San Jacinto County, Texas

San Jacinto County (/ˌsæn dʒəˈsɪntoʊ/ SAN jə-SIN-toh) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 27,402.^[1] Its county seat is Coldspring.^[2] The county's name comes from the Battle of San Jacinto which secured Texas' independence from Mexico and established a republic in 1836.

San Jacinto County Courthouse, located in Coldspring

Old San Jacinto County Jail

San Jacinto County
County
The San Jacinto County Courthouse in Coldspring
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°35′N 95°10′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1870
Named after	Battle of San Jacinto
Seat	Coldspring
Largest city	Shepherd
Area
• Total	628 sq mi (1,630 km2)
• Land	569 sq mi (1,470 km2)
• Water	59 sq mi (150 km2)  9.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,402
• Density	44/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.co.san-jacinto.tx.us

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 628 square miles (1,630 km²), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km²) are land and 59 square miles (150 km²) (9.3%) are covered by water.^[3]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 59
  • Interstate 69 is currently under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
• U.S. Highway 190
• State Highway 150
• State Highway 156

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through San Jacinto County.^[4]

Adjacent counties

• Trinity County (north)
• Polk County (east)
• Liberty County (southeast)
• Montgomery County (southwest)
• Walker County (west)

National protected area

• Sam Houston National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	6,186		—
1890	7,360		19.0%
1900	10,277		39.6%
1910	9,542		−7.2%
1920	9,867		3.4%
1930	9,711		−1.6%
1940	9,056		−6.7%
1950	7,172		−20.8%
1960	6,153		−14.2%
1970	6,702		8.9%
1980	11,434		70.6%
1990	16,372		43.2%
2000	22,246		35.9%
2010	26,384		18.6%
2020	27,402		3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1850–2010[6] 2010[7] 2020[8]

San Jacinto 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[9]	Pop 2010[7]	Pop 2020[8]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	17,972	20,204	19,170	80.79%	76.58%	69.96%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,796	2,662	2,083	12.57%	10.09%	7.60%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	81	120	123	0.36%	0.45%	0.45%
Asian alone (NH)	63	120	86	0.28%	0.45%	0.31%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	15	9	15	0.07%	0.03%	0.05%
Other Race alone (NH)	11	12	74	0.05%	0.05%	0.27%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	224	377	1,029	1.01%	1.43%	3.76%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,084	2,880	4,882	4.87%	10.92%	17.60%
Total	22,246	26,384	27,402	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 22,246 people, 8,651 households, and 6,401 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile (15 people/km²). There were 11,520 housing units at an average density of 20 units per square mile (7.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.64% White, 12.64% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 4.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,651 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 26.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,220, and the median income for a family was $37,781. Males had a median income of $34,614 versus $22,313 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,144. About 15.10% of families and 18.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.80% of those under age 18 and 17.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

United States Congress

Senators		Name	Party	First Elected	Level
	Senate Class 1	Ted Cruz	Republican	2012	Junior Senator
	Senate Class 2	John Cornyn	Republican	2002	Senior Senator
Representatives		Name	Party	First Elected	Area(s) of San Jacinto County Represented
	District 8	Morgan Luttrell	Republican	2023	Entire county

United States presidential election results for San Jacinto County, Texas^[11]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	10,524	82.18%	2,175	16.98%	107	0.84%
2020	10,161	80.39%	2,337	18.49%	142	1.12%
2016	8,059	77.92%	2,038	19.70%	246	2.38%
2012	7,107	73.91%	2,410	25.06%	99	1.03%
2008	6,151	68.66%	2,721	30.38%	86	0.96%
2004	5,394	66.39%	2,688	33.08%	43	0.53%
2000	4,623	59.93%	2,946	38.19%	145	1.88%
1996	2,878	44.38%	2,771	42.73%	836	12.89%
1992	2,494	35.57%	2,846	40.59%	1,671	23.83%
1988	2,691	47.31%	2,972	52.25%	25	0.44%
1984	3,174	56.09%	2,466	43.58%	19	0.34%
1980	1,726	41.16%	2,376	56.67%	91	2.17%
1976	1,094	31.00%	2,406	68.18%	29	0.82%
1972	1,296	55.81%	1,020	43.93%	6	0.26%
1968	381	16.50%	1,235	53.49%	693	30.01%
1964	343	16.93%	1,680	82.92%	3	0.15%
1960	448	28.54%	1,115	71.02%	7	0.45%
1956	565	42.51%	755	56.81%	9	0.68%
1952	494	32.06%	1,043	67.68%	4	0.26%
1948	106	13.70%	509	65.76%	159	20.54%
1944	53	7.36%	522	72.50%	145	20.14%
1940	119	13.46%	764	86.43%	1	0.11%
1936	67	10.62%	564	89.38%	0	0.00%
1932	16	1.89%	828	97.64%	4	0.47%
1928	296	37.00%	503	62.88%	1	0.13%
1924	104	14.86%	585	83.57%	11	1.57%
1920	7	1.01%	320	46.31%	364	52.68%
1916	255	36.48%	442	63.23%	2	0.29%
1912	196	30.39%	377	58.45%	72	11.16%

United States Senate election results for San Jacinto County, Texas1^[12]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	10,118	79.61%	2,338	18.39%	254	2.00%

Texas Legislature

Texas Senate

District 3: Robert Nichols (R) – first elected in 2006.

Texas House of Representatives

District 18: Ernest Bailes (R) – first elected in 2016

Education

School districts include

• Coldspring-Oakhurst Consolidated Independent School District
• Shepherd Independent School District
• Cleveland Independent School District (partial)
• Willis Independent School District (partial)

Areas of San Jacinto County in Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD and Shepherd ISD are assigned to Angelina College. Areas in Cleveland ISD and Willis ISD are assigned to Lone Star College.^[13]

Communities

Cities

• Cleveland (mostly in Liberty County)
• Coldspring (county seat)
• Point Blank
• Shepherd

Census-designated places

• Cape Royale
• Oakhurst

See also

• Texas portal

• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
• National Register of Historic Places listings in San Jacinto County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in San Jacinto County
• Pine Island (Lake Livingston)