Willacy County, Texas

Willacy County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,164.^[1] Its county seat is Raymondville.^[2] The county was created in 1911 and organized the next year.^[3]

Willacy County
County
The Willacy County Courthouse in Raymondville
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 26°29′N 97°36′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1912
Named after	John G. Willacy
Seat	Raymondville
Largest city	Raymondville
Area
• Total	784 sq mi (2,030 km2)
• Land	591 sq mi (1,530 km2)
• Water	194 sq mi (500 km2)  25%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,164
• Density	26/sq mi (9.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	34th
Website	www.co.willacy.tx.us

Willacy County comprises the Raymondville micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville combined statistical area, which itself is part of the larger Rio Grande Valley region.

History

Willacy County was formed in 1911 from parts of Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, and originally included what is now Kenedy County; it was named for state senator John G. Willacy. Kenedy was split from Willacy in 1921, when the long-settled ranchers of the northern (Kenedy) part of the county sought to separate from the newly arrived farmers of the southern part.

The Bermuda onion was introduced to Willacy County in 1912. It grew well and slowly displaced ranchland in the southern part of the county, becoming the most important crop. For many years, the town of Raymondville held an annual Onion Festival, using the tag line, "The Breath of a Nation". In 1940, the first oil wells were sunk in the county's Willamar Oil Field; today, oil production is a major part of the local economy, although increasingly eclipsed by natural gas. Also in the 1940s, sorghum was introduced to the county, gradually displacing cotton and other crops. Cattle ranching remains a substantial economic activity, as well.

In the early 2010s, wind turbines began to be built in the rural part of the county east of U.S. Highway 77, a number expanded later in 2020. The turbines became an icon to the county's identity, with their being visible from northern Cameron County and eastern Hidalgo County. Power-line infrastructure was also improved in this period.

In recent years, the county has come under scrutiny for police deaths with two in custody deaths in two years.^[4] In 2023, the county paid $1,000,000.00 to the family of John Ray Zamora after Zamora died in custody according to attorney Israel G. Perez III.^[5][6][7][8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 784 sq mi (2,030 km²), of which 194 square miles (500 km²) (25%) are covered by water.^[9] The county borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Major highways

• Interstate 69E/U.S. Highway 77
• State Highway 186
• Farm to Market Road 498

Adjacent counties

• Kenedy County (north)
• Cameron County (south)
• Hidalgo County (west)

National protected areas

• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Padre Island National Seashore (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	10,499		—
1940	13,230		26.0%
1950	20,920		58.1%
1960	20,084		−4.0%
1970	15,570		−22.5%
1980	17,495		12.4%
1990	17,705		1.2%
2000	20,082		13.4%
2010	22,134		10.2%
2020	20,164		−8.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1850–2010[11] 2010[12] 2020[13]

Willacy 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[14]	Pop 2010[12]	Pop 2020[13]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	2,350	2,235	1,805	11.70%	10.10%	8.95%
Black or African American alone (NH)	401	389	445	2.00%	1.76%	2.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	24	22	47	0.12%	0.10%	0.23%
Asian alone (NH)	21	134	160	0.10%	0.61%	0.79%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	1	2	0.00%	0.00%	0.01%
Other Race alone (NH)	14	9	34	0.07%	0.04%	0.17%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	63	47	60	0.31%	0.21%	0.30%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	17,209	19,297	17,611	85.69%	87.18%	87.34%
Total	20,082	22,134	20,164	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2010 United States Census, 22,134 people, 5,764 households, and 4,607 families were living in the county. Of all households, 46.0% had children under 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder no wife, and 20.1% were not families. About 32.9% of all households contained an individual who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28, and the average family size was 3.73.

Of the population, 85.8% of residents were White (10.1% non-Hispanic white), 2.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 9.3% of some other race and 1.8% of two or more races. 87.2% of residents were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

In the county, the age distribution was 26.8% under 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,881, and for a family was $25,399. The per capita income for the county was $10,800. 39.4% of families and 43.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.5% of those under age 18 and 38.3% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income makes it among the poorest counties in the United States.^[15]

Education

School districts that serve Willacy County include:^[16]

• Lasara Independent School District
• Lyford Consolidated Independent School District
• Raymondville Independent School District
• San Perlita Independent School District

In addition, residents are allowed to apply for magnet schools operated by the South Texas Independent School District.^[17]

All of the county is in the service area of Texas Southmost College.^[18]

Media

• Raymondville Chronicle & Willacy County News – Official Site
• KFRQ 94.5FM – Official Site
• KKPS 99.5FM – Official Site Archived May 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
• KNVO 101.1FM – Official Site
• KVLY 107.9FM – Official Site

Prisons

Raymondville is the location of three private prisons, all adjacent to each other:^[19]

• the Willacy County Correctional Center (closed 2015)
• the Willacy County Regional Detention Center
• and Willacy County State Jail

Politics

Like most majority-Hispanic counties in the Rio Grande Valley, Willacy is a staunchly Democratic county. However, in recent years the county has voted increasingly more Republican, keeping up with the trend of other counties in the Rio Grande Valley.^[20] Republican candidate Donald Trump would win the county in the 2024 presidential election. The only other times the county voted for the Republican candidate were in 1972 with Richard Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower's victories in 1952 and 1956.

United States presidential election results for Willacy County, Texas^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,856	51.34%	2,673	48.05%	34	0.61%
2020	2,441	43.67%	3,108	55.60%	41	0.73%
2016	1,547	30.36%	3,422	67.16%	126	2.47%
2012	1,416	27.96%	3,600	71.09%	48	0.95%
2008	1,456	29.70%	3,409	69.53%	38	0.78%
2004	2,209	44.52%	2,734	55.10%	19	0.38%
2000	1,789	35.34%	3,218	63.57%	55	1.09%
1996	1,332	24.62%	3,789	70.02%	290	5.36%
1992	1,490	27.04%	3,359	60.96%	661	12.00%
1988	1,750	35.43%	3,165	64.07%	25	0.51%
1984	2,340	43.41%	3,037	56.33%	14	0.26%
1980	1,995	39.06%	3,047	59.65%	66	1.29%
1976	1,542	33.84%	2,984	65.48%	31	0.68%
1972	2,317	62.12%	1,384	37.10%	29	0.78%
1968	1,243	34.17%	1,930	53.05%	465	12.78%
1964	1,230	36.30%	2,152	63.52%	6	0.18%
1960	1,367	39.20%	2,109	60.48%	11	0.32%
1956	1,656	56.17%	1,261	42.77%	31	1.05%
1952	2,244	62.79%	1,324	37.05%	6	0.17%
1948	676	35.14%	1,139	59.20%	109	5.67%
1944	754	43.41%	846	48.70%	137	7.89%
1940	740	38.54%	1,173	61.09%	7	0.36%
1936	376	26.88%	1,002	71.62%	21	1.50%
1932	259	19.89%	1,042	80.03%	1	0.08%
1928	389	49.55%	396	50.45%	0	0.00%
1924	110	25.35%	307	70.74%	17	3.92%
1920	9	14.52%	53	85.48%	0	0.00%
1916	10	8.33%	110	91.67%	0	0.00%
1912	5	4.67%	102	95.33%	0	0.00%

United States Senate election results for Willacy County, Texas1^[22]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,365	43.67%	2,892	53.41%	158	2.92%

Communities

Cities

• Lyford
• Raymondville (county seat)
• San Perlita

Census-designated places

• Lasara
• Los Angeles
• Port Mansfield
• Ranchette Estates
• Santa Monica
• Sebastian
• Zapata Ranch

Unincorporated community

• Lyford South

See also

• Texas portal

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