Jim Wells County, Texas

Jim Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 38,891. Its county seat is Alice. The county was founded in 1911^[1] and is named for James B. Wells Jr. (1850–1923), for three decades a judge and Democratic Party political boss in South Texas.

Jim Wells County
County
The Jim Wells County Courthouse in Alice
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 27°44′N 98°05′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1911
Named after	James Babbage Wells Jr.
Seat	Alice
Largest city	Alice
Area
• Total	868 sq mi (2,250 km2)
• Land	865 sq mi (2,240 km2)
• Water	3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	38,891
• Density	45/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	15th
Website	www.co.jim-wells.tx.us

Jim Wells County comprises the Alice, Texas micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 868 sq mi (2,250 km²), of which 3.4 sq mi (8.8 km²) (0.4%) are covered by water.^[2]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 281
  • Interstate 69C is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 281 in most places.
• State Highway 44
• State Highway 141
• State Highway 359
• Farm to Market Road 624
• Farm to Market Road 665
• Farm to Market Road 716
• Farm to Market Road 2295

Adjacent counties

• Live Oak County (north)
• San Patricio County (northeast)
• Nueces County (east)
• Kleberg County (east)
• Brooks County (south)
• Duval County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	6,587		—
1930	13,456		104.3%
1940	20,239		50.4%
1950	27,991		38.3%
1960	34,548		23.4%
1970	33,032		−4.4%
1980	36,498		10.5%
1990	37,679		3.2%
2000	39,326		4.4%
2010	40,838		3.8%
2020	38,891		−4.8%
2024 (est.)	38,886	[3]	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[4] 1850–2010[5] 2010[6] 2020[7]

Jim Wells 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[8]	Pop 2010[9]	Pop 2020[7]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	9,001	8,062	6,963	22.89%	19.74%	17.90%
Black or African American alone (NH)	166	156	180	0.42%	0.38%	0.46%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	75	97	58	0.19%	0.24%	0.15%
Asian alone (NH)	167	134	140	0.42%	0.33%	0.36%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	13	4	15	0.03%	0.01%	0.04%
Other Race alone (NH)	13	28	95	0.03%	0.07%	0.24%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	119	103	605	0.30%	0.25%	1.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	29,772	32,254	30,835	75.71%	78.98%	79.29%
Total	39,326	40,838	38,891	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

At the 2000 census,^[10] 39,326 people, 12,961 households and 10,096 families were residing in the county. The population density was 46 people/sq mi (18 people/km²). The 14,819 housing units had an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.90% White, 0.60% African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 118.83% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. About 75.71% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 12,961 households, 40.2% had children under 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were not families. About 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.99, and the average family size was 3.45.

Age distribution was 31.4% under 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median household income was $28,843, and the median family income was $32,616. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $17,190 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,252. About 20.1% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those aged 65 or over.

Government and politics

Jim Wells, longtime Democratic political boss and namesake of Jim Wells County.

Located in South Texas, Jim Wells County is part of the oldest Democratic stronghold in the entire United States, a region that has consistently voted for Democrats since the days of Woodrow Wilson. The Jim Wells County Democratic Party has maintained its influence in the county despite massive demographic changes due to civil rights, the collapse of Jim Crow and poll taxes, and mass immigration from Mexico.^[11] The only Republicans to win the county in presidential elections since its creation are Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Richard Nixon in his 1972 landslide and Donald Trump in 2020 and 2024. Since 2004, Jim Wells County has become slightly less Democratic than it was during the late twentieth century. Despite this shift, the Democratic nominee won at least 53.77 percent of the county's vote in every presidential election from 1976 through 2016. In 2020, the county ended its streak of Democratic victories when it was won by Donald Trump by a 10% margin.^[12]

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Republican Greg Abbott won 52.04% of the vote in Jim Wells County, becoming the first member of his party to win the county in a race for a state office.^[13] In the same election, Democrat Beto O'Rourke won the county in the Senate contest with 53.85% of the vote.^[14]

United States presidential election results for Jim Wells County, Texas^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	7,636	57.55%	5,577	42.03%	55	0.41%
2020	7,453	54.47%	6,119	44.72%	110	0.80%
2016	5,420	43.78%	6,694	54.08%	265	2.14%
2012	4,598	41.18%	6,492	58.14%	76	0.68%
2008	4,841	41.69%	6,706	57.75%	65	0.56%
2004	5,817	45.84%	6,824	53.77%	50	0.39%
2000	4,498	37.41%	7,418	61.70%	107	0.89%
1996	2,989	28.27%	7,116	67.31%	467	4.42%
1992	3,311	26.36%	7,812	62.19%	1,438	11.45%
1988	4,335	33.64%	8,495	65.92%	56	0.43%
1984	5,896	42.99%	7,795	56.84%	24	0.17%
1980	4,606	38.34%	7,267	60.49%	140	1.17%
1976	3,547	30.71%	7,961	68.93%	42	0.36%
1972	5,283	54.48%	4,404	45.41%	11	0.11%
1968	2,827	28.13%	6,304	62.73%	919	9.14%
1964	1,988	22.50%	6,849	77.50%	0	0.00%
1960	2,773	34.18%	5,330	65.71%	9	0.11%
1956	3,348	54.69%	2,752	44.95%	22	0.36%
1952	3,592	48.94%	3,745	51.03%	2	0.03%
1948	1,402	26.46%	3,781	71.35%	116	2.19%
1944	1,113	34.88%	1,908	59.79%	170	5.33%
1940	914	30.20%	2,105	69.56%	7	0.23%
1936	338	16.58%	1,691	82.97%	9	0.44%
1932	162	9.99%	1,449	89.39%	10	0.62%
1928	423	36.06%	747	63.68%	3	0.26%
1924	213	21.47%	654	65.93%	125	12.60%
1920	169	32.25%	304	58.02%	51	9.73%
1916	100	21.10%	335	70.68%	39	8.23%
1912	24	6.82%	241	68.47%	87	24.72%

United States Senate election results for Jim Wells County, Texas1^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,773	52.26%	5,895	45.49%	292	2.25%

1948 U.S. Senate election

Main article: 1948 United States Senate election in Texas

Jim Wells County is known as the home of the "Box 13 scandal", the infamous ballot box that gave Lyndon Baines Johnson an 87-vote edge out of 988,295 cast over popular former governor Coke Stevenson in the Democratic primary election. It was later demonstrated that 200 votes, for Johnson, were "stuffed" into the ballot box after the polls closed.^[17] Johnson went on to win the election.

Communities

Cities

• Alice (county seat)
• Orange Grove
• Premont
• San Diego (mostly in Duval County)

Village

• Pernitas Point (mostly in Live Oak County)

Census-designated places

• Alfred
• Alice Acres
• Amargosa
• Ben Bolt
• Coyote Acres
• K-Bar Ranch
• Loma Linda East
• Owl Ranch
• Rancho Alegre
• Sandia
• South La Paloma
• Westdale

Former census-designated places

• Alfred-South La Paloma
• Owl Ranch-Amargosa

Unincorporated communities

• Bentonville
• Casa Blanca
• La Gloria
• Palito Blanco
• Rancho de la Parita
• Springfield

Education

School districts in the county include:^[18]

• Agua Dulce Independent School District
• Alice Independent School District
• Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco Independent School District
• La Gloria Independent School District
• Orange Grove Independent School District
• Premont Independent School District
• San Diego Independent School District

Coastal Bend College (formerly Bee County College) is the designated community college for the county.^[19]

See also

• Texas portal

• List of museums in South Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jim Wells County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Jim Wells County