Midland County, Texas

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File:Abandoned Midland County, TX, courthouse DSCN1183.JPG

Former Midland County courthouse marked for razing

File:Midland County Public Library, Midland, TX DSCN1211.JPG

Midland County Public Library in Midland

Midland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, the population was 169,983.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Midland.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is so named for being halfway (midway) between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railway. Midland County is included in the Midland, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Midland–Odessa Combined Statistical Area.

History

In 1968, the county lost before the Supreme Court in Avery v. Midland County which required local districts to be nearly equal. The city of Midland had most of the county's population but only elected one of the five county commissioners, which was found to violate the Fourteenth Amendment.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.2%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The Spraberry Trend, the third-largest oil field in the United States by remaining reserves, underlies much of the county.<ref>Top 100 Oil and Gas Fields Template:Webarchive</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Martin County (north)
Glasscock County (east)
Upton County (south)
Ector County (west)
Andrews County (northwest)
Reagan County (southeast)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Midland 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)	72,015	72,822	76,487	62.08%	53.20%	45.00%
Black or African American alone (NH)	7,940	8,675	10,465	6.84%	6.34%	6.16%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	415	552	686	0.36%	0.40%	0.40%
Asian alone (NH)	1,040	1,639	3,891	0.90%	1.20%	2.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	16	42	152	0.01%	0.03%	0.09%
Other race alone (NH)	52	211	621	0.04%	0.15%	0.37%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	855	1,331	4,350	0.74%	0.97%	2.56%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	33,676	51,600	73,331	29.03%	37.70%	43.14%
Total	116,009	136,872	169,983	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 116,009 people, 42,745 households, and 30,947 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 48,060 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 77.32% White, 6.98% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 12.17% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 29.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 42,745 households, out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.20% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 20.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,082, and the median income for a family was $47,269. Males had a median income of $36,924 versus $24,708 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,369. 12.90% of the population and 10.30% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.20% are under the age of 18 and 7.90% are 65 or older.

Oil and gas industry

Midland County ranks #1 in the state of Texas for total oil production and #2 for total gas production.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Oil and gas data from the Texas Railroad Commission reports 6,602 currently producing wells as of September 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Politics

Midland County was one of the first areas of Texas to turn Republican, beginning with native son Dwight D. Eisenhower's campaign for the presidency in 1952. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was Harry Truman in 1948.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Even in the presidential election of 1964 in which the incumbent president, Texan Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson, won a national landslide victory, it gave 57.8% of its ballots to Republican presidential candidate and Arizona native Barry Goldwater.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This is the last time a Democrat managed 40 percent of the county's vote, and one of only two since 1948 that a Democrat has won even 30 percent of the vote. Despite this, conservative Democrats held most local offices well into the 1980s.

Midland County is located in Texas's 11th congressional district, represented by Republican August Pfluger. The 11th Congressional District gave George W. Bush 78% of its votes in 2004, higher than any other congressional district in the nation.