Maverick County, Texas

{{Short description|County in Texas, United States}} {{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox U.S. county | county = Maverick County | state = Texas | seal = | founded = 1871 | seat wl = Eagle Pass | largest city wl = Eagle Pass | area_total_sq_mi = 1292 | area_land_sq_mi = 1279 | area_water_sq_mi = 13 | area percentage = 1.0% | census yr = 2020 | pop = 57887 | pop_est_as_of = 2025 | population_est = 58823 {{increase}} | density_sq_mi = 42 | ex image = MAVERICK COUNTY COURTHOUSE.jpg | ex image size = | ex image cap = Historic Maverick County Courthouse in Eagle Pass | website = {{Official URL}} | time zone = Central | named for = Samuel Maverick<ref>{{cite book|last=Gannett|first=Henry|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA203|year=1905|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=203}}</ref> | district = 23rd }} thumb|The new county courthouse thumb|The Maverick County Jail, established 1949, is adjacent to the county courthouse.

'''Maverick County''' is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 57,887.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QuickFacts: Maverick County, Texas |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/maverickcountytexas/PST045221 |access-date=March 27, 2022 |website=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref> Its county seat is Eagle Pass.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The county was created in 1856 and organized in 1871.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|title=Texas: Individual County Chronologies|work=Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=The Newberry Library|date=2008|access-date=May 25, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211092736/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/TX_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is named for Samuel Maverick, cattleman and state legislator.

The Eagle Pass, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Maverick County. It is east of the Mexican border.

==History== [[File:Maverick County Jail Guards, 1891.jpg|thumb|Soldiers in Eagle Pass in 1891, photo courtesy Southern Methodist University]]

===Native Americans===

Prehistoric hunter-gatherer peoples were the first inhabitants, and their artifacts have been found in various areas of the county. Lipan Apache, Shawnee,{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} and Coahuiltecan culture followed.<ref name="Maverick County">{{cite web|last=Ochoa|first=Ruben E|title=Maverick County|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcm06|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> The abandonment of Fort Duncan on March 20, 1861, during the Civil War, enabled the Indian population to gain control of the region; both American and Mexican inhabitants suffered tremendous loss of life and property. The fort was reoccupied in 1868.<ref name="Fort Duncan">{{cite web|title=Fort Duncan|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbf17|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> In early 1871, a number of Black Seminole Indians living along the border were organized into a company of scouts and brought to Fort Duncan.<ref>{{cite book|last=Aleshire|first=William|title=A Buffalo Soldier's Story|year=2004|publisher=Heritage Books, Inc|isbn=978-0-7884-3140-1|page=178}}</ref> The last Indian raid in the county occurred in 1877. Three traders were murdered and mutilated by Lipan Apaches. The site of the incident, {{convert|8|mi|km}} northeast of Eagle Pass, became known as Deadman's Hill.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

===Spanish explorations===

The El Camino Real, later known as the Old San Antonio Road, that crosses the Rio Grande, begins in East Texas and crosses southern Maverick County.<ref>{{cite web|title=Old San Antonio Road|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/exo04|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> The trail was originally blazed by Alonso De León in 1690, and is said to have been traversed by more early Spanish explorers and settlers than any other section of the state.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chipman|first=Donald E|title=Alonso De León|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde06|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> In 1989, the legislature authorized the Old San Antonio Road Preservation Commission to coordinate the 1991 300th anniversary of the trail's founding.<ref>{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Jeffrey M|title=GIS Aided Archaeological Research of El Camino Real de Los Tejas with Focus|page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Texas Old San Antonio Road Preservation Commission|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/10198/tsl-10198.html|work=An Inventory of Records at the Texas State Archives, 1979, 1988-1993|publisher=Texas Archival Resources Online|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>

