Wharton County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Wharton 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 averageLess healthy than 82% of counties in Texas
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 41,794 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 38.2 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.13% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.4 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 15,890 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Wharton County grew by 2.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 41,794 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Wharton County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.4% of residents. That is 2.1 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,944 21.4% -2.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 8,229 19.7% -3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,033 19.2% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,096 17.0% +3.7 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 50.6% of the people living in Wharton County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.4% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Wharton County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Wharton County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $68,105 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.99% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Wharton County is about 14% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $166,920 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,046 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.3% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Wharton County is about 13.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,046 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Wharton County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 155 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.7 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.3 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 155 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,819 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.2% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,158 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 545 | 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 Wharton County is 19 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
Wharton County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.6% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.58 | 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
Wharton County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Wharton County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.6 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.7% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.5% | 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).
Wharton County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Wharton County, TX is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 41,794 residents against a local median of 33,749. Where Wharton County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 26% below the local median of $225,887 at $166,920.
The counties themselves spread $263,406 on median home price, so Wharton County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Wharton County, TX has the 4th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton County, TX | 41,794 | $68,105 #4/5 | $166,920 #4/5 | 18.7 min #2/5 |
| Colorado County, TX | 21,006 | $68,537 | $168,749 | 18.4 min |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 893,669 | $114,494 | $361,207 | 31.4 min |
| Matagorda County, TX | 36,329 | $58,184 | $283,024 | 20.5 min |
| Austin County, TX | 31,170 | $75,855 | $97,801 | 23.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Wharton County, Texas.
How many people live in Wharton County, Texas?
About 41,794 people live in Wharton County, Texas, in 15,890 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 36.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Wharton County, Texas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Wharton County, Texas has 38 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 44% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Wharton County, Texas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($166,920 against $68,105), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,046 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Wharton County, Texas have a college degree?
16.6% of adults in Wharton County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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