Gaines County, Texas

County in Texas, United States

County in Texas

Gaines County

County

The Gaines County Courthouse in Seminole

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 32°44′N 102°38′W﻿ / ﻿32.74°N 102.64°W﻿ / 32.74; -102.64
Country|  United States
State|  Texas
Founded| 1905
Seat| Seminole
Largest city| Seminole
Area

• Total

| 1,503 sq mi (3,890 km2)
• Land| 1,502 sq mi (3,890 km2)
• Water| 0.5 sq mi (1 km2)  0.03%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 21,598
• Density| 14/sq mi (5.5/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 19th
Website| www.co.gaines.tx.us

Gaines County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,598.[1] The county seat is Seminole.[2] It gained national attention in 2025 for a major outbreak of measles.

## History

[edit]

The county is named for James Gaines,[3] a merchant who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1779. During the 19th century, the land had been occupied solely by Comanche and Mexican Comancheros, traders who had a thriving business with the Plains Indians. In October 1875, Lt. Bullis, who commanded the 24th Infantry Regiment, encountered a large group of Indians at Cedar Lake. Lt. Bullis captured them for food, supplies, utensils, and buffalo hides. Then, Col. Shafter established a camp at Cedar Lake and continued to scout the area as far south as the Pecos River. That November, he came across a draw, where he discovered more than 70 wells reaching levels 4 to 15 feet deep. This area became a regular place to trade goods.

In 1887, the northern part of the county was occupied by the Mallet Ranch. The foreman, Dave Ernest, sold the ranch to a merchant from San Antonio, who used the land for driving cattle towards Kansas. On October 24, 1905, Gaines County became an organized county in Texas.[4] Land donated by nonresident landowners became the town of Seminole, Texas, the county seat. In 1912, a small post office opened up east of Seminole that would later become Loop, Texas, named after a local ranch brand. In 1917, the Santa Fe Railroad came through Blythe, Texas, but that name was changed to Seagraves after the company discovered they already had a town by the same name located on the line.

A large population addition to Gaines County came in 1977 when a group of conservative German speaking "Russian" Mennonites from Mexico arrived to start farming and ranching. In 2005, Gaines County became the number-one oil-producing, cotton-producing, and peanut-producing county in Texas.[5]

In early 2025, Gaines county became the epicenter of a measles outbreak that would spread across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. By June 24th, 2025, the total number of cases in Texas rose to 750, with 413 of those cases being reported in Gaines County. Spreading across 34 additional counties, two deaths of children were reported. Typical of measles outbreaks, the burden of disease is heavier on the unvaccinated and children.[6] This was the highest number of cases in Texas in the last 30 years,[7][8] surpassing the total number of measles cases in the US in 2024,[9] and the death was the first measles death in the US since 2015.[10] The outbreak has been linked to outbreaks in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. [11] The vaccination exemption rate in Gaines County is among the highest in the state, with nearly one in five incoming kindergarteners in the 2023–2024 class not having received the MMR vaccine.[12][13]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,503 square miles (3,890 km2), of which 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) (0.03%) is covered by water.[14]

### Major highways

[edit]

* U.S. Highway 62
* U.S. Highway 180
* U.S. Highway 385
* State Highway 83
* State Highway 115
* State Highway 214

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Yoakum County (north)
* Terry County (north)
* Dawson County (east)
* Martin County (southeast)
* Andrews County (south)
* Lea County, New Mexico (west)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 8| | —
1890| 68| | 750.0%
1900| 55| | −19.1%
1910| 1,255| | 2,181.8%
1920| 1,018| | −18.9%
1930| 2,800| | 175.0%
1940| 8,136| | 190.6%
1950| 8,909| | 9.5%
1960| 12,267| | 37.7%
1970| 11,593| | −5.5%
1980| 13,150| | 13.4%
1990| 14,123| | 7.4%
2000| 14,467| | 2.4%
2010| 17,526| | 21.1%
2020| 21,598| | 23.2%
2024 (est.)| 22,892| [15]| 6.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
1850–2010[17] 2010[18] 2020[19]
Gaines County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race. Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[20] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 8,803  | 10,628  | 12,554  | 60.85%  | 60.64%  | 58.13%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 304  | 261  | 241  | 2.10%  | 1.49%  | 1.12%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 37  | 46  | 42  | 0.26%  | 0.26%  | 0.19%
Asian alone (NH)  | 22  | 37  | 72  | 0.15%  | 0.21%  | 0.33%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 0.00%  | 0.00%  | 0.01%
Other race alone (NH)  | 7  | 17  | 46  | 0.05%  | 0.10%  | 0.21%
Multiracial (NH)  | 119  | 124  | 239  | 0.82%  | 0.71%  | 1.11%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 5,175  | 6,413  | 8,401  | 35.77%  | 36.59%  | 38.90%
Total | 14,467 | 17,526 | 21,598 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, 21,598 people, 5,812 households, and 4,545 families resided in the county.