Saltillo alcade Fernando de Azcué in 1665 pursued Indians into the county.<ref>{{cite web|last=Chipman|first=Donald E|title=Fernando de Azcué |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/faz01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> In 1675, Fernando del Bosque traversed the area near Quemado, and Franciscans with the expedition are said to have celebrated the first Mass on Texas soil.<ref>{{cite web|title=Quemado, Texas|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/SouthTexasTowns/QuemadoTexas.htm|work=Texas Escapes|publisher=Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Chipman|first=Donald E|title=Fernando del Bosque|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fboaj|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> In 1688, Alonso De León followed the Camino Real across the county en route to Fort St. Louis.<ref>{{cite book|last=Foster|first=William C|title=Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768 |year=1995|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-72489-1|pages=17–33|chapter=In Search of LaSalle}}</ref> Domingo Terán de los Ríos, the first Governor of Spanish Texas, led an expedition through the county in 1691.<ref>{{cite book|last=Weddle|first=Robert S|title=San Juan Bautista: Gateway to Spanish Texas|year=1991|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-77651-7|pages=15–18}}</ref> Spanish Texas Governor Martín de Alarcón crossed the county in 1718 on the expedition that resulted in the founding of San Antonio.<ref>{{cite book|last=Arias|first=Bishop David|title=Spanish-Americans: Lives and Faces|year=2006|publisher=Trafford Publishing|isbn=978-1-4120-4717-3|pages=87–89|chapter=Martin de Alarcon}}</ref> Governor of the Mexican provinces of Coahuila and Texas, Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo, in 1720 passed through on an expedition that brought goats, 2800 horses and 6400 sheep that was the onset of Spanish ranching in Texas.<ref>{{cite web|last=Newton|first=Lewis W|title=Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fag02|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref> Pedro de Rivera y Villalón crossed the county in 1727 as part of an expedition to inspect the frontier defenses of New Spain.<ref>{{cite web|last=Blake|first=Robert Bruce|title=Pedro de Rivera y Villalón|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fri27|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>

===Early settlers===

thumb|Ranch road in Maverick County

Antonio Rivas was the first known rancher on the land in 1765. The county still has a considerable ranching community.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

On March 27, 1849, Capt. Sidney Burbank established Fort Duncan, previously known as Camp Eagle Pass, on a site {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} north of the ford at Adjuntos Pass.<ref name="Fort Duncan"/>

General William Leslie Cazneau, credited several years earlier with burying the Alamo casualties with full military honors, began ranching in the area around 1850. He partnered with Irish-born San Antonio banker and county settler John Twohig to lay out a plan of Eagle Pass in 1850. That same year, a Mexican garrison established Piedras Negras across the border.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wagner|first=Frank|title=William Leslie Cazneau|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcaae|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>

Freight operator Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Groos secured a contract to haul supplies for the army at Fort Duncan. At his urging, several early settlers of Eagle Pass were ''emigres'' of the Mexican river villages and missions of San Juan Bautista, San José, Santo Domingo, San Nicolás, La Navaja, and San Isidro.<ref>{{cite web|last=York|first=Miriam|title=Friedrich (Frederick) Wilhelm Carl Groos|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgr76|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>

''Emigres'' Refugio and Rita Alderete de San Miguel used the profits of their freighting business to establish a large-scale cattle, sheep, and horse ranch on Elm Creek in 1853. They were joined in ranching operations by stranded pilgrims on the California Gold Rush trail and discharged Fort Duncan soldiers. Among these was Infantry veteran Jesse Sumpter, who also worked at many odd jobs before becoming sheriff in the newly formed Maverick County.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

Landscape pioneer Frederick Law Olmsted visited Eagle Pass in 1854, and noted the many slave hunters and runaway slaves residing in Piedras Negras, as well as the many saloons and gambling houses, which catered to Fort Duncan's soldiers and other unsavory characters.<ref>{{cite book|last=Greene|first=A C|title=The 50+ Best Books on Texas|year=1998|publisher=University of North Texas Press|isbn=978-1-57441-043-3|pages=61–62|chapter=A Journey Through Texas}}</ref>

In 1855, Texas Governor Elisha M. Pease authorized a raid into Mexico. An international incident was brought about by James H. Callahan and William R. Henry, whose pursuit of Lipan Apache raiders and runaway slaves into Mexico ended in the looting and torching of Piedras Negras, after an encounter with Mexican forces at La Marama on the Río Escondido.<ref name="Maverick County"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Hardin|first=Stephen|title=The Texas Rangers (Elite)|url=https://archive.org/details/texasrangers00hard|url-access=limited|year=1991|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-85532-155-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/texasrangers00hard/page/n21 21]–22|author2=Hook, Richard}}</ref>

===County established and growth===

Maverick County was established from Kinney County and named for Samuel A. Maverick in 1856. The county was organized some years later on September 4, 1871. The estimated population of the county in 1860 was 726. Eagle Pass voted 83–3 against secession from the Union.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

