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Donley County
Donley County
County
	1890 Donley County Courthouse in Clarendon
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°58′N 100°49′W / 34.96°N 100.81°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1882
Seat	Clarendon
Largest city	Clarendon
Area
• Total	933 sq mi (2,420 km2)
• Land	927 sq mi (2,400 km2)
• Water	6.2 sq mi (16 km2) 0.7%
Population (2020)
• Total	3,258
• Density	3.5/sq mi (1.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	13th
Website	www.co.donley.tx.us

Donley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,258.^[1]^[2] Its county seat is Clarendon.^[3] The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1882.^[4]

History

Donley County was established in 1876 from land given by the Bexar District.^[5] It is named for Stockton P. Donley, justice of the state supreme court.^[6]

Several historical sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Donley County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total land area of 933 sq mi (2,420 km²), of which 5.6 sq mi (15 km²) (0.7%) are covered by water.^[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Gray County (north)
Wheeler County (northeast)
Collingsworth County (east)
Hall County (south)
Briscoe County (southwest)
Armstrong County (west)
Carson County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	160	—
1890	1,056	560.0%
1900	2,756	161.0%
1910	5,284	91.7%
1920	8,035	52.1%
1930	10,262	27.7%
1940	7,487	−27.0%
1950	6,216	−17.0%
1960	4,449	−28.4%
1970	3,641	−18.2%
1980	4,075	11.9%
1990	3,696	−9.3%
2000	3,828	3.6%
2010	3,677	−3.9%
2020	3,258	−11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1850–2010^[9] 2010^[10] 2020^[11]

**Donley County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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^[12]	Pop 2010^[10]	Pop 2020^[11]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	3,372	3,136	2,537	88.09%	85.29%	77.87%
Black or African American alone (NH)	151	163	167	3.94%	4.43%	5.13%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	29	15	27	0.76%	0.41%	0.83%
Asian alone (NH)	4	9	10	0.10%	0.24%	0.31%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	2	1	0.00%	0.05%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	0	0	6	0.00%	0.00%	0.18%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	29	43	154	0.76%	1.17%	4.73%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	243	309	356	6.35%	8.40%	10.93%
Total	3,828	3,677	3,258	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census^[13] of 2000, 3,828 people, 1,578 households, and 1,057 families resided in the county. The population density was four people per square mile (1.5 people/km²). The 2,378 housing units averaged 3 units per square mile (1.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.41% White, 3.94% Black or African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 2.72% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. About 6.35% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 1,578 households, 24.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were not families. About 31.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county, the population was distributed as 22.40% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 20.60% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 21.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,006, and for a family was $37,287. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $18,882 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,958. About 10.50% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.90% of those under age 18 and 15.90% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

The Harold Dow Bugbee Ranch, formerly owned by the Western artist and his second wife, Olive Vandruff Bugbee, also an artist, is located in Donley County.

U.S. Highway 287, which passes through the county, has a modern rest area. The rest area also provides sanctuary from weather, offering a tornado shelter in the main building.^[14]

Communities

Cities

Clarendon (county seat)
Hedley
Howardwick

Unincorporated community

Lelia Lake

Notable person

U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry

Politics

United States presidential election results for Donley County, Texas^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,512	88.32%	174	10.16%	26	1.52%
2020	1,438	87.26%	198	12.01%	12	0.73%
2016	1,225	83.62%	191	13.04%	49	3.34%
2012	1,287	83.84%	226	14.72%	22	1.43%
2008	1,374	81.30%	291	17.22%	25	1.48%
2004	1,429	80.10%	349	19.56%	6	0.34%
2000	1,333	77.55%	360	20.94%	26	1.51%
1996	988	62.33%	495	31.23%	102	6.44%
1992	893	51.47%	578	33.31%	264	15.22%
1988	1,043	60.89%	661	38.59%	9	0.53%
1984	1,297	70.84%	529	28.89%	5	0.27%
1980	1,106	58.58%	751	39.78%	31	1.64%
1976	704	39.02%	1,095	60.70%	5	0.28%
1972	1,229	77.74%	350	22.14%	2	0.13%
1968	816	50.15%	543	33.37%	268	16.47%
1964	708	39.86%	1,068	60.14%	0	0.00%
1960	951	55.29%	764	44.42%	5	0.29%
1956	826	47.72%	903	52.17%	2	0.12%
1952	1,150	55.93%	900	43.77%	6	0.29%
1948	241	14.24%	1,372	81.09%	79	4.67%
1944	280	17.93%	1,170	74.90%	112	7.17%
1940	213	11.56%	1,619	87.85%	11	0.60%
1936	133	7.99%	1,513	90.93%	18	1.08%
1932	141	7.95%	1,626	91.71%	6	0.34%
1928	1,092	68.90%	491	30.98%	2	0.13%
1924	273	22.12%	893	72.37%	68	5.51%
1920	206	20.58%	766	76.52%	29	2.90%
1916	42	5.62%	636	85.14%	69	9.24%
1912	12	2.74%	387	88.36%	39	8.90%