Wheeler County, Texas

Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,990.^[1] Its county seat is Wheeler.^[2] The county was formed in 1876 and organized in 1879.^[3] It is named for Royall Tyler Wheeler, a chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Wheeler County
County
Wheeler County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°24′N 100°16′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1879
Named after	Royall T. Wheeler
Seat	Wheeler
Largest city	Shamrock
Area
• Total	915 sq mi (2,370 km2)
• Land	915 sq mi (2,370 km2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (3 km2)  0.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,990
• Density	5.5/sq mi (2.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	13th
Website	www.co.wheeler.tx.us

Wheeler County Veterans Memorial

John 14:6 sign along U.S. Route 66 in Wheeler County

Wheeler County was formerly one of 30 entirely dry counties in the state of Texas.^[4] However, circa 2010, the community of Shamrock, located in Wheeler County at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 83, voted to allow liquor sales. Within the city limits of Shamrock is the only place to purchase liquor in Wheeler County.

The Pioneer West Museum, the Wheeler County historical museum, is located in Shamrock off U.S. Highway 83.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 915 square miles (2,370 km²), of which 915 square miles (2,370 km²) are land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.1%) is covered by water.^[5]

Major highways

• I-40
• US 83
• SH 152

Adjacent counties

• Hemphill County (north)
• Roger Mills County, Oklahoma (northeast)
• Beckham County, Oklahoma (east)
• Collingsworth County (south)
• Gray County (west)
• Donley County (southwest)
• Roberts County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	512		—
1890	778		52.0%
1900	636		−18.3%
1910	5,258		726.7%
1920	7,397		40.7%
1930	15,555		110.3%
1940	12,411		−20.2%
1950	10,317		−16.9%
1960	7,947		−23.0%
1970	6,434		−19.0%
1980	7,137		10.9%
1990	5,879		−17.6%
2000	5,284		−10.1%
2010	5,410		2.4%
2020	4,990		−7.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1850–1900[7] 1910[8] 1920[9] 1930[10] 1940[11] 1950[12] 1960[13] 1970[14] 1980[15] 1990[16] 2000[17] 2010[18] 2020[19]

Wheeler 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[21]	Pop 2020[19]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	4,386	3,847	3,469	83.01%	71.11%	69.52%
Black or African American alone (NH)	137	112	81	2.59%	2.07%	1.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	29	20	33	0.55%	0.37%	0.66%
Asian alone (NH)	29	23	24	0.55%	0.43%	0.48%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	4	0	2	0.08%	0.00%	0.04%
Other race alone (NH)	0	3	12	0.00%	0.06%	0.24%
Mixed or multiracial (NH)	35	61	142	0.66%	1.13%	2.85%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	664	1,344	1,227	12.57%	24.84%	24.59%
Total	5,284	5,410	4,990	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census^[22] of 2000, 5,284 people, 2,152 households, and 1,487 families resided in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (2.3 people/km²). The 2,687 housing units had an average density of 3 units per square mile (1.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.83% White, 2.78% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.64% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. About 12.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,152 households, 29.6% had children under 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were not families. About 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the age distribution was 24.9% under 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 22.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,029, and for a family was $36,989. Males had a median income of $26,790 versus $19,091 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,083. About 11.6% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under 18 and 16.8% of those 65 or over.

Politics

Wheeler County is located in Texas House of Representatives District 88. The county was previously in District 68 from 2013 to 2023. Republican Ken King, a businessman from Canadian in Hemphill County, has represented Wheeler County in the Texas House of Representatives since the redistricting.^[23][24]

The representative from 1971 to 1979 was the Democrat Phil Cates, later a lobbyist in Austin.^[25]

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,093	92.04%	169	7.43%	12	0.53%
2020	2,159	92.38%	168	7.19%	10	0.43%
2016	2,087	90.50%	194	8.41%	25	1.08%
2012	1,878	88.25%	232	10.90%	18	0.85%
2008	1,918	85.43%	314	13.99%	13	0.58%
2004	1,960	81.87%	420	17.54%	14	0.58%
2000	1,787	74.80%	579	24.24%	23	0.96%
1996	1,355	59.20%	750	32.77%	184	8.04%
1992	1,458	52.69%	938	33.90%	371	13.41%
1988	1,703	61.33%	1,067	38.42%	7	0.25%
1984	2,251	73.51%	805	26.29%	6	0.20%
1980	1,626	59.28%	1,090	39.74%	27	0.98%
1976	1,273	44.08%	1,598	55.33%	17	0.59%
1972	1,766	77.87%	502	22.13%	0	0.00%
1968	1,176	45.97%	812	31.74%	570	22.28%
1964	1,138	44.11%	1,440	55.81%	2	0.08%
1960	1,428	58.43%	1,011	41.37%	5	0.20%
1956	1,178	48.22%	1,252	51.25%	13	0.53%
1952	1,645	51.37%	1,551	48.44%	6	0.19%
1948	370	15.04%	2,010	81.71%	80	3.25%
1944	511	19.54%	1,869	71.47%	235	8.99%
1940	517	16.55%	2,600	83.23%	7	0.22%
1936	277	10.24%	2,415	89.31%	12	0.44%
1932	165	6.75%	2,263	92.56%	17	0.70%
1928	1,038	57.86%	750	41.81%	6	0.33%
1924	197	17.12%	908	78.89%	46	4.00%
1920	198	26.33%	516	68.62%	38	5.05%
1916	56	8.00%	554	79.14%	90	12.86%
1912	35	6.31%	402	72.43%	118	21.26%

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,025	89.88%	192	8.52%	36	1.60%

Communities

Cities

• Mobeetie
• Shamrock
• Wheeler (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Allison

Other unincorporated communities

• Benonine
• Briscoe
• Kelton
• Twitty

See also

• Texas portal

• List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wheeler County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Wheeler County