Fort Duncan was occupied by Confederate troops during the Civil War. Eagle Pass was chosen as a trade depot for the Military Board of Texas. Eagle Pass was a major terminus of the Cotton Road, custom house and Confederate port of entry into Mexico 1863–65. A cotton press was installed at Piedras Negras to handle the enormous quantities coming across the Rio Grande. At the close of the Civil War, General Joseph Orville Shelby's brigade never surrendered, but hoped to continue their fight across the border. On July 4, 1865, Shelby stopped in the middle of the Rio Grande to bury the last Confederate flag to fly over his troops. To the sound of drum and bugle, he wrapped the flag around the plume of his hat, weighted it with a stone from the river bank, and lowered it into the river.<ref name="Maverick County"/> Shelby's unit became known as “The Undefeated” and was used as a basis for the 1969 John Wayne-Rock Hudson film by the same name.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

Saloons, gambling houses, and smuggling operations proliferated in and around Eagle Pass during Reconstruction. The infamous J. King Fisher and his followers dominated the era in the region.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

Telegraph lines reached Eagle Pass in 1875. In 1880, the main line of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway was extended west from San Antonio, connecting to the Mexican Railway in Piedras Negras.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

Irrigation has been vital to area farmers. In 1885, rancher Patrick W. Thomson formed the Eagle Pass Irrigation Company to construct a huge gravity-flow irrigation system to draw water from the Rio Grande. Thompson died in 1910, but his efforts came to fruition as the Maverick County Irrigation Canal system, operational by April 1932.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pingenot|first=Ben E|title=Maverick County Irrigation Canal|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rum03|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=December 13, 2010}}</ref>

March 3, 1911, when Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois and Philip O. Parmalee made the first official military reconnaissance flight, looking for Army troops between Laredo and Eagle Pass, Texas, with a ground exercise in progress. In 1942, the Army Air Force built a single-engine advanced flying school {{convert|12|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of Eagle Pass.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hundnall|first=Ken and Sharon|title=Spirits of the Border V: The History and Mystery of the Lone Star State|year=2005|publisher=Omega Press|isbn=978-0-9626087-9-7|pages=232–233}}</ref>

Oil and gas exploration in the county began in the 1950s, with the largest fields being the 1969 Fitzpatrick and Wipff, and the 1970 Burr.<ref>{{cite book|last=Warner|first=C A|title=Texas Oil & Gas Since 1543|year=2007|publisher=Copano Bay Press|isbn=978-0-9767799-5-7|author2=Thompson, Ernest O|page=268}}</ref>

The coal industry of Maverick County is located along a section of the Olmos Coal Formation immediately north of Eagle Pass. Mining operations developed by Dolch at Dolchburg and by the Olmos Coal, Coke, and Oil Company at Olmos were the largest coal producers in Texas around the turn of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Calderon|first=Dr. Robert R|title=Mexican Coal Mining Labor in Texas and Coahuila, 1880-1930 (Rio Grande/Rio Bravo: Borderlands Culture and Traditions)|year=2000|publisher=TAMU Press|isbn=978-0-89096-884-0|page=43}}</ref>

[[File:Pack-Way Grocery, U.S. 277, TX DSCN1441.JPG|thumb|The former Pack-Way Grocery between Eagle Pass and Quemado.]]

Industries located in the county in 1977 included a cotton gin and two cattle feedlots with capacities of 25,000 cattle at El Indio, one at Normandy, and another between Eagle Pass and El Indio. A spinach-packing shed was at the southern edge of Eagle Pass. Industries which have located in the Eagle Pass–Maverick County area since 1977 include the Eagle Pass Manufacturing Company (a division of Hicks-Ponder, Inc) and the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co, both makers of work clothing; the Reynolds Mining Corp fluorspar plant and the Tejas Barite plant; Alta-Verde Industries and Maverick Beef Producers, and the Big River Catfish Farm.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

In 1982, 88 percent of all land in the county was considered farmland and ranches, but only 2 percent of the farmland was under cultivation, and most of that was irrigated. Primary crops were hay, oats, and wheat.<ref name="Maverick County"/>

==Geography== According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|1292|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1279|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|13|sqmi}} (1.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 4, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

===Major highways=== * 20px U.S. Highway 57 * 25px U.S. Highway 277 * 20px State Highway 131 * 20px Loop 480

