Cooke County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cooke County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 84% of counties in Texas
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 73% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cooke County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,046 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 47.9 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.28% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.9 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,071 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cooke County grew by 12.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 43,046 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cooke County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.4% of residents. That is 3.1 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,785 20.4% -3.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,201 19.1% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,553 19.9% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,385 19.5% +6.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.5% of the people living in Cooke County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.5% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cooke County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cooke County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Cooke County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,796 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.65% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cooke County is about 1% higher than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Cooke County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $216,949 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,047 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.8% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cooke County is about 17.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,047 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cooke County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cooke County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.8 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.6 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,369 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,860 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 764 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Cooke County is 21 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cooke County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cooke County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.0% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.59 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Cooke County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cooke County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.3 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.4% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.0% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Cooke County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Cooke County, TX is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 43,046 residents against a local median of 143,336. Where Cooke County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 30% below the local median of $308,887 at $216,949.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.8 min against a local median of 26.1 min, 20% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 20% below the local median it puts Cooke County, TX at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $218,134 on median home price, so Cooke County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cooke County, TX has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooke County, TX | 43,046 | $79,796 #2/4 | $216,949 #4/4 | 20.8 min #2/4 |
| Denton County, TX | 979,063 | $112,041 | $436,133 | 26.1 min |
| Montague County, TX | 21,046 | $64,187 | $218,000 | 30.0 min |
| Grayson County, TX | 143,336 | $72,206 | $308,887 | 20.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cooke County, Texas.
How big is Cooke County, Texas by population?
About 43,046 people live in Cooke County, Texas, in 15,071 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Cooke County, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Cooke County, Texas has 48 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 55% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cooke County, Texas?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($216,949 against $79,796), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,047 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Cooke County, Texas?
21.0% of adults in Cooke County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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