Cooke County, Texas Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Cooke County is located in Texas with a total population of 42,473. It is the 78th most populous county out of 254 in Texas. The county encompasses 9 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Cooke County is 40.3 years. This is 14% higher than the state median of 35.5 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Cooke County is $72,472. This is 5% lower than the state median of $76,292. It is also 8% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 14.1%. This is 2% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 4.3%. This is 16% lower than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $224,600. Housing costs are 14% lower than the state median of $260,400. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.1x. 72.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 15% higher than the state average of 62.6%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Cooke County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 71.7% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 20.5%. The White (non-Hispanic) population is significantly higher than the state average (71.7% vs 39.9%). The Black or African American population (3.3%) is well below the state average of 11.9%. The Asian population (0.7%) is well below the state average of 5.3%.

Education

23.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 29% lower than the state rate of 33.1%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 88.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Cooke County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Texas and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.