===Adjacent counties and municipios=== {{div col}} * Kinney County (north) * Zavala County (east) * Dimmit County (east) * Uvalde County (northeast) * Webb County (south) * Guerrero, Coahuila, México (south) * Jiménez, Coahuila, Mexico (west) * Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico (south) {{div col end}}

==Demographics== {{US Census population |1860= 726 |1870= 1951 |1880= 2967 |1890= 3698 |1900= 4066 |1910= 5151 |1920= 7418 |1930= 6120 |1940= 10071 |1950= 12292 |1960= 14508 |1970= 18093 |1980= 31398 |1990= 36378 |2000= 47297 |2010= 54258 |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decade|publisher=US Census Bureau|access-date=}}</ref> 1850–2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://texasalmanac.com/sites/default/files/images/topics/ctypophistweb2010.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010|publisher=Texas Almanac|access-date=May 4, 2015}}</ref> 2010–2014<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48323.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018061523/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48323.html |archive-date=October 18, 2011 }}</ref> |2020=57887 |estyear=2025 |estimate=58823 |estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2025">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 17, 2026}}</ref> {{increase}} | align = right }}

===Racial and ethnic composition=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+'''Maverick County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition''' {{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}} !Race / Ethnicity (''NH = Non-Hispanic'') !Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Maverick County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=0500000US48323&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=United States Census Bureau |access-date= }}</ref> !Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Maverick County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48323&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Maverick County, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=0500000US48323&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !% 2000 !% 2010 !{{partial|% 2020}} |- |White (NH) |1,610 |1,552 |style='background: #ffffe6; |1,574 |3.40% |2.86% |style='background: #ffffe6; |2.72% |- |Black or African American (NH) |53 |75 |style='background: #ffffe6; |129 |0.11% |0.14% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22% |- |Native American or Alaska Native (NH) |444 |506 |style='background: #ffffe6; |835 |0.94% |0.93% |style='background: #ffffe6; |1.44% |- |Asian (NH) |164 |140 |style='background: #ffffe6; |182 |0.35% |0.26% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31% |- |Pacific Islander (NH) |0 |2 |style='background: #ffffe6; |4 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01% |- |Other race alone (NH) |6 |15 |style='background: #ffffe6; |110 |0.01% |0.03% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19% |- |Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) |82 |54 |style='background: #ffffe6; |117 |0.17% |0.10% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.20% |- |Hispanic or Latino |44,938 |51,914 |style='background: #ffffe6; |54,936 |95.01% |95.68% |style='background: #ffffe6; |94.90% |- |'''Total''' |'''47,297''' |'''54,258''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''57,887''' |'''100%''' |'''100%''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100%''' |}

===2020 census===

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 57,887, 16,647 households, and 13,402 families residing in the county. The median age was 33.7 years.<ref name="Census2020DP">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dp?get=NAME,DP1_0021P,DP1_0024P,DP1_0025C,DP1_0049C,DP1_0045C,DP1_0069C,DP1_0073C,DP1_0125P,DP1_0126P,DP1_0129P,DP1_0133P,DP1_0137P,DP1_0138P,DP1_0139P,DP1_0141P,DP1_0142P,DP1_0143P,DP1_0145P,DP1_0146P,DP1_0147C,DP1_0148C,DP1_0149C,DP1_0156C,DP1_0157C,DP1_0158C,DP1_0159P,DP1_0160P&for=county%3A323&in=state%3A48|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 10, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

29.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.5 males age 18 and over.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

The racial makeup of the county was 29.1% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 2.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 25.0% from some other race, and 43.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 94.9% of the population.<ref name="Census2020PL">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N,P1_003N,P1_004N,P1_005N,P1_006N,P1_007N,P1_008N,P1_009N,P2_001N,P2_002N,H1_001N,H1_002N&for=county%3A323&in=state%3A48|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2021|access-date=January 10, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

93.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 6.6% lived in rural areas.<ref name="Census2020DHC">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/dhc?get=NAME,P2_002N,P2_003N&for=county%3A323&in=state%3A48|website=United States Census Bureau|year=2023|access-date=January 10, 2026|df=mdy}}</ref>

There were 18,034 households in the county, of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.9% were married-couple households, 14.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

There were 20,072 housing units, of which 10.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.3% were owner-occupied and 32.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.<ref name="Census2020DP"/>

===2000 census===

As of the 2000 census, 47,297 people, 13,089 households, and 11,230 families resided in the county. The population density was {{convert|37|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|}}. There were 14,889 housing units at an average density of {{convert|12|/mi2|/km2|adj=pre|units }}. The racial makeup of the county was 70.89% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 1.34% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 24.08% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. About 95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>

Of the 13,089 households, 51.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% were married couples living together, 16.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.20% were not families. About 12.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.60 and the average family size was 3.98.

