Lamb County, Texas

Lamb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,045. Its county seat is Littlefield. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1908. It is named for George A. Lamb, who died in the Battle of San Jacinto.

Lamb County was the home of the Texas House Speaker Bill W. Clayton, who served from 1975 until 1983. It is also the birthplace of country music singer Waylon Jennings.

History Lamb County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar County. It was named after George A. Lamb, a soldier in the Battle of San Jacinto.

In the 1960s, the water table began to decline. From the 1980s until 2023, the population declined by about 33%. Between circa 2013 and 2023, the population declined by about 8%. - Alternate link at Yahoo! News

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamb County had an almost 1/100 death rate as of March 2023. As of that month, Lamb County, among American counties with 2,500 or more residents, had the eighth highest COVID-19 death rate.

By 2023, there was water scarcity among farms, and many younger people moved to other counties for jobs.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.2%) are covered by water.

Major Highways

U.S. Highway 70 U.S. Highway 84 U.S. Highway 385 Texas State Highway Loop 385 Texas State Highway Loop 430

Adjacent Counties

Castro County (north) Hale County (east) Lubbock County (southeast) Hockley County (south) Cochran County (southwest) Bailey County (west) Parmer County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 13,045. The median age was 38.0 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 56.5% White, 3.5% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 15.9% from some other race, and 23.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 57.1% of the population.

43.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 56.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,864 households in the county, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.3% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,882 housing units, of which 17.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.9% were owner-occupied and 28.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%.

Racial and ethnic composition

+Lamb County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)7,5536,0204,98151.35%43.07%38.18%Black or African American alone (NH)6155553924.18%3.97%3.00%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4339150.29%0.28%0.11%Asian alone (NH)91740.06%0.12%0.03%Pacific Islander alone (NH)3450.02%0.03%0.04%Other race alone (NH)316240.02%0.11%0.18%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)90951750.61%0.68%1.34%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6,3937,2317,44943.46%51.73%57.10%Total14,70913,97713,045100.00%100.00%100.00%

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 14,709 people, 5,360 households, and 3,991 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 6,294 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 76.1% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. About 43.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,360 households, 35.4% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were not families. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county, the population was distributed as 29.6% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,898, and for a family was $31,833. Males had a median income of $36,434 versus $30,342 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,169. About 18.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over. Transportation

Major highways U.S. Highway 70 U.S. Highway 84 U.S. Highway 385

Airports Littlefield Municipal Airport is located in Lamb County, west of the central business district of Littlefield, Texas.

Communities Cities Amherst Earth Littlefield (county seat) Olton Sudan

Town Springlake

Census-designated place Spade

Unincorporated community Fieldton

Education School districts serving the county include: - Text list

Amherst Independent School District Anton Independent School District Littlefield Independent School District Muleshoe Independent School District Olton Independent School District Springlake-Earth Independent School District Sudan Independent School District Whiteface Consolidated Independent School District

The county is in the service area of South Plains College.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.

Media , there is one newspaper, Lamb County Leader-News, with three employees. An additional employee had died of COVID-19 in 2022, and the newspaper did not hire another individual.

The Olton Enterprise, another newspaper, stopped publication in 2021.

In 2023, Alejandro de la Garza wrote, in regards to the media landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic as the pandemic had caused damage to local media outlets, "for many residents, their Facebook feeds took the place of local media."

Gallery

Politics Lamb County is located within District 88 of the Texas House of Representatives. Lamb County is located within District 28 of the Texas Senate.

In the 2020 U.S. presidential election, about 80% of the county's residents selected Donald Trump.

Healthcare In August 22, 43% of the county's residents had completed at least one COVID-19 vaccination series.

Lamb County, Texas

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