Named for Henry Weidner Baylor Area 2,334 km² Population 3,614 (2013) Unemployment rate 3.6% (Apr 2015) | Founded 1858 | |
Website www.baylorcountytexas.com Rivers Brazos River, North Wichita River, Cottonwood Creek | ||
Baylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,726. Its county seat is Seymour. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1879. It is named for Henry Weidner Baylor, a surgeon in the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War.
Contents
- Map of Baylor County TX USA
- Geography
- Major highways
- Demographics
- Educational attainment
- Education
- City
- Unincorporated communities
- References
Map of Baylor County, TX, USA
Baylor County is not to be confused with Baylor University, which is located approximately 230 miles southeast in McLennan County. Nor should its namesake be confused with Confederate Colonel George W. Baylor, who fought in Louisiana during the American Civil War.
Baylor County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican James Frank, a businessman from Wichita Falls.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 901 square miles (2,330 km2), of which 867 square miles (2,250 km2) is land and 34 square miles (88 km2) (3.7%) is water.
Major highways
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,093 people, 1,791 households, and 1,156 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,820 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.96% White, 3.35% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.32% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races; 9.33% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,791 households, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 residing in them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were classified as non-families by the U.S. Census Bureau. There were 26 unmarried heterosexual couples and no reported same-sex couples.
In addition, 33.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,627, and the median income for a family was $34,583. Males had a median income of $21,607 versus $19,571 for females, demonstrating a relatively low level of income inequality based on gender. The per capita income for the county was $16,384. 16.1% of the population and 12.9% of families were below the poverty line. 26.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Educational attainment
According to the 2000 census, 21.2% of those aged over 25 did not have a high school diploma, while 32.7% had a high school diploma. Roughly 8.7% of the population had a bachelor's degree, 2.3% had a master's degree, and 0.2% had a doctoral degree. No males had doctoral degrees, while 0.4% of females had a doctoral degree.
Education
Almost all of Baylor County is served by the Seymour Independent School District, which also serves portions of adjacent counties. A small portion is served by the Olney Independent School District.
The OISD portion was served by the Megargel Independent School District until MISD closed after May 2006.