All 254 Texas Counties
A complete, editorially-maintained directory of every Texas county, sortable by region and searchable by name or county seat.
More than any other U.S. state.
Panhandle, North, East, Central, West, South, Gulf Coast, Big Bend.
Public-domain boundaries · 2025 county population estimates.
254 counties
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About the 254 Texas counties
Texas has 254 counties, more than any U.S. state — a legacy of its origins as an independent republic and the rapid 19th-century expansion that followed annexation in 1845. The earliest Texas counties were organized in 1836 from existing Mexican municipios, and new counties were carved out steadily as settlement pushed west and south. The last county to be organized, Kenedy County in deep South Texas, was created in 1921.
Counties range dramatically in scale. Brewster County in the Big Bend covers roughly 6,193 square miles — larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island combined — while Rockwall County, just east of Dallas, is the smallest at about 149 square miles. Population is even more uneven: Harris County (Houston) is home to an estimated 5,045,026 residents, whereas Loving County in West Texas has an estimated 52, making it the least-populous county in the entire United States.
Every county is governed by a commissioners court — a five-member body of one county judge and four precinct commissioners — and is anchored by a county seat with a courthouse that handles records, courts, and elections. Use the directory above to jump into any county's profile, or browse the regions of Texas, the largest counties by area, or the complete population guide.
Why Texas has 254 counties
No other state comes close. Georgia, in second place, has 159. Texas started with 23 counties when it became an independent republic in 1836, inherited from the Mexican municipalities that came before. As settlement moved west through the 1800s, the legislature kept carving new counties out of old ones. The most recent, Kenedy County, was created in 1921.
A common explanation for the small size of most counties is travel time. A county seat had to be close enough for residents to reach the courthouse, conduct business and return home, at a time when that meant horseback or wagon. That is why central and eastern Texas look like a patchwork of small, often square counties, while counties in the far west, where few people lived, cover thousands of square miles.
How to use this list
- Search by county or county seat to jump straight to a profile.
- Filter by region to see every county in one part of the state.
- Open a county for its map, seat, population, history, neighbors, and two free PDF downloads: a Census boundary map and the official TxDOT county road map.
Texas counties by the numbers
- Total population of all 254 counties: 31,709,821 (2025 estimate), up +8.8% since the 2020 Census base.
- Median county population: 18,916. Half of all counties are smaller than that.
- 91 counties have fewer than 10,000 residents.
- 7 counties have more than 1 million residents: Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton.
- The five most populous counties together hold 13,504,647 people, about 42.6% of the state.
- 82 counties lost population between 2020 and 2025. Almost all are small rural counties, and West Texas has the most of them.
Counties by region
This site groups counties into 8 regions to make them easier to browse. Each region page has a map, a full county list and regional statistics.
| Region | Counties | Population (2025) | Most populous county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bend | 4 | 63,428 | Val Verde |
| Central Texas | 76 | 6,157,232 | Travis |
| East Texas | 44 | 2,859,145 | Montgomery |
| Gulf Coast | 7 | 7,159,882 | Harris |
| North Texas | 36 | 9,088,115 | Dallas |
| Panhandle | 10 | 56,961 | Gray |
| South Texas | 26 | 4,100,117 | Bexar |
| West Texas | 51 | 2,224,941 | El Paso |
What a county does in Texas
Counties are an arm of state government. They run courts and jails, keep property and vital records, maintain county roads, conduct elections and collect property taxes. Cities handle most local services inside their limits, so county government matters most to people living in unincorporated areas, where the county and its sheriff are the main local government.
Each county is led by a commissioners court: a county judge elected countywide plus four commissioners elected from precincts. The county judge presides over the court and, in smaller counties, also hears some cases. See our county seats guide for where these offices are located.
More questions about Texas counties
Why does Texas have so many counties?+
Texas has 254 counties, more than any other state. Most were created in the late 1800s, when the legislature drew relatively small counties so residents could reach the courthouse without an overnight trip. Big, sparsely settled counties were drawn in the far west, where there were few people to serve.
What is the newest county in Texas?+
Kenedy County, established in 1921, is the most recently created Texas county. No new counties have been created since.
What is the most populous Texas county?+
Harris County, home to Houston, with an estimated 5,045,026 residents in 2025.
Which Texas county has the fewest people?+
Loving County, with an estimated 52 residents in 2025. It is the least populous county in the contiguous United States.
Which is the largest Texas county by area?+
Brewster County in the Big Bend, at about 6,193 square miles.
Who runs a Texas county?+
Each county is governed by a commissioners court made up of a county judge, elected countywide, and four commissioners, each elected from a precinct. Other elected officials include the sheriff, county clerk, district clerk, tax assessor-collector and county attorney or district attorney.
Written and reviewed by Colton Boudreau, editor of Texas County Map (Austin, Texas). Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files and U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates (July 1, 2025). Found an error? Tell us.