Editing Lamb County, Texas

{{Short description|County in Texas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Lamb County
 | state                = Texas
 | seal                 = 
 | founded              = 1908
 | seat wl              = Littlefield
 | largest city wl      = Littlefield
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 1018
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 1016
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 1.5
 | area percentage      = 0.2
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 13045
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | ex image             = Lamb County, TX, Courthouse IMG 4766.JPG
 | ex image size        = 250
 | ex image cap         = Lamb County Courthouse in Littlefield
 | web                  = http://co.lamb.tx.us|
 | time zone            = Central
 | named for            = [[George A. Lamb]]
 | district             = 19th
}}

'''Lamb County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Texas]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], its population was 13,045.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lamb County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US48279|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=February 23, 2021}}</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Littlefield, Texas|Littlefield]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1908.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=Texas: Individual County Chronologies|work=Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=[[Newberry Library|The Newberry Library]]|date=2008|access-date=May 25, 2015}}</ref> It is named for George A. Lamb, who died in the [[Battle of San Jacinto]].

Lamb County was the home of the Texas [[Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[Bill W. Clayton]], who served from 1975 until 1983. It is also the birthplace of country music singer [[Waylon Jennings]].

==History==
Lamb County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar County. It was named after George A. Lamb, a soldier in the Battle of San Jacinto.

In the 1960s, the [[water table]] began to decline. From the 1980s until 2023, the population declined by about 33%. Between circa 2013 and 2023, the population declined by about 8%.<ref name=GarzaCOVID>{{cite magazine|last=Garza|first=Alejandro de la|url=https://time.com/6260549/lamb-county-texas-covid-19-death-grief/|title=In This Texas County, There's No Such Thing as Moving on From COVID-19|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=March 15, 2023|accessdate=March 15, 2023|quote=[...] it’s the 8th highest in the nation as of March 2023, excluding counties with fewer than 2,500 people.}} - [https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/texas-county-theres-no-thing-110045019.html Alternate link] at [[Yahoo! News]]</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Texas|COVID-19 pandemic]], Lamb County had an almost 1/100 death rate as of March 2023. As of that month, Lamb County, among American counties with 2,500 or more residents, had the eighth highest [[COVID-19]] death rate.<ref name=GarzaCOVID/>

By 2023, there was [[water scarcity]] among farms, and many younger people moved to other counties for jobs.<ref name=GarzaCOVID/>

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|1018|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1.5|sqmi}} (0.2%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 3, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Castro County, Texas|Castro County]] (north)
* [[Hale County, Texas|Hale County]] (east)
* [[Hockley County, Texas|Hockley County]] (south)
* [[Bailey County, Texas|Bailey County]] (west)
* [[Parmer County, Texas|Parmer County]] (northwest)
* [[Lubbock County, Texas|Lubbock County]] (southeast)
* [[Cochran County, Texas|Cochran County]] (southwest)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 4
|1900= 31
|1910= 540
|1920= 1175
|1930= 17452
|1940= 17606
|1950= 20015
|1960= 21896
|1970= 17770
|1980= 18669
|1990= 15072
|2000= 14709
|2010= 13977
|2020= 13045
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br />1850–2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010|publisher=Texas Almanac|access-date=May 3, 2015}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Lamb County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''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.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Lamb County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US48279&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= }}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lamb County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48279&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lamb County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48279&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|7,553
|6,020
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,981
|51.35%
|43.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |38.18%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|615
|555
|style='background: #ffffe6; |392
|4.18%
|3.97%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.00%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|43
|39
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15
|0.29%
|0.28%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|9
|17
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4
|0.06%
|0.12%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|3
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5
|0.02%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|3
|16
|style='background: #ffffe6; |24
|0.02%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|90
|95
|style='background: #ffffe6; |175
|0.61%
|0.68%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.34%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|6,393
|7,231
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,449
|43.46%
|51.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |57.10%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''14,709'''
|'''13,977'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''13,045'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, 14,709 people, 5,360 households, and 3,991 families resided in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|14|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. The 6,294 housing units averaged {{convert|6|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units&nbsp;}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the county was 76.1% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. About 43.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,360 households, 35.4% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were not families. About 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county, the population was distributed as 29.6% under 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,898, and for a family was $31,833. Males had a median income of $36,434 versus $30,342 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $30,169. About 18.0% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Transportation==

===Major highways===
* [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 70 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 70]]
* [[Image:US 84.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 84 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 84]]
* [[Image:US 385.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 385 (Texas)|U.S. Highway 385]]

===Airports===
[[Littlefield Municipal Airport]] is located in Lamb County, {{convert|3|nmi|km}} west of the [[central business district]] of Littlefield, Texas.

