Lamb County, Texas

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%.

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 1018 sqmi, of which 1.5 sqmi (0.2%) are covered by water.

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010 2020

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

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 14 /mi2. The 6,294 housing units averaged 6 /mi2. 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

• [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 70
• [[Image:US 84.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 84
• [[Image:US 385.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 385

Airports

Littlefield Municipal Airport is located in Lamb County, 3 nmi 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:

• 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.

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

World's tallest windmill, Littlefield, TX IMG 4779.JPG|Littlefield claims the world's tallest windmill. Lamb County Library, Littlefield, TX IMG 4772.JPG|Lamb County Library in downtown Littlefield across from the First Baptist Church Lamb County, TX Leader News IMG 4783.JPG|Lamb County Leader-News in Littlefield Lamb County Veterans Memorial Texas.jpg|Lamb County Veterans Memorial Littlefield grain elevator, Littlefield, TX IMG 4765.JPG|Littlefield Farmers Co-op grain elevator

Politics

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.

References

References

1. "Lamb County, Texas".
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (2008). "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
4. Garza, Alejandro de la. (March 15, 2023). "In This Texas County, There's No Such Thing as Moving on From COVID-19".
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". [[US Census Bureau]].
7. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010". Texas Almanac.
8. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
9. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
10. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
11. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Lamb County, Texas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
12. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lamb County, Texas".
13. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lamb County, Texas".
14. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lamb County, TX". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
16. [https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]
17. (July 30, 2021). "Olton Enterprise ceased publication with June 25 edition". [[Texas Press Association]].
18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
19. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".