County profile

Refugio County

Texas · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
6,707
Median household income
$60,181
People below poverty
14.6%
Median home value
$99,000

Income

The median income of households in Refugio County, Texas was $60,181. An estimated 6.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 2.3% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6.9
$10,000 to $14,999 4.3
$15,000 to $24,999 14.6
$25,000 to $34,999 9.2
$35,000 to $49,999 6.2
$50,000 to $74,999 16.5
$75,000 to $99,999 19.8
$100,000 to $149,999 17.2
$150,000 to $199,999 3
$200,000 or more 2.3

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 57723
Female 36972

An estimated 68.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 42.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 27.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $19,784. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 68.6
Social Security 42.8
Retirement income 27.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.3
Cash public assistance income 2.4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 14.6 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 15.8% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 15.2% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 14% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 14.6
Children under 18 years below poverty 15.8
People 65 years old and over below poverty 15.2
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 14

In 2020-2024, 14.1 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 55.1% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 35.5% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 45.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024, 83.9% had health insurance coverage and 16.1% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 56.1% and public coverage was 39.6%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 8.4%.


In 2020-2024, Refugio County, Texas had a total population of 6,707 - 3,415 (50.9%) females and 3,292 (49.1%) males. The median age was 42.4 years. An estimated 21.7% of the population was under 18 years, 29.3% was 19 to 44 years, 25.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 22.5 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 111 206
5 to 9 229 216
10 to 14 208 232
15 to 19 250 103
20 to 24 178 129
25 to 29 238 301
30 to 34 335 246
35 to 39 35 139
40 to 44 215 146
45 to 49 176 214
50 to 54 172 202
55 to 59 167 233
60 to 64 277 238
65 to 69 261 253
70 to 74 151 204
75 to 79 149 145
80 to 84 75 115
85 and over 65 93

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 56.6% were White; 7.2% were Black or African American; 8.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0% were Asian; 2% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 30.1% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 50.4% of the people in Refugio County, Texas were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 40.6% of the people in Refugio County, Texas were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 2,495 households in Refugio County, Texas. The average household size was 2.63 people.

Married-couple households made up 42% of the households in Refugio County, Texas while cohabiting couple households made up 6.7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 30.3% of all households, while 21% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 16.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 12% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.3% of all households.

In Refugio County, Texas, 27% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 44% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 42
Cohabiting Couples 6.7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
30.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 42.1% of males and 41.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 37.9 25.1
Now married, except separated 42.1 41.7
Separated 1.6 4.5
Widowed 5.2 13
Divorced 13.2 15.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Refugio County, Texas, 205 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 29.8% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97% of the people living in Refugio County, Texas were U.S. natives. 88.2% of the Refugio County, Texas population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3% of Refugio County, Texas residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 60.3% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 81.9 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Refugio County, Texas come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Refugio County, Texas.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 75.5
Asia 0
Europe 18.6
Africa 5.9
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024, 24.9 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 24.5% of people at least five years old; 4.2% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 24.5
Other Indo-European languages 0
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0.3

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 84 % of the people at least one year old living in Refugio County, Texas were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 84
Different house, same county 8.2
Different county, same state 7.7
Different state 0.1
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 83.8 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 14% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 16.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Refugio County, Texas was 1,400 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 127 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 1,149. College or graduate school enrollment was 124.

Educational Attainment of People in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 16.1
High school diploma or equivalency 34.5
Some college, no degree 26.4
Associate's degree 8.9
Bachelor's degree 11.1
Graduate or professional degree 2.9

Disability

In Refugio County, Texas, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 20.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 9.5% of people under 18 years old, to 14.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 47.1% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Refugio County, Texas, 50.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 47.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 73.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 20.3% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.9 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 2,018 73.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 554 20.3
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 160 5.9

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Refugio County, Texas worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 14.1
Construction 11.2
Manufacturing 8.3
Wholesale trade 1.3
Retail trade 10.1
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.4
Information 0.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 3.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 24.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.9
Other Services, except public administration 3.1
Public administration 4.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 757 27.7
Service occupations 508 18.6
Sales and office occupations 606 22.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 498 18.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 363 13.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 88% of Refugio County, Texas workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 5.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 24.4 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 88
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 5.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 3.7
Other means 0.5
Worked from home 2.4

In 2020-2024, Refugio County, Texas had a total of 3,359 housing units. Of these housing units, 81.1% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 6.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 12% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 81.1
Apartments in multi-unit structures 6.6
Mobile homes 12
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.3

14.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 3.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Refugio County, Texas was 5.1 rooms, and of these housing units 62.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Refugio County, Texas had 2,495 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 864 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 77% while renters occupied 23%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.66 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.52.

4.2% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 11.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 10.4% and another 18.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Refugio County, Texas:

House Heating Fuel Used in Refugio County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 16.2
Electricity 82.1
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 0.7
No fuel used 1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Refugio County, Texas was $99,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 34 % had a mortgage. 66% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,268 and for owners without a mortgage it was $488.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Refugio County, Texas was $795. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.