Lavaca County ( lə-VAH-kə) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,337. Its county seat is Hallettsville. The county was created in 1846. It is named for the Lavaca River, which curves its way southeast through Moulton and Hallettsville before reaching the coast at Matagorda Bay.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 970 square miles (2,500 km2), of which 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) (0.08%) is covered by water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 77
U.S. Highway 77 Alternate
U.S. Highway 90 Alternate
State Highway 95
State Highway 111
Adjacent counties
Fayette County (north)
Colorado County (northeast)
Jackson County (southeast)
Victoria County (south)
DeWitt County (southwest)
Gonzales County (northwest)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 20,337 and a median age of 44.7 years; 22.9% of the residents were under 18 and 24.3% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males; for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.9 males 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 77.8% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 5.7% from some other race, and 9.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 19.4% of the population.
About 17.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 82.4% lived in rural areas.
Of the 8,191 households in the county, 29.6% had children under 18 living in them, 53.1% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The county had 10,456 housing units, of which 21.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.9% were owner-occupied and 23.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 19,210 people, 7,669 households, and 5,391 families were residing in the county.
The population density was 20 people per square mile (7.7 people/km2). The 9,657 housing units had an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 86.86% White, 6.79% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 4.86% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. About 11.36% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of descent, 27.0% were of Czech, 24.1% German, 9.1% American, and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000; 86.3% spoke English, 7.7% Spanish, 4.6% Czech and 1.2% German as their first language.
In terms of ancestry in 2016, 32.8% were of German, 30.7% were of Czech, 10.8% were of Irish, 5.4% were of English, 3.4% were of American, and 2.2% were French.
Of the 7,669 households, 30.0% had children under 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were not families. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.2% under 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household was $29,132 and for a family was $36,760. Males had a median income of $26,988 versus $17,537 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,398. About 10.2% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under 18 and 18.4% of those 65 or over.
Education
These K-12 school public school districts are located in Lavaca County:
Ezzell Independent School District
Hallettsville Independent School District (includes portions it covers for K-12, and portions in Vysehrad ISD that it covers only for secondary school)
Moulton Independent School District
Shiner Independent School District
Sweet Home Independent School District
Weimar Independent School District
Yoakum Independent School District
Additionally, Vysehrad Independent School District is an elementary-only school district.
All of the county is in the service area of Victoria College.
Communities
Cities
Hallettsville (county seat)
Shiner
Yoakum (partly in DeWitt County)
Town
Moulton
Unincorporated communities
Breslau
Sweet Home
Speaks
Sublime
Politics
For all of its history, Lavaca County has had conservative roots and morals. It last voted for a Democrat in 1976 when Georgian Jimmy Carter was on the Democrat ticket. Each successive election since 1992, Lavaca County has continued to tilt more to the right.
All county level officials are Republicans.