Wharton County, Texas Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Wharton County is located in Texas with a total population of 41,651. It is the 80th most populous county out of 254 in Texas. The county encompasses 7 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Wharton County is 38.4 years. This is 8% higher than the state median of 35.5 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Wharton County is $66,100. This is 13% lower than the state median of $76,292. It is also 16% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 14.5%. This is 5% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 7.0%. This is 36% higher than the state rate of 5.1%. The median home value is $182,700. Housing costs are 30% lower than the state median of $260,400. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.8x, Wharton County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 70.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 13% higher than the state average of 62.6%.

Race & Ethnicity

Wharton County is a highly diverse community where no single racial or ethnic group constitutes a majority of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 41.5%. The Asian population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 5.3%.

Education

19.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 42% 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 83.9%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Wharton 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.