Castro County

Castro County, Texas

Castro County, Texas

Rhoads Memorial Library serves the Castro County, Texas. Photograph by Billy Hathorn.

Castro County is located in the western Panhandle on the Texas High Plains, bordered on the west by Parmer County, on the north by Deaf Smith and Randall Counties, on the east by Swisher County, and on the south by Lamb and Hale counties. The county was named for Henri Castro, the empresario who was consul general to Paris for the Republic of Texas. The center of the county lies at approximately 34°32' north latitude and 102°20' west longitude. Dimmitt, the county seat, is near the center of the county, approximately fifty miles southwest of Amarillo. Castro County comprises 900.33 square miles of level plains. Its sandy loam and black soils once supported native grasses but now produce abundant corn, wheat, sorghum, cotton, sugarbeets, and soybeans. Seasonally waterless draws or arroyos drain the county; Frio Draw runs southeasterly into Swisher County, and Running Water Draw, which begins about twenty-five miles northwest of Clovis, New Mexico, meanders southeasterly across Castro County into Lamb and then Hale counties. More than 500 playas dot the surface of the county. Elevation ranges from 3,500 to 4,000 feet above sea level, and annual precipitation averages 17.72 inches. The average minimum temperature of 22° F occurs in January, and the average maximum of 93° in July. The growing season averages 193 days a year.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Adopt a Town

The Texas Almanac's Land Rush program lets you adopt the town, county, or lake of your choice and share your message with the world. 100% of the proceeds benefit education in Texas.

County Map of Texas

Castro County

Highlighted:
  • Castro County

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Castro County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

3565 ft – 4000 ft

Proud to call Texas home?

Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.


Search Places »

Castro County by the Numbers

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Population Counts

Castro County
Pop. Year Source
7,530 2019 United States Census Bureau

Civilian Labor Counts

Castro County
People Year Source
3,172 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Per Capita Income (USD) Year Source
$42,786 2019 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Property Values

Castro County
USD ($) Year Source
1,769,071,410 2019 State Property Tax Board

Retail Sales

Castro County
USD ($) Year Source
65,681,283 2019 State Comptroller of Public Accounts

Wages

Castro County
USD ($) Year Source
26,674,513 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Unemployment Percentage Year Source
4.1 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Rainfall (inches) Year Source
21.2 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Min. (January Average, °F) Max. (July Average, °F) Year Source
21.3 91.0 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

This is some placeholder text that we should either remove or replace with a brief summary about this particular metric. For example, "We update population counts once per year..."

Land Area

Castro County
Area (square miles) Year Source
894.4 2019 United States Census Bureau

Total Area

Castro County
Area (square miles) Year Source
899.3 2019 United States Census Bureau