Roberts County, Texas
County in Texas, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roberts County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 827,[1] making it the eighth-least populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Miami, which is also the county's only incorporated community.[2] The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889.[3] It is named for Oran Milo Roberts, a governor of Texas. Roberts County is one of three prohibition (entirely dry) counties remaining in Texas.[4]
Roberts County, Texas | |
|---|---|
Roberts County courthouse in Miami | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Texas | |
| Coordinates: 35°50′N 100°49′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Named after | John S. Roberts and Oran Milo Roberts |
| Seat | Miami |
| Largest city | Miami |
| Area | |
• Total | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| • Land | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km2) 0.01% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 827 |
• Estimate (2025) | 867  |
| • Density | 1/sq mi (0.39/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
| Website | www |
History
The Plains Apache inhabited the Texas Panhandle until they were displaced by the Comanche, who dominated the area until the 1870s. The Comanche hunted the large herds of buffalo, which grazed on the prairie. In the Red River War of 1874–75, United States Army troops led by Ranald S. Mackenzie drove out the Comanches. Simultaneously, buffalo hunters killed the large herds in the area, destroying the food supply and livelihood of the Plains tribes, making way for permanent settlement by Anglo-Americans.
In 1876, Roberts County was carved from the Bexar Territory and the Clay Land District.[5] In 1887, the Southern Kansas Railway was built through Roberts County, and settlers followed.
Roberts County is the scene of a recent battle for water rights, where the City of Amarillo, Texas, the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority, and T. Boone Pickens have sought to purchase the water rights within the county. Between the three, they own 80% of the water rights.[6]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 924 sq mi (2,390 km2), of which 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km2) (0.01%) is covered by water.[7]
The county is relatively flat except for the Canadian River valley. Most of the land is used for cattle ranching. The county contains the 68,000-acre (280 km2) Mesa Vista Ranch, which seeks to protect quail, dove, and pheasant habitat along the creek beds south of the Canadian River.[8]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Ochiltree County (north)
- Lipscomb County northeast)
- Hemphill County (east)
- Gray County (south)
- Carson County (southwest)
- Hutchinson County (west)
- Hansford County (northwest)
- Wheeler County (southeast)
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 32 | — | |
| 1890 | 326 | 918.8% | |
| 1900 | 620 | 90.2% | |
| 1910 | 950 | 53.2% | |
| 1920 | 1,469 | 54.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,457 | −0.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,289 | −11.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,031 | −20.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,075 | 4.3% | |
| 1970 | 967 | −10.0% | |
| 1980 | 1,187 | 22.8% | |
| 1990 | 1,025 | −13.6% | |
| 2000 | 887 | −13.5% | |
| 2010 | 929 | 4.7% | |
| 2020 | 827 | −11.0% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 867 | [9] | 4.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1850–1900[11] 1910[12] 1920[13] 1930[14] 1940[15] 1950[16] 1960[17] 1970[18] 1980[19] 1990[20] 2000[21] 2010[22] 2020[23] | |||
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[24] | Pop 2010[25] | Pop 2020[23] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 850 | 929 | 717 | 95.83% | 90.53% | 86.70% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0.34% | 0.00% | 0.24% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.00% | 0.32% | 0.24% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.11% | 0.22% | 0.00% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.12% |
| Multiracial (NH) | 5 | 9 | 55 | 0.56% | 0.97% | 6.65% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 28 | 74 | 50 | 3.16% | 7.97% | 6.05% |
| Total | 887 | 929 | 827 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 827. The median age was 41.5 years; 24.3% of residents were under 18 and 21.6% were 65 age or older. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.5 males 18 and over.[26]
The racial makeup of the county was 89.1% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, <0.1% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 8.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.0% of the population.[27]
About 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while almost all lived in rural areas.[28]
Of the 339 households in the county, 31.9% had children under 18 living in them, 58.1% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 16.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.[26]
The county had 430 housing units, of which 21.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.9% were owner-occupied and 17.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 33.7%.[26]
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 887 people, 362 households, and 275 families were residing in the county. The population density was less than 1/km2 (2.6/mi2). The 449 housing units averaged less than 1 per square mile (0.39/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.51% White, 0.34% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. About 3.16% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[29]
Of the 362 households, 31.8% had children under 18 living with them, 70.7% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were not families. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45, and the average family size was 2.88.
