# Hardin County, Texas

Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 56,231. The county seat is Kountze. The county is named for the family of William Hardin from Liberty County, Texas.
Hardin County is part of the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX metropolitan statistical area.
National Archives and Records Administration 1860 US Federal Census - Slave identifies the Hart Family of Hardin County as one of the largest slaveholders in the area at the time. The same referenxe also identifies the Taylor family as slaveholders at that time.

## History

The county is named for the family of William Hardin (1801-1839), a settler, judge, and postmaster. The Hardin family cemetery is located north of Liberty.
The current Hardin County Courthouse was built in 1959. It is at least the third courthouse to serve Hardin County.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 898 square miles (2,330 km$^2$), of which 7.0 square miles (18 km$^2$) (0.8%) are covered by water.
Hardin County is located on the flat coastal plains of Southeast Texas, roughly 30 mi (48 km) north of the Gulf of Mexico. The county is largely covered by the dense forest of the Big Thicket. It is crossed by numerous small streams and creeks that drain the county into the Neches River, which forms the eastern boundary of the county.

### Major highways

* U.S. Highway 69/U.S. Highway 287
* U.S. Highway 96
* State Highway 105
* State Highway 326
* State Highway 327

### Adjacent counties

* Tyler County (northern)
* Jasper County (east)
* Orange County (southeast)
* Jefferson County (south)
* Liberty County (southwest)
* Polk County (northwest)
Its eastern boundaries with Jasper County and Orange County are formed by the Neches River. The southern boundary with Jefferson County is formed by Pine Island Bayou

### National protected area

* Big Thicket National Preserve (part)

## Communities
### Cities

* Kountze (county seat)
* Lumberton
* Rose Hill Acres
* Silsbee
* Sour Lake

### Census-designated places

* Pinewood Estates
* Wildwood (partly in Tyler County)

### Unincorporated communities

* Batson
* Honey Island
* Saratoga
* Thicket
* Village Mills
* Votaw

### Ghost town

* Bragg

## Demographics

Hardin County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 42,941 | 48,088 | 46,934 | 89.32% | 88.02% | 83.47% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,310 | 3,181 | 3,037 | 6.89% | 5.82% | 5.40% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 133 | 182 | 190 | 0.28% | 0.33% | 0.34% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 108 | 269 | 399 | 0.22% | 0.49% | 0.71% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 6 | 34 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.06% |
| Other Race alone (NH) | 20 | 19 | 149 | 0.04% | 0.03% | 0.26% |
| Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) | 334 | 506 | 2,071 | 0.69% | 0.93% | 3.68% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,223 | 2,384 | 3,417 | 2.54% | 4.36% | 6.08% |
| Total | 48,073 | 54,635 | 56,231 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2010 census, Hardin County had a population of 54,635. The ethnic and racial composition of the population was 88.0% non-Hispanic white, 5.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.3% from some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races.
As of the census of 2000, 48,073 people, 17,805 households, and 13,638 families resided in the county. The population density was 54 people/sq mi (21 people/km$^2$). The 19,836 housing units averaged 22 per square mile (8.5/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 90.86% White, 6.91% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. About 2.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 17,805 households, 37.2% had children under 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were not families; 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the age distribution was 27.8% under 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,612, and for a family was $42,890. Males had a median income of $35,881 versus $22,823 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,962. About 8.8% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

## Politics
### United States Congress

| Senators | Senators | Name | Party | First Elected | Level |
| | Senate Class 1 | John Cornyn | Republican | 2002 | Senior Senator |
| | Senate Class 2 | Ted Cruz | Republican | 2012 | Junior Senator |
| Representatives | Representatives | Name | Party | First Elected | Area(s) of Hardin County Represented |
| | District 36 | Brian Babin | Republican | New district created with 2010 census. First elected 2014. | Entire county |
United States presidential election results for Hardin County, Texas :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 24,691 | 87.69% | 3,347 | 11.89% | 119 | 0.42% |
| 2020 | 23,858 | 86.33% | 3,474 | 12.57% | 303 | 1.10% |
| 2016 | 19,606 | 86.07% | 2,780 | 12.20% | 394 | 1.73% |
| 2012 | 17,746 | 83.33% | 3,359 | 15.77% | 192 | 0.90% |
| 2008 | 16,603 | 80.20% | 3,939 | 19.03% | 160 | 0.77% |
| 2004 | 15,030 | 72.57% | 5,608 | 27.08% | 72 | 0.35% |
| 2000 | 11,962 | 67.07% | 5,595 | 31.37% | 279 | 1.56% |
| 1996 | 8,529 | 47.65% | 7,179 | 40.11% | 2,192 | 12.25% |
| 1992 | 5,885 | 35.04% | 6,753 | 40.21% | 4,155 | 24.74% |
| 1988 | 6,897 | 45.46% | 8,245 | 54.34% | 31 | 0.20% |
| 1984 | 8,380 | 55.11% | 6,782 | 44.60% | 44 | 0.29% |
| 1980 | 6,087 | 44.33% | 7,358 | 53.58% | 287 | 2.09% |
| 1976 | 4,046 | 37.86% | 6,558 | 61.36% | 84 | 0.79% |
| 1972 | 5,190 | 63.63% | 2,952 | 36.19% | 15 | 0.18% |
| 1968 | 1,986 | 22.41% | 2,894 | 32.66% | 3,982 | 44.93% |
| 1964 | 1,987 | 27.81% | 5,143 | 71.97% | 16 | 0.22% |
| 1960 | 2,115 | 32.79% | 4,315 | 66.89% | 21 | 0.33% |
| 1956 | 2,130 | 47.12% | 2,371 | 52.46% | 19 | 0.42% |
| 1952 | 1,653 | 32.53% | 3,423 | 67.36% | 6 | 0.12% |
| 1948 | 196 | 6.44% | 2,233 | 73.38% | 614 | 20.18% |
| 1944 | 243 | 7.77% | 2,632 | 84.20% | 251 | 8.03% |
| 1940 | 226 | 7.01% | 2,997 | 92.93% | 2 | 0.06% |
| 1936 | 119 | 4.82% | 2,351 | 95.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 161 | 5.47% | 2,783 | 94.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 951 | 47.96% | 1,032 | 52.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 645 | 28.31% | 1,516 | 66.55% | 117 | 5.14% |
| 1920 | 202 | 14.68% | 999 | 72.60% | 175 | 12.72% |
| 1916 | 158 | 10.30% | 1,279 | 83.38% | 97 | 6.32% |
| 1912 | 101 | 7.18% | 979 | 69.58% | 327 | 23.24% |