==Communities==
===Cities===
* [[Amherst, Texas|Amherst]]
* [[Earth, Texas|Earth]]
* [[Littlefield, Texas|Littlefield]] (county seat)
* [[Olton, Texas|Olton]]
* [[Sudan, Texas|Sudan]]

===Town===
* [[Springlake, Texas|Springlake]]

===Census-designated place===
* [[Spade, Texas|Spade]]

===Unincorporated community===
* [[Fieldton, Texas|Fieldton]]

==Education==
School districts serving the county include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48279_lamb/DC20SD_C48279.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48279_lamb/DC20SD_C48279.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lamb County, TX|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=June 29, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48279_lamb/DC20SD_C48279_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
* [[Amherst Independent School District]]
* [[Anton Independent School District]]
* [[Littlefield Independent School District]]
* [[Muleshoe Independent School District]]
* [[Olton Independent School District]]
* [[Springlake-Earth Independent School District]]
* [[Sudan Independent School District]]
* [[Whiteface Consolidated Independent School District]]

The county is in the service area of [[South Plains College]].<ref>[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.198. SOUTH PLAINS COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]</ref>

==Media==
{{As of|2023}}, there is one newspaper, ''[[Lamb County Leader-News]]'', with three employees. An additional employee had died of COVID-19 in 2022, and the newspaper did not hire another individual.<ref name=GarzaCOVID/>

The ''[[Olton Enterprise]]'', another newspaper, stopped publication in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.texaspress.com/olton-enterprise-ceased-publication-june-25-edition|title=Olton Enterprise ceased publication with June 25 edition|publisher=[[Texas Press Association]]|date=July 30, 2021|accessdate=March 15, 2023}}</ref>

In 2023, Alejandro de la Garza wrote, in regards to the media landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic as the pandemic had caused damage to local media outlets, "for many residents, their [[Facebook]] feeds took the place of local media."<ref name=GarzaCOVID/>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
World's tallest windmill, Littlefield, TX IMG 4779.JPG|Littlefield claims the world's tallest windmill.
Lamb County Library, Littlefield, TX IMG 4772.JPG|Lamb County Library in downtown Littlefield across from the First [[Baptist]] Church
Lamb County, TX Leader News IMG 4783.JPG|''Lamb County Leader-News'' in Littlefield
Lamb County Veterans Memorial Texas.jpg|Lamb County Veterans Memorial
Littlefield grain elevator, Littlefield, TX IMG 4765.JPG|Littlefield Farmers Co-op grain elevator
</gallery>

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Lamb County, Texas|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|3,398|729|36|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|3,521|840|57|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|3,111|771|113|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|3,058|998|35|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|3,344|1,156|25|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|3,410|857|4|Texas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|3,451|1,114|33|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|2,593|1,683|298|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|2,998|1,737|715|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|3,064|2,230|22|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|3,892|1,919|17|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|3,723|2,132|78|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,413|3,374|28|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,981|1,350|35|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|2,595|2,267|1,460|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|2,022|4,318|9|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|2,764|3,089|154|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|1,840|3,325|12|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|2,913|2,748|11|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|475|3,286|186|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|616|2,407|421|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|513|3,259|11|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|300|2,320|10|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|271|2,978|39|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,266|440|0|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|121|356|30|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|136|264|19|Texas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|14|150|8|Texas}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|6|53|25|Texas}}
In the [[2020 U.S. presidential election]], about 80% of the county's residents selected [[Donald Trump]].<ref name=GarzaCOVID/>

==Healthcare==
In August 22, 43% of the county's residents had completed at least one [[COVID-19 vaccination]] series.<ref name=GarzaCOVID/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas}}
* [[List of Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (Hunt-Martin)#Lamb County|Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Lamb County]]
* [[Dry counties]]
* [[Plant X]]
* [[Llano Estacado]]
* [[West Texas]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Handbook of Texas|id=hcl02|name=Lamb County}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150605034824/http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48279 Lamb County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Lamb County, Texas
|North     = [[Castro County, Texas|Castro County]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Hale County, Texas|Hale County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Hockley County, Texas|Hockley County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Bailey County, Texas|Bailey County]]
|Northwest = [[Parmer County, Texas|Parmer County]]
}}

{{Lamb County, Texas}}
{{Texas counties}}
{{Texas}}
{{authority control}}

{{coord|34.07|-102.35|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Lamb County, Texas| ]]
[[Category:1908 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1908]]
[[Category:Majority-minority counties in Texas]]