In the county, the population was distributed as 36.90% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 17.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,232, and for a family was $23,614. Males had a median income of $20,956 versus $15,662 for females. The per capita income for the county was $8,758. About 34.80% of the population and 32.00% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 40.60% of those under the age of 18 and 40.90% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Based on per capita income, Maverick County is one of the poorest counties in the United States.

According to the 2000 census, Maverick County has the nation's highest percentage of people who speak Spanish at home, at 91%. ==Politics== Like most of heavily Hispanic South Texas, Maverick County has leaned towards the Democratic Party. In 1972, Maverick County was one of only eight counties in Texas where George McGovern received a majority of the vote.<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1972&fips=48&f=1&off=0&elect=0 David Leip Atlas]</ref> The county held a very long Democratic streak; until 2024, the last Republican to carry the county was Herbert Hoover in 1928.<ref>[http://geoelections.free.fr/USA/elec_comtes/1928.htm Geographie Electorale]</ref>

In recent times, it cast a majority of its votes for John Kerry in 2004. President George W. Bush received 4,025 votes to Kerry's 5,948. In 2008, it cast a higher majority of 8,554 votes for Barack Obama.<ref>[http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html?scp=1&sq=%22election%20map&st=cse The New York Times Electoral Map]</ref> In 2020, however, Maverick County joined the rest of South Texas in swinging heavily towards the Republican Party. President Donald Trump managed to put up nearly 45% of the vote and narrow the margin to less than 10%, the Republican Party's best result in the county since President Richard Nixon's landslide victory in 1972.

The 2024 election continued this trend, in which the county flipped Republican by a large margin, casting nearly 59% of its vote for Trump. Maverick had the largest shift to Trump out of any county in the country in the 2024 election, even voting to the right of Texas as a whole. Overall, it shifted to the right from 2012 to 2024 by 77 percentage points, representing the second-furthest such rightward shift for any county in the country, surpassed only by Starr County's 89-point shift.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/25/us/politics/trump-politics-democrats.html|title=How Donald Trump Has Remade America's Political Landscape|publisher=The New York Times|date=May 25, 2025|accessdate=May 29, 2025|last=Goldmacher|first=Shane|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250527155827/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/25/us/politics/trump-politics-democrats.html|archive-date=May 27, 2025}}</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Maverick County, Texas|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=July 27, 2018}}</ref>}}  {{PresRow|1912|Democratic|143|186|79|Texas}} {{PresRow|1916|Republican|246|192|3|Texas}} {{PresRow|1920|Republican|296|173|6|Texas}} {{PresRow|1924|Republican|261|199|31|Texas}} {{PresRow|1928|Republican|311|180|0|Texas}} {{PresRow|1932|Democratic|199|847|10|Texas}} {{PresRow|1936|Democratic|166|890|40|Texas}} {{PresRow|1940|Democratic|166|875|4|Texas}} {{PresRow|1944|Democratic|302|787|33|Texas}} {{PresRow|1948|Democratic|270|695|29|Texas}} {{PresRow|1952|Democratic|839|962|1|Texas}} {{PresRow|1956|Democratic|721|820|19|Texas}} {{PresRow|1960|Democratic|639|1,498|2|Texas}} {{PresRow|1964|Democratic|545|2,113|3|Texas}} {{PresRow|1968|Democratic|771|1,570|165|Texas}} {{PresRow|1972|Democratic|1,477|1,710|10|Texas}} {{PresRow|1976|Democratic|924|2,840|38|Texas}} {{PresRow|1980|Democratic|1,370|2,932|65|Texas}} {{PresRow|1984|Democratic|1,783|3,063|15|Texas}} {{PresRow|1988|Democratic|1,592|4,395|16|Texas}} {{PresRow|1992|Democratic|2,002|4,540|797|Texas}} {{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,050|5,307|229|Texas}} {{PresRow|2000|Democratic|3,143|5,995|91|Texas}} {{PresRow|2004|Democratic|4,025|5,948|61|Texas}} {{PresRow|2008|Democratic|2,316|8,554|69|Texas}} {{PresRow|2012|Democratic|2,171|8,303|89|Texas}} {{PresRow|2016|Democratic|2,816|10,397|375|Texas}} {{PresRow|2020|Democratic|6,881|8,332|133|Texas}} {{PresRow|2024|Republican|9,285|6,373|87|Texas}} {{PresFoot}} {{U.S. SenHead|place=Maverick County, Texas|Seat=1|source=<ref>{{cite news |title=2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)|website=Commonwealth of Texas by county |date=November 5, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/texas-senate-results}}</ref>}}  {{U.S. SenRow|2024|Republican|7,287|6,859|586|Texas}} {{U.S. SenFoot}} {{U.S. SenHead|place=Maverick County, Texas|Seat=2|source=<ref>{{cite news|title=Texas Senate Election Results 2020|website=NBCNews.com|date=November 3, 2020|access-date=April 10, 2026 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-elections/texas-senate-results}}</ref>}}  {{U.S. SenRow|2020|Democratic|5,708|7,956|625|Texas}} {{U.S. SenFoot}} {{T.X. GovHead|place=Maverick County|Seat=|source=}}  {{T.X. GovRow|2022|Democratic|3,862|5,555|166}} {{T.X. GovFoot}} The county is located in Texas Senate District 19, which is represented by Democrat Roland Gutierrez in the Texas Senate. As part of the 74th district of the Texas House of Representatives, it is represented by Democrat Eddie Morales. In the United States House of Representatives, it is part of Texas's 23rd congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+7 and was represented by Republican Tony Gonzales before his resignation, the district is currently vacant.

