% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 83% lived in Texas.
Ward County:
60.3%
State average:
51.6%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 8,523
Northeast: 102
Midwest: 363
South: 553
West: 616
Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $11,700
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 5%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 7%
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Ward County
Click here to upload your Ward County photos (outside city limits)
37.0 years
33.0 years
(48.3%)
(51.7%)
, Menard County 
, San Augustine County 