As of the 2000 census,[21] 14,467 people, 4,681 households, and 3,754 families were residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (3.9 people/km2). The 5,410 housing units had an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.28% White, 2.28% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 14.17% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. About 35.77% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 4,681 households, 45.3% had children under 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were not families. About 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.53.

In the county, the age distribution was 35.0% under 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,432, and for a family was $34,046. Males had a median income of $29,580 versus $16,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,088. About 17.30% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.2% of those under 18 and 15.7% of those 65 or over.

## Media

[edit]

The county is served by a twice-a-week newspaper publication, the Seminole Sentinel, as well as local radio stations KIKZ (AM) and KSEM-FM.

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Seagraves
* Seminole (county seat)

### Town

[edit]

* Denver City (mostly in Yoakum County)

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Loop

## Politics

[edit]

United States presidential election results for Gaines County, Texas[22] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 5,840  | 91.02% | 538  | 8.39%  | 38  | 0.59%
2020 | 5,355  | 89.31% | 576  | 9.61%  | 65  | 1.08%
2016 | 3,907  | 84.57% | 597  | 12.92%  | 116  | 2.51%
2012 | 3,484  | 85.69% | 535  | 13.16%  | 47  | 1.16%
2008 | 3,385  | 83.23% | 650  | 15.98%  | 32  | 0.79%
2004 | 3,540  | 85.01% | 608  | 14.60%  | 16  | 0.38%
2000 | 2,691  | 77.80% | 723  | 20.90%  | 45  | 1.30%
1996 | 1,812  | 56.73% | 1,012  | 31.68%  | 370  | 11.58%
1992 | 2,138  | 54.36% | 1,095  | 27.84%  | 700  | 17.80%
1988 | 2,265  | 62.81% | 1,310  | 36.33%  | 31  | 0.86%
1984 | 2,714  | 76.82% | 797  | 22.56%  | 22  | 0.62%
1980 | 2,390  | 65.37% | 1,182  | 32.33%  | 84  | 2.30%
1976 | 1,643  | 46.36%  | 1,880  | 53.05% | 21  | 0.59%
1972 | 1,923  | 73.26% | 669  | 25.49%  | 33  | 1.26%
1968 | 1,401  | 39.68% | 1,087  | 30.78%  | 1,043  | 29.54%
1964 | 1,153  | 36.02%  | 2,045  | 63.89% | 3  | 0.09%
1960 | 1,520  | 49.98% | 1,498  | 49.26%  | 23  | 0.76%
1956 | 1,244  | 44.76%  | 1,527  | 54.95% | 8  | 0.29%
1952 | 1,350  | 46.47%  | 1,540  | 53.01% | 15  | 0.52%
1948 | 207  | 11.54%  | 1,465  | 81.66% | 122  | 6.80%
1944 | 173  | 11.76%  | 1,173  | 79.74% | 125  | 8.50%
1940 | 197  | 11.53%  | 1,509  | 88.30% | 3  | 0.18%
1936 | 42  | 5.79%  | 680  | 93.66% | 4  | 0.55%
1932 | 44  | 7.83%  | 510  | 90.75% | 8  | 1.42%
1928 | 312  | 69.03% | 140  | 30.97%  | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 37  | 8.39%  | 342  | 77.55% | 62  | 14.06%
1920 | 9  | 6.29%  | 134  | 93.71% | 0  | 0.00%
1916 | 0  | 0.00%  | 80  | 95.24% | 4  | 4.76%
1912 | 0  | 0.00%  | 68  | 95.77% | 3  | 4.23%
United States Senate election results for Gaines County, Texas1[23] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 5,700  | 89.52% | 561  | 8.81%  | 106  | 1.66%

