Karnes County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Karnes 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 81% of counties in Texas
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 79% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Karnes County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,968 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 19.9 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.01% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.8 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,730 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Karnes County declined by 0.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,968 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Karnes County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 26.0% of residents. That is 3.0 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,490 23.3% -0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,885 26.0% +3.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,883 19.3% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,090 14.0% +0.7 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 39.8% of the people living in Karnes County and men 60.2%.
- Women 39.8% Texas 50.1%
- Men 60.2% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Karnes County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Karnes County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Karnes County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,412 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.68% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Karnes County is about 23% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Karnes County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $159,198 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $957 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.4% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Karnes County is about 13.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $957 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Karnes County spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 137 hours, about 5.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Karnes County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.5 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.9 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 137 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,254 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.6% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,489 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 336 | 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 Karnes County is 16 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
Karnes County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Karnes County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.5% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.45 | 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
Karnes County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Karnes County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.8% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.2% | 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).
Karnes County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Karnes County, TX is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 14,968 residents against a local median of 31,083. Nothing separates Karnes County, TX sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 10% above the local median at $159,198 against $144,642. Karnes County, TX has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karnes County, TX | 14,968 | $60,412 #3/4 | $159,198 #2/4 | 16.5 min #2/4 |
| Wilson County, TX | 52,781 | $95,179 | $323,529 | 33.3 min |
| Bee County, TX | 31,083 | $57,330 | $102,812 | 13.8 min |
| DeWitt County, TX | 20,016 | $62,479 | $144,642 | 18.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Karnes County, Texas.
How big is Karnes County, Texas by population?
About 14,968 people live in Karnes County, Texas, in 4,730 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 36.8, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Karnes County, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Karnes County, Texas has 20 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 23% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Karnes County, Texas?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($159,198 against $60,412), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $957 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Karnes County, Texas?
Unemployment in Karnes County, Texas is only 2.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Karnes County, Texas have a college degree?
15.5% of adults in Karnes County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →