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Kleberg County
Kleberg County
County
	The Kleberg County Courthouse in Kingsville. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2010.
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 27°26′N 97°40′W / 27.43°N 97.66°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1913
Named for	Robert J. Kleberg
Seat	Kingsville
Largest city	Kingsville
Area
• Total	1,090 sq mi (2,800 km2)
• Land	881 sq mi (2,280 km2)
• Water	209 sq mi (540 km2) 19%
Population (2020)
• Total	31,040
• Density	28/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	34th
Website	www.co.kleberg.tx.us

Kleberg County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,040.^[1] The county seat is Kingsville.^[2] The county was organized in 1913^[3] and is named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler.

Kleberg County is part of the Kingsville, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX Combined Statistical Area. Most of the county's land lies in the famed King Ranch, which also extends into neighboring counties.

History

The county was organized in 1913^[4] and was named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler (see below).

In 1997, the county commissioners designated "HeavenO" as the county's official greeting because of a taboo stemming from "Hello"'s perceived connotations of Hell.^[5]^[6]

Robert Justus Kleberg

Robert Justus Kleberg Sr. (1803–1888), a Prussian settler, was born on September 10, 1803, in Herstelle, Westphalia. His father was a merchant.

Kleberg was educated in the classics and attended the University of Göttingen, where he received a J.D. degree. After graduating he was appointed a justice of assizes. He married Rosalie von Roeder near Paderborn, Prussia, in 1834. They emigrated to Texas that year and settled in Cat Spring in 1836.

In the Republic of Texas, Kleberg was associate commissioner and president of the Board of Land Commissioners (1837–38), justice of the peace (1841), and chief justice of Austin County (1846). In 1847 the Kleberg's moved to Meyersville, where Kleberg was elected county commissioner in 1848 and chief justice in 1853.

Kleberg fought in the battle of San Jacinto in Capt. Moseley Baker's company and subsequently served as one of the Texas guards for Gen. Santa Anna. After the revolution, he volunteered for six months' duty in the Texas army in a campaign against the Indians on Escondido Creek.

Kleberg supported the cause of the Confederacy. When the Civil War broke out he raised a company of militia but because of his advanced age was not received into active service. Robert and Rosa raised their own seven children in addition to several young Roeder relatives. Their youngest son, Robert Justus Kleberg Jr. married Alice Gertrudis King.

Kleberg died on October 23, 1888, near Cuero and was buried there. His grave is marked by a monument in the form of a soldier's tent with the words "Remember the Alamo" carved at the base. Kleberg County was named in his honor in 1913; a marker at his home site near Cuero was erected in 1936.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,090 square miles (2,800 km²), of which 881 square miles (2,280 km²) is land and 209 square miles (540 km²) (19%) is water.^[7] It borders the Gulf of Mexico. Baffin Bay makes up a large part of the border with Kenedy County.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Nueces County (north)
Kenedy County (south)
Brooks County (southwest)
Jim Wells County (west)

National protected area

Padre Island National Seashore (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	7,837	—
1930	12,451	58.9%
1940	13,344	7.2%
1950	21,991	64.8%
1960	30,052	36.7%
1970	33,166	10.4%
1980	33,358	0.6%
1990	30,274	−9.2%
2000	31,549	4.2%
2010	32,061	1.6%
2020	31,040	−3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1850–2010^[9] 2010^[10] 2020^[11]

2020 census

**Kleberg 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)	8,997	7,479	6,728	28.52%	23.33%	21.68%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,091	1,070	995	3.46%	3.34%	3.21%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	97	51	83	0.31%	0.16%	0.27%
Asian alone (NH)	444	715	784	1.41%	2.23%	2.53%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	26	26	1	0.08%	0.08%	0.00%
Other Race alone (NH)	21	28	97	0.07%	0.09%	0.31%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH)	238	197	432	0.75%	0.61%	1.39%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	20,635	22,495	21,920	65.41%	70.16%	70.62%
Total	31,549	32,061	31,040	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2000 Census

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 31,549 people, 10,896 households, and 7,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km²). There were 12,743 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.87% White, 3.70% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 19.00% from other races, and 3.25% from two or more races. 65.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,896 households, out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 13.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.30% under the age of 18, 15.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 19.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,313, and the median income for a family was $33,055. Males had a median income of $31,179 versus $19,494 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,542. About 21.20% of families and 26.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.50% of those under age 18 and 15.60% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

68.1% of the people in Kleberg County are religious: 37.3% are Catholics, 9.8% are Baptists, 8% are Muslims, 3.3% are Methodists, 2.7% are Pentecostals, 2.0% are Mormons, 0.9% are Lutherans, 0.7% are Presbyterians, 0.6% are Episcopalians and 2.8% are from another Christian faith.^[14]

Communities

Cities and towns

Kingsville (county seat)

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

Loyola Beach

Politics

United States presidential election results for Kleberg County, Texas^[15]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	5,612	55.95%	4,338	43.25%	81	0.81%
2020	5,504	50.29%	5,314	48.56%	126	1.15%
2016	4,367	45.55%	4,716	49.19%	504	5.26%
2012	4,058	45.56%	4,754	53.37%	95	1.07%
2008	4,540	45.97%	5,256	53.22%	80	0.81%
2004	5,366	53.81%	4,550	45.62%	57	0.57%
2000	4,526	49.23%	4,481	48.74%	187	2.03%
1996	3,391	37.68%	5,136	57.07%	472	5.25%
1992	3,897	36.89%	5,109	48.36%	1,558	14.75%
1988	4,443	44.67%	5,367	53.96%	136	1.37%
1984	5,712	53.48%	4,924	46.10%	45	0.42%
1980	4,608	45.84%	5,125	50.98%	320	3.18%
1976	3,771	39.09%	5,803	60.15%	73	0.76%
1972	5,312	54.19%	4,481	45.71%	10	0.10%
1968	2,713	33.84%	4,633	57.80%	670	8.36%
1964	1,652	26.52%	4,568	73.32%	10	0.16%
1960	2,092	35.66%	3,773	64.32%	1	0.02%
1956	2,121	46.39%	2,436	53.28%	15	0.33%
1952	2,037	38.94%	3,193	61.04%	1	0.02%
1948	697	24.26%	2,083	72.50%	93	3.24%
1944	421	21.51%	1,473	75.27%	63	3.22%
1940	429	20.78%	1,631	79.02%	4	0.19%
1936	156	9.13%	1,488	87.12%	64	3.75%
1932	198	10.15%	1,727	88.56%	25	1.28%
1928	751	51.94%	695	48.06%	0	0.00%
1924	226	19.57%	721	62.42%	208	18.01%
1920	172	25.56%	455	67.61%	46	6.84%
1916	106	18.34%	427	73.88%	45	7.79%

Kleberg County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican J. M. Lozano, a restaurateur in Kingsville, Portland, Callen, and in Alice, Texas. Kleberg County has leaned Democratic for most of its history but has become more competitive in the 21st century. An indicator of that trend is Lozano who was originally a Democrat but switched to the Republicans in 2012. Also, Kleberg County Attorney Kira Talip Sanchez was originally elected as a Democrat in 2014, but she announced in August 2023 that she switched parties and is now a Republican.^[16] Kleberg County has voted three times for either narrowly winning or losing Republicans (George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, and Donald Trump in 2020).

Education

School districts include:

Coastal Bend College (formerly Bee County College) is the designated community college for the Kingsville, Ricardo, and Santa Gertrudis school district areas. The Riviera ISD portion is in the Del Mar College-Corpus Christi Junior College District.^[17]