Bailey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in West Texas and its county seat is Muleshoe.^[1] As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,904.^[2][3]

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Bailey County
County
The Bailey County Courthouse in Muleshoe
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°04′N 102°50′W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1919
Named for	Peter James Bailey
Seat	Muleshoe
Largest city	Muleshoe
Area
• Total	827 sq mi (2,140 km2)
• Land	827 sq mi (2,140 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.08%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,904
• Density	8.3/sq mi (3.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	19th
Website	www.co.bailey.tx.us

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In 1876, the Texas Legislature established Bailey County from portions of Bexar County, naming it for Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo. (See List of Texas county name etymologies.) The county organized in 1919.^[4]

Bailey County history is highlighted in the Muleshoe Heritage Center located off U.S. Highways 70 and 64 in Muleshoe. The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge was founded in 1935 and is the oldest such refuge in Texas.

Bailey County once was one of 30 prohibition or entirely dry counties in Texas, but is now a wet county.^[5]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 827 sq mi (2,140 km²), of which 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²) (0.08%) is covered by water.^[6]

As of the 2010 United States census, 7,165 people lived in the county. About 75.3% were White, 1.4% Native American, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 19.6% of some other race, and 2.0% of two or more races; 59.8% were Hispanics or Latinos (of any race).

As of the census^[11] of 2000, 6,594 people, 2,348 households, and 1,777 families lived in the county. The population density was eight people per square mile (3.1 people/km²). The 2,738 housing units averaged three units per square mile (1.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.68% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 28.60% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races; 47.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,348 households, 37.1% had children under living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were not families. About 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.78, and the average family size was 3.28.

In the county, the age distribution was 30.3% under 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,901, and for a family was $32,898. Males had a median income of $25,150 versus $18,309 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,979. About 13.50% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Most of Bailey County is served by the Muleshoe Independent School District, which extends into neighboring counties. Farwell Independent School District and Sudan Independent School District, which are based in nearby counties, extend into Bailey County and serve small portions of it.^[12]

Three Way Independent School District formerly served a part of Bailey County.^[13] It closed in 2002, becoming a part of Sudan ISD.^[14]

The county is in the service area of South Plains College.^[15]

• Dry counties
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Bailey County