# Gaines County, Texas

Gaines County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,598. The county seat is Seminole.

## History

The county is named for James Gaines, a merchant who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was born in Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1779. During the 19th century, the land had been occupied solely by Comanche and Mexican Comancheros, traders who had a thriving business with the Plains Indians. In October 1875, Lt. Bullis, who commanded the 24th Infantry Regiment, encountered a large group of Indians at Cedar Lake. Lt. Bullis captured them for food, supplies, utensils, and buffalo hides. Then, Col. Shafter established a camp at Cedar Lake and continued to scout the area as far south as the Pecos River. That November, he came across a draw, where he discovered more than 70 wells reaching levels 4 to 15 feet deep. This area became a regular place to trade goods.
In 1887, the northern part of the county was occupied by the Mallet Ranch. The foreman, Dave Ernest, sold the ranch to a merchant from San Antonio, who used the land for driving cattle towards Kansas. On October 24, 1905, Gaines County became an organized county in Texas. Land donated by nonresident landowners became the town of Seminole, Texas, the county seat. In 1912, a small post office opened up east of Seminole that would later become Loop, Texas, named after a local ranch brand. In 1917, the Santa Fe Railroad came through Blythe, Texas, but that name was changed to Seagraves after the company discovered they already had a town by the same name located on the line.
A large population addition to Gaines County came in 1977 when a group of Mennonites arrived to start farming and ranching. In 2005, Gaines County became the number-one oil-producing, cotton-producing, and peanut-producing county in Texas.
In early 2025, an outbreak of measles was reported. By mid-March, the total number of cases rose to 259, spreading across 10 additional counties, and one death was reported. This was the highest number of cases in Texas in the last 30 years, and the death was the first measles death in the US since 2015. The outbreak has been linked to outbreaks in New Mexico and Oklahoma. The vaccination exemption rate in Gaines County is among the highest in the state, with nearly 1 in 5 incoming kindergartners in the 2023–2024 class not having received the MMR vaccine.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,503 square miles (3,890 km$^2$), of which 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km$^2$) (0.03%) is covered by water.

### Major highways

* U.S. Highway 62
* U.S. Highway 180
* U.S. Highway 385
* State Highway 83
* State Highway 115
* State Highway 214

### Adjacent counties

* Yoakum County (north)
* Terry County (north)
* Dawson County (east)
* Martin County (southeast)
* Andrews County (south)
* Lea County, New Mexico (west)

## Demographics

Gaines 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) | 8,803 | 10,628 | 12,554 | 60.85% | 60.64% | 58.13% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 304 | 261 | 241 | 2.10% | 1.49% | 1.12% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 37 | 46 | 42 | 0.26% | 0.26% | 0.19% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 22 | 37 | 72 | 0.15% | 0.21% | 0.33% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 7 | 17 | 46 | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.21% |
| Mixed race or multiracial (NH) | 119 | 124 | 239 | 0.82% | 0.71% | 1.11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,175 | 6,413 | 8,401 | 35.77% | 36.59% | 38.90% |
| Total | 14,467 | 17,526 | 21,598 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,598 people, 5,812 households, and 4,545 families residing in the county.
As of the census of 2000, 14,467 people, 4,681 households, and 3,754 families were residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (3.9 people/km$^2$). The 5,410 housing units had an average density of 4 units per square mile (1.5/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 80.28% White, 2.28% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 14.17% from other races, and 2.35% from two or more races. About 35.77% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 4,681 households, 45.3% had children under 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.8% were not families. About 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.53.
In the county, the age distribution was 35.0% under 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,432, and for a family was $34,046. Males had a median income of $29,580 versus $16,996 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,088. About 17.30% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.2% of those under 18 and 15.7% of those 65 or over.

## Media

The county is served by a twice-a-week newspaper publication, the Seminole Sentinel, as well as local radio stations KIKZ (AM) and KSEM-FM.

## Communities
### Cities

* Seagraves
* Seminole (county seat)

### Town

* Denver City (mostly in Yoakum County)

### Census-designated place

* Loop

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Gaines County, Texas :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 5,840 | 91.02% | 538 | 8.39% | 38 | 0.59% |
| 2020 | 5,355 | 89.31% | 576 | 9.61% | 65 | 1.08% |
| 2016 | 3,907 | 84.57% | 597 | 12.92% | 116 | 2.51% |
| 2012 | 3,484 | 85.69% | 535 | 13.16% | 47 | 1.16% |
| 2008 | 3,385 | 83.23% | 650 | 15.98% | 32 | 0.79% |
| 2004 | 3,540 | 85.01% | 608 | 14.60% | 16 | 0.38% |
| 2000 | 2,691 | 77.80% | 723 | 20.90% | 45 | 1.30% |
| 1996 | 1,812 | 56.73% | 1,012 | 31.68% | 370 | 11.58% |
| 1992 | 2,138 | 54.36% | 1,095 | 27.84% | 700 | 17.80% |
| 1988 | 2,265 | 62.81% | 1,310 | 36.33% | 31 | 0.86% |
| 1984 | 2,714 | 76.82% | 797 | 22.56% | 22 | 0.62% |
| 1980 | 2,390 | 65.37% | 1,182 | 32.33% | 84 | 2.30% |
| 1976 | 1,643 | 46.36% | 1,880 | 53.05% | 21 | 0.59% |
| 1972 | 1,923 | 73.26% | 669 | 25.49% | 33 | 1.26% |
| 1968 | 1,401 | 39.68% | 1,087 | 30.78% | 1,043 | 29.54% |
| 1964 | 1,153 | 36.02% | 2,045 | 63.89% | 3 | 0.09% |
| 1960 | 1,520 | 49.98% | 1,498 | 49.26% | 23 | 0.76% |
| 1956 | 1,244 | 44.76% | 1,527 | 54.95% | 8 | 0.29% |
| 1952 | 1,350 | 46.47% | 1,540 | 53.01% | 15 | 0.52% |
| 1948 | 207 | 11.54% | 1,465 | 81.66% | 122 | 6.80% |
| 1944 | 173 | 11.76% | 1,173 | 79.74% | 125 | 8.50% |
| 1940 | 197 | 11.53% | 1,509 | 88.30% | 3 | 0.18% |
| 1936 | 42 | 5.79% | 680 | 93.66% | 4 | 0.55% |
| 1932 | 44 | 7.83% | 510 | 90.75% | 8 | 1.42% |
| 1928 | 312 | 69.03% | 140 | 30.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 37 | 8.39% | 342 | 77.55% | 62 | 14.06% |
| 1920 | 9 | 6.29% | 134 | 93.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 0 | 0.00% | 80 | 95.24% | 4 | 4.76% |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 68 | 95.77% | 3 | 4.23% |

## Education

School districts serving Gaines County include:
* Loop Independent School District
* Seagraves Independent School District
* Seminole Independent School District
* Wellman-Union Consolidated Independent School District
Most of Gaines County is assigned to South Plains College's service area. The portion of the county in Seminole ISD is assigned to the Odessa College service area.

## Notable people

* Larry Gatlin, country music singer
* Tanya Tucker, country music singer