Filed Under: 
Counties

Population
Change fm 2010
Area (sq.mi.)
Land area(sq.mi.)
Altitude (ft.)
Rainfall (in.)
Jan. avg. min.
July avg. max.
Civilian labor
Unemployed
Wages
Per Capita Inc.
Prop. Value
Retail Sales

36,040
2.9
904.2
900.8
2,180–2,800
19.50
31.3
94.6
13,297
3.7
$164,480,861
$33,483
$3,363,288,216
$486,476,598
map of Howard County
Click to enlarge. Map legend.
 

Physical Features: On edge of Llano Estacado; sandy loam soils; Natural Dam Lake.

Economy: Agriculture, petrochemicals, government/services.

locator map for Howard County

History: Pawnee and Comanche area. Anglo-American settlement began in 1870. Oil boom in the mid-1920s. County named for V.E. Howard, legislator; created in 1876 from Bexar, Young districts; organized in 1882.

Race/Ethnicity: (In percent), Anglo, 49.3; Black, 7.3; Hispanic, 41.7; Asian, 1.2; Other, 1.8; Two or more races, 1.8.

Vital Statistics, annual: Births, 518; deaths, 416; marriages, 234; divorces, 18.

Recreation: Lakes, state park; campground in Comanche Trail Park, Native Plant Trail, museum, historical sites, Pow Wow in April, Pops in the Park in July.

Minerals: Oil, gas, sand, gravel, and stone.

Agriculture: Cotton, beef, hay. Market value $13.9 million.

BIG SPRING (29,008) county seat; agriculture, petrochemicals, varied manufacturing; hospitals including a state institution and Veterans Administration hospital; federal prison; Howard College; railroad plaza.

Other towns include: Coahoma (875), Forsan (217), Knott (200), and Sand Springs (862).

Skyline of Big Spring

Skyline of Big Spring. Photo by Robert Plocheck.