Hardin County, Texas

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Hardin County, Texas
The Hardin County Courthouse in Kountze
Location in the state of Texas
Texas's location in the U.S.
Founded	1858
Seat	Kountze
Largest city	Lumberton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	898 sq mi (2,326 km²) 891 sq mi (2,308 km²) 7.0 sq mi (18 km²), 0.8
Population  - (2020)  - Density	56,231 auto/sq mi (/km²)
Congressional district	36th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.hardin.tx.us

Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,231. The county seat is Kountze. The county is named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas.

Hardin County is part of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX metropolitan statistical area.

History

The county is named for the family of William Hardin (1801-1839), a settler, judge, and postmaster. The Hardin family cemetery is located north of Liberty.

The current Hardin County Courthouse was built in 1959. It is at least the third courthouse to serve Hardin County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 898 square miles (2,330 km²), of which 7.0 square miles (18 km²) (0.8%) are covered by water.

Hardin County is located on the flat coastal plains of Southeast Texas, roughly 30 mi (48 km) north of the Gulf of Mexico. The county is largely covered by the dense forest of the Big Thicket. It is crossed by numerous small streams and creeks that drain the county into the Neches River, which forms the eastern boundary of the county.

Major highways

Main article: List of highways in Hardin County, Texas

• U.S. Highway 69/U.S. Highway 287
• U.S. Highway 96
• State Highway 105
• State Highway 326
• State Highway 327

Adjacent counties

• Tyler County (northern)
• Jasper County (east)
• Orange County (southeast)
• Jefferson County (south)
• Liberty County (southwest)
• Polk County (northwest)

Its eastern boundaries with Jasper County and Orange County are formed by the Neches River. The southern boundary with Jefferson County is formed by Pine Island Bayou

National protected area

• Big Thicket National Preserve (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,353		—
1870	1,460		7.9%
1880	1,870		28.1%
1890	3,956		111.6%
1900	5,049		27.6%
1910	12,947		156.4%
1920	15,983		23.4%
1930	13,936		−12.8%
1940	15,875		13.9%
1950	19,535		23.1%
1960	24,629		26.1%
1970	29,996		21.8%
1980	40,721		35.8%
1990	41,320		1.5%
2000	48,073		16.3%
2010	54,635		13.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

Hardin County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	48,088	46,934	88.02%	83.47%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,181	3,037	5.82%	5.40%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	182	190	0.33%	0.34%
Asian alone (NH)	269	399	0.49%	0.71%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	6	34	0.01%	0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	19	149	0.03%	0.26%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	506	2,071	0.93%	3.68%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,384	3,417	4.36%	6.08%
Total	54,635	56,231	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 census, Hardin County had a population of 54,635. The ethnic and racial composition of the population was 88.0% non-Hispanic white, 5.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.3% from some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races.

As of the census of 2000, 48,073 people, 17,805 households, and 13,638 families resided in the county. The population density was 54 people/sq mi (21/km²). The 19,836 housing units averaged 22/sq mi (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.86% White, 6.91% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. About 2.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 17,805 households, 37.2% had children under 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were not families; 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the age distribution was 27.8% under 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,612, and for a family was $42,890. Males had a median income of $35,881 versus $22,823 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,962. About 8.8% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Kountze (county seat)
• Lumberton
• Rose Hill Acres
• Silsbee
• Sour Lake

Census-designated places

• Pinewood Estates
• Wildwood (partly in Tyler County)

Unincorporated communities

• Batson
• Honey Island
• Saratoga
• Thicket
• Village Mills
• Votaw

Ghost Towns

• Bragg

Politics

United States Congress

Senators		Name	Party	First Elected	Level
	Senate Class 1	John Cornyn	Republican	1993	Senior Senator
	Senate Class 2	Ted Cruz	Republican	2012	Junior Senator
Representatives		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of Hardin County Represented
	District 36	Brian Babin	Republican	New district created with 2010 census. First elected 2014.	Entire county

United States presidential election results for Hardin County, Texas

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	23,858	86.33%	3,474	12.57%	303	1.10%
2016	19,606	86.07%	2,780	12.20%	394	1.73%
2012	17,746	83.33%	3,359	15.77%	192	0.90%
2008	16,603	80.20%	3,939	19.03%	160	0.77%
2004	15,030	72.57%	5,608	27.08%	72	0.35%
2000	11,962	67.07%	5,595	31.37%	279	1.56%
1996	8,529	47.65%	7,179	40.11%	2,192	12.25%
1992	5,885	35.04%	6,753	40.21%	4,155	24.74%
1988	6,897	45.46%	8,245	54.34%	31	0.20%
1984	8,380	55.11%	6,782	44.60%	44	0.29%
1980	6,087	44.33%	7,358	53.58%	287	2.09%
1976	4,046	37.86%	6,558	61.36%	84	0.79%
1972	5,190	63.63%	2,952	36.19%	15	0.18%
1968	1,986	22.41%	2,894	32.66%	3,982	44.93%
1964	1,987	27.81%	5,143	71.97%	16	0.22%
1960	2,115	32.79%	4,315	66.89%	21	0.33%
1956	2,130	47.12%	2,371	52.46%	19	0.42%
1952	1,653	32.53%	3,423	67.36%	6	0.12%
1948	196	6.44%	2,233	73.38%	614	20.18%
1944	243	7.77%	2,632	84.20%	251	8.03%
1940	226	7.01%	2,997	92.93%	2	0.06%
1936	119	4.82%	2,351	95.18%	0	0.00%
1932	161	5.47%	2,783	94.53%	0	0.00%
1928	951	47.96%	1,032	52.04%	0	0.00%
1924	645	28.31%	1,516	66.55%	117	5.14%
1920	202	14.68%	999	72.60%	175	12.72%
1916	158	10.30%	1,279	83.38%	97	6.32%
1912	101	7.18%	979	69.58%	327	23.24%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hardin County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Hardin County

External links

• Hardin County government's website
• Hardin County in Handbook of Texas Online at the University of Texas