==Education== All of Maverick County is served by the Eagle Pass Independent School District.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48323_maverick/DC20SD_C48323.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48323_maverick/DC20SD_C48323.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Maverick County, TX|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=June 29, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st48_tx/schooldistrict_maps/c48323_maverick/DC20SD_C48323_SD2MS.txt Text list].</ref>

According to the Texas Education Code, Southwest Texas Junior College is the county's designated community college.<ref>[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code: Sec. 130.200. SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.]</ref>

Sul Ross State University also serves this community through its Eagle Pass Campus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sulross.edu/the-eagle-pass-campus/|title=Eagle Pass Campus|publisher=Sul Ross State University|accessdate=June 30, 2022}}</ref>

==Communities== ===City=== * Eagle Pass (county seat)

===Census-designated places=== {{div col}} * Chula Vista * Eidson Road * El Indio * Elm Creek * Fabrica * Las Quintas Fronterizas * Normandy * Quemado * Radar Base * Rosita * Seco Mines * Siesta Acres {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} {{notelist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite news |title=Where Do We Put the Bodies? Migration’s human toll overwhelms a border county in Texas |newspaper=Washington Post |date=April 14, 2024 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2024/texas-border-eagle-pass-migrant-deaths/?itid=hp_national_p018_f001 |first=Arelis R. |last=Hernandez}}

==External links== {{Commons category}}

* {{Official website}} * {{Handbook of Texas|id=hcm06|name=Maverick County}} * [http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48323 Maverick County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103131505/http://www.txcip.org/tac/census/profile.php?FIPS=48323 |date=November 3, 2018 }} * [http://texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=%22United+States+-+Texas+-+Maverick+County%22&t=dc.coverage Historic Maverick County materials], hosted by the [http://texashistory.unt.edu/ Portal to Texas History.] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004135/http://www.swtexaslive.com/november2006 "Eagle Pass Rising," a grouping of articles on the growth of Eagle Pass, Texas]

{{Geographic location |Centre = Maverick County, Texas |North = Kinney County |Northeast = |East = Zavala County and Dimmit County |Southeast = Webb County |South = |Southwest = Guerrero and Piedras Negras Municipalities, Coahuila {{flagicon|Mexico}} |West = Jiménez Municipality, Coahuila {{flagicon|Mexico}} |Northwest = }}

{{Maverick County, Texas}} {{Texas counties}} {{Texas}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|28.75|-100.32|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990}}

Category:Maverick County, Texas Category:1871 establishments in Texas Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1871 Category:Majority-minority counties in Texas Category:Hispanic and Latino American culture in Texas