Cooke County, Texas

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Cooke County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. At the 2020 census, its population was 41,668.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Gainesville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was founded in 1848 and organized the next year. It is named for William Gordon Cooke, a soldier during the Texas Revolution. It is a part of the Texoma region.

Cooke County comprises the Gainesville, TX micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas–Fort Worth, TX-OK combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (2.6%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Love County, Oklahoma (north)
Grayson County (east)
Denton County (south)
Wise County (southwest)
Montague County (west)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Cooke County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	30,826	30,255	29,404	84.77%	78.71%	70.57%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,087	1,018	1,181	2.99%	2.65%	2.83%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	304	303	360	0.84%	0.79%	0.86%
Asian alone (NH)	121	278	307	0.33%	0.72%	0.74%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	19	13	0.00%	0.05%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	22	35	125	0.06%	0.09%	0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	375	532	1,759	1.03%	1.38%	4.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,627	5,997	8,519	9.97%	15.60%	20.44%
Total	36,363	38,437	41,668	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

According to statistical data from 2016, Cooke County has a population of 39,141 people (41% urban, 59% rural), nearly 14,000 households, and over 10,000 families. The population density was Template:Convert. The 15,061 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 88.84% White, 3.06% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.16% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. About 10% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the more than 14,000 households in Cooke County, 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living in the home, 59.60% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were not families; 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.07.

The population was distributed as 27.30% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

While 2015 estimates place the median household income for Cooke County at $53,552, past estimates showed the median household income to be $37,649, with the median family income being $44,869. Males had a median income of $32,429 and females $22,065. The per capita income was $17,889. About 10.90% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.80% of those under age 18 and 10.70% of those age 65 or over. Median house values in 2015 were $118,254.

Government and infrastructure

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department operates the Gainesville State School in an unincorporated area in Cooke County, east of Gainesville.<ref name="TYCProfile">"Gainesville State School Template:Webarchive." Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved August 8, 2010.</ref>

Politics

Cooke County has long voted predominantly Republican; the only Democratic presidential candidate to win Cooke County since 1948 was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, in that year's landslide over Barry Goldwater. Cooke County has been included in the Texas's 26th congressional district. vote in each of the past six presidential elections, starting in 2000. Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster, has represented Cooke County in the Texas House of Representatives since January 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>