Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167.^[1][2] Its seat is Bellville.^[3] The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s.^[4]

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Austin County
County
The Austin County Courthouse in Bellville
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Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°53′N 96°17′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1837
Named for	Stephen F. Austin
Seat	Bellville
Largest city	Sealy
Area
• Total	656 sq mi (1,700 km2)
• Land	647 sq mi (1,680 km2)
• Water	9.9 sq mi (26 km2)  1.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,167
• Density	46/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	10th
Website	www.austincounty.com

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Austin County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Austin County does not contain the city of Austin, the state capital of Texas, which lies in Travis County, about 110 miles to the northwest.

In 1836, the Texas Legislature established Austin County, naming it for Stephen F. Austin, who facilitated Texas' Anglo-American colonization.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 656 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 647 square miles (1,680 km²) is land and 9.9 square miles (26 km²) (1.5%) is covered by water.^[5]

As of the census^[10] of 2000, 23,590 people, 8,747 households, and 6,481 families resided in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km²). The 10,205 housing units averaged 16 units per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.22% White, 10.64% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 6.99% from other races, and 1.58% from two or more races. About 16.13% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 26.9% were of German, 8.0% Czech, 6.4% English, and 5.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

Of the 8,747 households, 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were not families; 22.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was distributed as 27.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,615, and for a family was $46,342. Males had a median income of $32,455 versus $22,142 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,140. About 8.80% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.70% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Austin County was one of the earliest counties in Texas to turn Republican. After 1944, the only time a Democrat has carried this county is in 1964. Every Republican presidential candidate since 2000 has carried more than 70% of the county vote.

The following school districts serve Austin County:

• Bellville Independent School District
• Brazos Independent School District (partial) (Formerly Wallis-Orchard ISD)
• Brenham Independent School District (partial)
• Columbus Independent School District (partial)
• Sealy Independent School District
• Burton Independent School District

(partial)

Blinn Junior College District is the designated community college for most of the county. Areas in Brazos ISD are in Wharton County Junior College District.^[12]

• Adelsverein
• List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Austin County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Austin County