## Education

[edit]

School districts serving Gaines County include:[24]

* Loop Independent School District
* Seagraves Independent School District
* Seminole Independent School District
* Wellman-Union Consolidated Independent School District

Most of Gaines County is assigned to South Plains College's service area. The portion of the county in Seminole ISD is assigned to the Odessa College service area.[25]

## Notable people

[edit]

* Larry Gatlin, country music singer
* Tanya Tucker, country music singer

## See also

[edit]

* Texas portal

* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Gaines County

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Gaines County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 133.
4. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
5. ^ "Seminole Texas Chamber of Commerce |".
6. ^ https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025
7. ^ https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/texas-measles-outbreak-climbs-124-cases
8. ^ Murphy, Sean; Shastri, Devi (February 14, 2025). "Texas measles outbreak rises to 48 cases. It's the state's worst in nearly 30 years". AP. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
9. ^ CDC (April 4, 2025). "Measles Cases and Outbreaks". Measles (Rubeola). Retrieved April 4, 2025.
10. ^ https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9
11. ^ https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/who-alert-us-measles-outbreak-adds-new-genetic-details
12. ^ McPhillips, Deidre (February 7, 2025). "Measles outbreak expands in West Texas around county with low vaccination rate". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
13. ^ Mole, Beth (February 12, 2025). "Nine unvaccinated people hospitalized as Texas measles outbreak doubles". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
14. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
15. ^ "QuickFacts: Gaines County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
16. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
17. ^ "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
18. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Gaines County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
19. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Gaines County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
20. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Gaines County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
21. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
22. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
23. ^ "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Texas by county. November 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
24. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Gaines County, TX" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022. \- Text list
25. ^ "Sec. 130.193. ODESSA COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA. Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA".

## External links

[edit]

* Gaines County government's website
* Gaines County from the Handbook of Texas Online
* Inventory of county records, Gaines County courthouse, Seminole, Texas,[permanent dead link] hosted by the Portal to Texas History
* Gaines County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties

Places adjacent to Gaines County, Texas

|  | Yoakum County and Terry County |

|
|

|  |
Lea County, New Mexico |

Gaines County, Texas

| Dawson County
|  |
| Andrews County | Martin County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Gaines County, Texas, United States

County seat: Seminole

Cities|

* Seagraves
* Seminole

Gaines County map

Town|

* Denver City‡

CDP|

* Loop

Ghost towns|

* Caput
* White City

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Texas portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Counties of Texas

