Howard County, Texas Map

Reading the Howard County map

The outline on this map is Howard County's legal boundary as published in the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER/Line files. At 903 square miles, the county is roughly the size of a square 30 miles on each side — a typical size for a Texas county. Where the border is a ruler-straight line, it was set by survey; where it wiggles, it usually follows a river, creek or old land grant.

The red marker shows Big Spring, the county seat, and the highlighted shapes in the schematic view are the bordering counties. Use the layer switcher to change between street, satellite and terrain backgrounds: satellite is best for seeing farmland and development patterns, while terrain shows hills, valleys and river corridors.

What surrounds Howard County

Moving around the compass, Howard County borders Glasscock to the south; Martin to the west; Sterling to the southeast; Mitchell to the east; Borden to the north.

For travel planning, the nearest large cities are Midland (~43 mi), San Angelo (~83 mi), Lubbock (~91 mi). Distances are straight-line from the county's center; driving distances are usually 15–30% longer depending on the road network.

Landscape of the West Texas

West Texas is a land of long horizons: rolling plains, mesas and desert grassland where cotton farms, cattle ranches and the oilfields of the Permian Basin are the main sources of work. Distances between towns are measured in hours, not minutes.

How to use or print this map

To keep a copy, use the Download PDF button below the map: it saves a letter-size PDF of Howard County built from U.S. Census Bureau 2023 boundary files, showing neighboring counties and incorporated places. The Official TxDOT road map button downloads the Texas Department of Transportation county road mapbook. The Print map button opens a print-ready layout for paper printing. For a statewide view showing all 254 counties with their seats, use our free Texas map with counties and cities PDF.

Teachers often pair this map with the county's neighbors to practice cardinal directions, while genealogists use it to identify which neighboring courthouses may hold older records — many Texas counties were carved out of larger ones, and Howard County itself was formed from Bexar County.