Erath County

Erath County, Texas

Erath County, Texas

Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville, Texas, the county seat. Photograph by Billy Hathorn.

Erath County (EE-rath) was marked off from Bosque and Coryell counties in 1856 and named for George B. Erath, one of the original surveyors of the area. The center of the county is near Stephenville, eighty miles southwest of Dallas (at 32°10' N, 98°15' W). The county comprises 1,983 square miles and is divided into two distinct regions. The Western Cross Timbers, dominated by such hardwoods as post oak and a soil surface of sandy and red clay, crosses the northwestern two-thirds of the county, while the Grand Prairie, with dark limy soils originally covered with little bluestem but now dotted with live oak groves, crosses the southeastern one-third. The northern part of the county, where Cretaceous sediment has eroded, is noted for deposits of bituminous coal, fireclay, oil, and natural gas. The sand of the southern part is of glass-making quality. The animal life of Erath County includes badgers, civet cats, grey foxes, minks, wolves, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, and quail. The county's altitude ranges from 900 to 1,750 feet; the rainfall averages twenty-nine inches a year; the average temperature ranges from a low of 34° F during January to 96° in July, and the growing season lasts 238 days. The two major streams, the Paluxy and Bosque rivers, are tributaries of the Brazos. Transportation in Erath County is provided by Interstate Highway 20, which crosses the northwest corner, and U.S. highways 67, 281 and 377. The Fort Worth and Western Railroad crosses the central and southwestern parts of the county.

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.

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County Map of Texas

Erath County

Highlighted:
  • Erath County

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Erath County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

820 ft – 1670 ft

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Erath County by the Numbers

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Population Counts

Erath County
Pop. Year Source
42,698 2019 United States Census Bureau

Civilian Labor Counts

Erath County
People Year Source
19,968 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Per Capita Income (USD) Year Source
$39,572 2019 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

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Property Values

Erath County
USD ($) Year Source
5,778,781,040 2019 State Property Tax Board

Retail Sales

Erath County
USD ($) Year Source
593,225,575 2019 State Comptroller of Public Accounts

Wages

Erath County
USD ($) Year Source
172,494,052 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Unemployment Percentage Year Source
6.7 2019 Texas Workforce Commission

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Rainfall (inches) Year Source
31.5 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Min. (January Average, °F) Max. (July Average, °F) Year Source
31.0 94.2 2019 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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Land Area

Erath County
Area (square miles) Year Source
1,083.1 2019 United States Census Bureau

Total Area

Erath County
Area (square miles) Year Source
1,089.8 2019 United States Census Bureau