* Anderson
* Andrews
* Angelina
* Aransas
* Archer
* Armstrong
* Atascosa
* Austin
* Bailey
* Bandera
* Bastrop
* Baylor
* Bee
* Bell
* Bexar
* Blanco
* Borden
* Bosque
* Bowie
* Brazoria
* Brazos
* Brewster
* Briscoe
* Brooks
* Brown
* Burleson
* Burnet
* Caldwell
* Calhoun
* Callahan
* Cameron
* Camp
* Carson
* Cass
* Castro
* Chambers
* Cherokee
* Childress
* Clay
* Cochran
* Coke
* Coleman
* Collin
* Collingsworth
* Colorado
* Comal
* Comanche
* Concho
* Cooke
* Coryell
* Cottle
* Crane
* Crockett
* Crosby
* Culberson
* Dallam
* Dallas
* Dawson
* Deaf Smith
* Delta
* Denton
* DeWitt
* Dickens
* Dimmit
* Donley
* Duval
* Eastland
* Ector
* Edwards
* El Paso
* Ellis
* Erath
* Falls
* Fannin
* Fayette
* Fisher
* Floyd
* Foard
* Fort Bend
* Franklin
* Freestone
* Frio
* Gaines
* Galveston
* Garza
* Gillespie
* Glasscock
* Goliad
* Gonzales
* Gray
* Grayson
* Gregg
* Grimes
* Guadalupe
* Hale
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Hansford
* Hardeman
* Hardin
* Harris
* Harrison
* Hartley
* Haskell
* Hays
* Hemphill
* Henderson
* Hidalgo
* Hill
* Hockley
* Hood
* Hopkins
* Houston
* Howard
* Hudspeth
* Hunt
* Hutchinson
* Irion
* Jack
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jeff Davis
* Jefferson
* Jim Hogg
* Jim Wells
* Johnson
* Jones
* Karnes
* Kaufman
* Kendall
* Kenedy
* Kent
* Kerr
* Kimble
* King
* Kinney
* Kleberg
* Knox
* La Salle
* Lamar
* Lamb
* Lampasas
* Lavaca
* Lee
* Leon
* Liberty
* Limestone
* Lipscomb
* Live Oak
* Llano
* Loving
* Lubbock
* Lynn
* Madison
* Marion
* Martin
* Mason
* Matagorda
* Maverick
* McCulloch
* McLennan
* McMullen
* Medina
* Menard
* Midland
* Milam
* Mills
* Mitchell
* Montague
* Montgomery
* Moore
* Morris
* Motley
* Nacogdoches
* Navarro
* Newton
* Nolan
* Nueces
* Ochiltree
* Oldham
* Orange
* Palo Pinto
* Panola
* Parker
* Parmer
* Pecos
* Polk
* Potter
* Presidio
* Rains
* Randall
* Reagan
* Real
* Red River
* Reeves
* Refugio
* Roberts
* Robertson
* Rockwall
* Runnels
* Rusk
* Sabine
* San Augustine
* San Jacinto
* San Patricio
* San Saba
* Schleicher
* Scurry
* Shackelford
* Shelby
* Sherman
* Smith
* Somervell
* Starr
* Stephens
* Sterling
* Stonewall
* Sutton
* Swisher
* Tarrant
* Taylor
* Terrell
* Terry
* Throckmorton
* Titus
* Tom Green
* Travis
* Trinity
* Tyler
* Upshur
* Upton
* Uvalde
* Val Verde
* Van Zandt
* Victoria
* Walker
* Waller
* Ward
* Washington
* Webb
* Wharton
* Wheeler
* Wichita
* Wilbarger
* Willacy
* Williamson
* Wilson
* Winkler
* Wise
* Wood
* Yoakum
* Young
* Zapata
* Zavala

* v
* t
* e

State of Texas

Austin (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Architecture
* Climate (Climate change)
* Cuisine
* Dialects
* Geography
* Government
* Healthcare
* History
* Languages
* Law
* Literature
* Mass media
* Newspapers
* Radio
* TV
* National Historic Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places Sites
* Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
* Sports
* Symbols
* Texans
* Time
* Tourist attractions
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gambling
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Ark‑La‑Tex
* Big Bend
* Boca Chica
* Blackland Prairies
* Brazos Valley
* Central Texas
* Coastal Bend
* Concho Valley
* Cross Timbers
* East Texas
* Edwards Plateau
* Golden Triangle
* Hill Country
* Llano Estacado
* Northeast Texas
* North Texas
* Osage Plains
* Panhandle
* Permian Basin
* Piney Woods
* Rio Grande Valley
* Southeast Texas
* South Plains
* South Texas
* Texoma
* Trans-Pecos
* West Texas

Metropolitan
areas|

* Abilene
* Amarillo
* Austin–Round Rock (Greater Austin)
* Beaumont–Port Arthur
* Brownsville–Harlingen
* College Station–Bryan
* Corpus Christi
* Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington (DFW)
* El Paso
* Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land (Greater Houston)
* Killeen–Temple
* Laredo
* Longview/Kilgore
* Lubbock
* McAllen–Edinburg–Mission
* Midland
* Odessa
* San Angelo
* San Antonio–New Braunfels
* Sherman–Denison
* Texarkana
* Tyler
* Victoria
* Waco
* Wagner Creek
* Wichita Falls

Counties|

See: List of counties in Texas

Texas portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* NARA
* Yale LUX

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template