Aransas County, Texas

This article is about the county. For other uses, see Aransas. For the ghost town, see Aransas, Texas.

Aransas County (/əˈrænzəs/ ə-RAN-zəss)^[1] is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is Rockport.^[2]

Aransas County
County
The Aransas County Courthouse
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 28°06′N 96°59′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1872
Named after	Aransas Bay
Seat	Rockport
Largest city	Corpus Christi
Area
• Total	528 sq mi (1,370 km2)
• Land	252 sq mi (650 km2)
• Water	276 sq mi (710 km2)  52%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,830
• Density	94.5/sq mi (36.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	27th
Website	www.aransascountytx.gov/main/

As of the 2020 census, its population was 23,830.^[3] Aransas County comprises the Rockport, Texas micropolitan statistical area.

History

Spanish conquistador and cartographer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda was likely the first European to encounter this land when he sailed along the Texas coast in the summer of 1519 and charted Aransas Bay. This name is derived from an outpost established during the Viceroyalty of New Spain called "Río de Nuestra Señora de Aránzazu", which was itself named for the Sanctuary of Aránzazu, a Franciscan sanctuary in Oñate, Gipuzkoa, Spain, whose name originates from the Basque language.

In 1871, the Texas Legislature established Aransas County from portions of Refugio County, and it organized the following year.^[4]

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey inflicted tremendous damage on the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 528 square miles (1,370 km²), of which 276 square miles (710 km²) (52%) are covered by water.^[5]

Adjacent counties

• Calhoun County (northeast)
• Gulf of Mexico (east)
• Nueces County (south)
• San Patricio County (southwest)
• Refugio County (northwest)

National protected area

• Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	966		—
1890	1,824		88.8%
1900	1,716		−5.9%
1910	2,106		22.7%
1920	2,064		−2.0%
1930	2,219		7.5%
1940	3,469		56.3%
1950	4,252		22.6%
1960	7,006		64.8%
1970	8,902		27.1%
1980	14,260		60.2%
1990	17,892		25.5%
2000	22,497		25.7%
2010	23,158		2.9%
2020	23,830		2.9%
2024 (est.)	25,595	[6]	7.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1850–1900[8] 1910[9] 1920[10] 1930[11] 1940[12] 1950[13] 1960[14] 1970[15] 1980[16] 1990[17] 2000[18] 2010[19] 2020[20]

2020 census

Aransas 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[21]	Pop 2010[22]	Pop 2020[20]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	16,596	16,350	15,816	73.77%	70.59%	66.37%
Black or African American alone (NH)	303	258	241	1.35%	1.11%	1.01%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	104	118	142	0.46%	0.51%	0.60%
Asian alone (NH)	614	443	480	2.73%	1.91%	2.01%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	7	5	15	0.03%	0.02%	0.06%
Other race alone (NH)	23	21	78	0.10%	0.09%	0.33%
Mixed or multiracial alone (NH)	279	273	900	1.24%	1.18%	3.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,571	5,690	6,158	20.32%	24.58%	25.84%
Total	22,497	23,158	23,830	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, 23,830 people, 9,917 households, and 6,303 families resided in the county.

As of the 2000 census,^[23] 22,497 people, 9,132 households, and 6,401 families lived in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34 people/km²). The 12,848 housing units had an average density of 51 units per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.44% White, 1.43% Black or African American], 0.58% Native American, 2.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.33% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. About 20.32% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 9,132 households, 27.0% had children under 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were not families. About 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.90. As of the 2010 census, about 5.9 same-sex couples per 1,000 households lived in the county.^[24]

In the county, the age distribution was 23.8% under 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,702, and for a family was $34,915. Males had a median income of $31,597 versus $20,289 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,560. About 15.5% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.0% of those under 18 and 10.2% of those 65 or over.

Education

Most county residents, including the cities of Rockport and Fulton, are served by the Rockport-Fulton Independent School District. Some residents (including the city of Aransas Pass, which is actually outside of the county) are served by the Aransas Pass Independent School District. Del Mar College is the designated community college for the county.^[25]

Transportation

Major highways

• State Highway 35
• State Highway 188

Airport

Aransas County Airport is located in Fulton, north of Rockport.

Communities

Cities

• Aransas Pass (partly in San Patricio and Nueces counties)
• Corpus Christi (mostly in Nueces County with small parts also in Kleberg and San Patricio Counties)
• Rockport (county seat)

Towns

• Fulton

Census-designated places

• Holiday Beach
• Lamar

Unincorporated communities

• Estes
• Palm Harbor

Ghost towns

• Aransas City

Politics

United States presidential election results for Aransas County, Texas^[26]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	10,090	77.43%	2,831	21.73%	110	0.84%
2020	9,239	75.17%	2,916	23.73%	135	1.10%
2016	7,740	73.63%	2,465	23.45%	307	2.92%
2012	6,830	70.79%	2,704	28.03%	114	1.18%
2008	6,693	68.45%	3,006	30.74%	79	0.81%
2004	6,569	70.88%	2,640	28.49%	59	0.64%
2000	5,390	65.36%	2,637	31.98%	220	2.67%
1996	3,769	50.66%	2,964	39.84%	707	9.50%
1992	2,826	41.74%	2,246	33.18%	1,698	25.08%
1988	3,858	62.27%	2,305	37.20%	33	0.53%
1984	4,352	71.73%	1,696	27.95%	19	0.31%
1980	3,081	60.79%	1,800	35.52%	187	3.69%
1976	1,985	47.48%	2,136	51.09%	60	1.44%
1972	2,037	70.48%	844	29.20%	9	0.31%
1968	1,076	39.63%	1,222	45.01%	417	15.36%
1964	602	28.65%	1,492	71.01%	7	0.33%
1960	792	45.31%	948	54.23%	8	0.46%
1956	757	63.67%	425	35.74%	7	0.59%
1952	818	61.74%	503	37.96%	4	0.30%
1948	235	34.31%	418	61.02%	32	4.67%
1944	150	24.15%	456	73.43%	15	2.42%
1940	141	20.83%	536	79.17%	0	0.00%
1936	60	21.66%	206	74.37%	11	3.97%
1932	39	12.66%	268	87.01%	1	0.32%
1928	161	51.44%	152	48.56%	0	0.00%
1924	75	26.98%	195	70.14%	8	2.88%
1920	49	25.13%	146	74.87%	0	0.00%
1916	24	11.37%	179	84.83%	8	3.79%
1912	7	3.11%	187	83.11%	31	13.78%

United States Senate election results for Aransas County, Texas1^[27]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	9,605	74.14%	3,069	23.69%	282	2.18%

See also

• Texas portal

• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Aransas County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Aransas County