In the county, the age distribution was 25.0% under 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,792, and for a family was $50,400. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $23,611 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,923. About 5.00% of families and 7.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under 18 and 5.50% of those 65 or over.
Ancestry
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Roberts County, Texas are:[30]
- 23.7% English
- 18.4% German
- 15.2% Irish
- 8.8% American
- 2.0% Scots-Irish
- 1.0% Polish
- 1.0% Russian
- 0.9% Czech
- 0.9% Welsh
- 0.7% Dutch
- 0.5% French
Government and politics
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 16 | 6.75% | 183 | 77.22% | 38 | 16.03% |
| 1916 | 27 | 10.76% | 220 | 87.65% | 4 | 1.59% |
| 1920 | 60 | 25.10% | 173 | 72.38% | 6 | 2.51% |
| 1924 | 104 | 29.97% | 241 | 69.45% | 2 | 0.58% |
| 1928 | 243 | 70.03% | 104 | 29.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 36 | 7.33% | 451 | 91.85% | 4 | 0.81% |
| 1936 | 27 | 5.96% | 426 | 94.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 55 | 11.80% | 408 | 87.55% | 3 | 0.64% |
| 1944 | 89 | 21.29% | 289 | 69.14% | 40 | 9.57% |
| 1948 | 76 | 18.18% | 317 | 75.84% | 25 | 5.98% |
| 1952 | 379 | 80.64% | 91 | 19.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 279 | 69.92% | 118 | 29.57% | 2 | 0.50% |
| 1960 | 339 | 76.18% | 104 | 23.37% | 2 | 0.45% |
| 1964 | 297 | 60.00% | 198 | 40.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 311 | 60.51% | 90 | 17.51% | 113 | 21.98% |
| 1972 | 467 | 84.91% | 71 | 12.91% | 12 | 2.18% |
| 1976 | 350 | 62.28% | 202 | 35.94% | 10 | 1.78% |
| 1980 | 482 | 75.08% | 150 | 23.36% | 10 | 1.56% |
| 1984 | 539 | 83.57% | 106 | 16.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 441 | 75.90% | 135 | 23.24% | 5 | 0.86% |
| 1992 | 391 | 63.37% | 126 | 20.42% | 100 | 16.21% |
| 1996 | 421 | 72.09% | 122 | 20.89% | 41 | 7.02% |
| 2000 | 472 | 85.97% | 72 | 13.11% | 5 | 0.91% |
| 2004 | 461 | 90.93% | 46 | 9.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 477 | 92.08% | 41 | 7.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 468 | 92.13% | 33 | 6.50% | 7 | 1.38% |
| 2016 | 524 | 94.58% | 20 | 3.61% | 10 | 1.81% |
| 2020 | 529 | 96.18% | 17 | 3.09% | 4 | 0.73% |
| 2024 | 547 | 95.63% | 20 | 3.50% | 5 | 0.87% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 542 | 94.92% | 20 | 3.50% | 9 | 1.58% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 526 | 96.51% | 15 | 2.75% | 4 | 0.73% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 430 | 96.85% | 7 | 1.58% | 7 | 1.58% |
Roberts County was one of the earliest counties in Texas to begin supporting the Republican Party. The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election was Harry S. Truman in 1948, when he carried nearly 76% of its ballots. No Democrat has since exceeded the 40% of the vote that Texas native Lyndon B. Johnson won in the county in his 1964 national landslide. Jimmy Carter in 1976 was the last Democrat to win even 30% of the county's vote, Bill Clinton in 1996 to win 20%, Al Gore in 2000 to win 10%, and Barack Obama in 2012 to win 5%.
In recent years, Roberts County has become almost unanimously Republican. In 2008, 92% of voters voted for Republican John McCain versus only 7.92% for Democrat Barack Obama, making it one of the most Republican counties in the United States.[34] In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 94.58% of the vote,[35] the largest margin in a county for a Republican in the U.S. that election.[36][37][38] Roberts was again Trump's strongest county in 2020, and he won it by an even stronger margin: 96.2%.
The county is governed by an elected county judge and four commissioners (each elected by a precinct within the county).[39]
Roberts County is located within District 88 of the Texas House of Representatives. Roberts County is located within District 31 of the Texas Senate.
Communities
Education
School districts include Miami Independent School District and Pampa Independent School District.[40]
Roberts County is in the service area of Frank Phillips College (known in legislation as Borger Junior College).[41]
