El Paso County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 865,657, making it the tenth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is the city of El Paso, the sixth-most populous city in Texas and the 22nd-most populous city in the United States. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1871.
El Paso is from the name El Paso del Norte, which is Spanish for "the Route of the North". It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either side of the river. The county is northeast of the Mexico–United States border.
El Paso County is included in the El Paso metropolitan area. Along with Hudspeth County, it is one of two counties of Texas entirely in the Mountain Time Zone (all other Texas counties except for northwestern Culberson County use Central Time). El Paso County is one of nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.2%) are covered by water.
Adjacent counties and municipalities Doña Ana County, New Mexico – northwest Otero County, New Mexico – northeast Hudspeth County, Texas – east Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico – south Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico – south Práxedis G. Guerrero, Chihuahua, Mexico – southeast
National protected area Chamizal National Memorial El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail (part)
Major highways
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +El Paso County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)157,842151,313115,535105,24698,21932.89%25.58%17.00%13.15%11.35%Black or African American alone (NH)17,59020,52518,67120,64924,4153.67%3.47%2.75%2.58%2.82%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,5151,6342,0572,2692,3650.32%0.28%0.30%0.28%0.27%Asian alone (NH)4,0535,8206,1487,55110,6920.84%0.98%0.90%0.94%1.24%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census4408051,527xx0.06%0.10%0.18%Other race alone (NH)1,8986994976022,4220.40%0.12%0.07%0.08%0.28%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census4,6205,39110,666xx0.68%0.67%1.23%Hispanic or Latino (any race)297,001411,619531,654658,134715,35161.89%69.58%78.23%82.20%82.64%Total479,899591,610679,622800,647865,657 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 865,657. The median age was 34.2 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.9 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 36.2% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 21.8% from some other race, and 35.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 82.6% of the population.
96.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 296,400 households in the county, of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.7% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 317,894 housing units, of which 6.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.9% were owner-occupied and 38.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 800,647 people living in the county. 82.1% were White of largely Hispanic descent, 10.5% of other races, 3.1% African American or Black, 2.5% of two or more races, 1.0% Asian, 0.8% Native American and 0.1% Pacific Islander. 82.2% were Latino (of any race).
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 679,622 people, 210,022 households, and 166,127 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 224,447 housing units at an average density of . The city was 78.23% Latino of any race. The racial makeup of the county was 73.95% White, 17.91% from other races, 3.06% African American or Black, 0.82% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, and 3.19% from two or more races.
There were 210,022 households, out of which 44.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 18.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.90% were non-families. 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 3.63.
In the county, 32.00% were under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 18.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,051, and the median income for a family was $33,410. Males had a median income of $26,882 versus $20,722 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,421. About 20.50% of families and 23.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.50% of those under age 18 and 18.50% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics Most of El Paso County is included in the 16th Congressional District in the U.S. House, represented by Democrat Veronica Escobar. A small eastern portion of the county is in the 23rd Congressional District, which was represented by Republican Tony Gonzales prior to his resignation in 2026. El Paso County is historically Democratic and the 2008 presidential election was no exception. Democrat Barack Obama won 66% of the vote with 121,589 votes even though he lost the entire state of Texas by about 946,000 votes. Republican John McCain won 33% of the vote in El Paso County with 61,598 votes. Other candidates won 1% of the vote. In 2004, Democrat John F. Kerry won El Paso County but by a smaller margin than Barack Obama. John Kerry won 56% of the vote, while Republican and former Governor of Texas George W. Bush won 43% of the vote with 73,261 votes.
In 2024 Donald Trump got the biggest vote share for a Republican in the county since 2004 with 41.8%, constituting a 20-point shift margin-wise to the right from 2020. This was largely due to increased support for Trump among Latinos, whom he won in Texas with 54%.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office is headquartered in an unincorporated area in El Paso County."Contact Us ." El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on December 6, 2009. At one point it was headquartered within the City of El Paso."Administration Division." El Paso County Sheriff's Office. April 5, 2001. Retrieved on December 6, 2009. The Leo Samaniego Law Enforcement Complex is adjacent to the sheriff's office headquarters."Communications Department ." El Paso County. Retrieved on December 6, 2009.
Like all Texas counties, El Paso County is governed by a Commissioners Court, which consists of a County Judge, who is elected county-wide, and four County Commissioners, who represent individual precincts. While the County Judge possesses some traditional powers of a judge, the County Judge functions primarily as the chief executive of the county. The County Judge presides over Commissioners Court meetings, casts one vote on Commissioners Court (as do County Commissioners), and lacks veto authority.
The El Paso County Judge is Ricardo Samaniego, and the county commissioners are Carlos Leon (Precinct 1), David Stout (Precinct 2), Iliana Holguin (Precinct 3), and Carl L. Robinson(Precinct 4). The commissioners and the county judge are all Democrats.
Vogt was appointed County Judge in October 2017 by the County Commissioners, following County Judge Veronica Escobar's resignation to run for Congress. He was previously Escobar's chief of staff. He will serve the remainder of her term, through the end of 2018. Leon and Perez were first elected to their positions in 2012, were re-elected in 2016, and have been in office since 2013. Haggerty and Stout were first elected to their positions in 2014, and have been in office since 2015.
The first woman to hold elected office in El Paso County was a teacher, Myra Carroll Winkler, who was elected as superintendent of El Paso County schools in 1912.
United States Congress
Representatives Name Party First Elected Area(s) of El Paso County Represented District 16 Veronica Escobar Democratic 2018 City of El Paso, Fort Bliss, Horizon City, Sparks District 23 Vacant TBD N/A Agua Dulce, Biggs Field, Butterfield, Clint, Fabens, Homestead Meadows North, Homestead Meadows South, Socorro, San Elizario, Tornillo
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate
District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of El Paso County Represented 29 Cesar Blanco Democratic 2020 Entirety of El Paso County
Texas House of Representatives
District Name Party First Elected Area(s) of El Paso County Represented 74 Eddie Morales Democratic 2020 Northeast El Paso County 75 Mary González Democratic 2012 Parts of the city of El Paso and Socorro, Clint, Fabens, Horizon City, San Elizario and Tornillo. 77 Evelina Ortega Democratic 2016 Parts of the city of El Paso 78 Joe Moody Democratic 2008 Northern El Paso County, including parts of the city of El Paso and Anthony, Canutillo, Prado Verde, Vinton and Westway. 130 Claudia Ordaz Democratic 2022 Parts of the city of El Paso and Fort Bliss
County government
El Paso County elected officials Position Name Party County Judge Ricardo Samaniego Democratic Commissioner, Precinct 1 Jackie Arroyo Butler Democratic Commissioner, Precinct 2 David Stout Democratic Commissioner, Precinct 3 Iliana Houglin Democratic Commissioner, Precinct 4 Sergio Cornando Democratic District Attorney James Montoya Democratic District Clerk Norma Favela Barceleau Democratic County Attorney Christina Sanchez Democratic County Clerk Delia Briones Democratic Sheriff Oscar Ugarte Democratic Tax Assessor-Collector Ruben P. Gonzalez Democratic Constable, Precinct 1 Frank Almada Democratic Constable, Precinct 2 Danny T. Zamora Democratic Constable, Precinct 3 Hector J. Bernal Democratic Constable, Precinct 4 Luis Aguilar Democratic Constable, Precinct 5 Manny Lopez Democratic Constable, Precinct 6, Place 1 & 2 Javier Garcia Democratic Constable, Precinct 7 Humberto "Beto" Enriquez Democratic
Communities
Cities El Paso Horizon City San Elizario Socorro
Towns Anthony Clint
Village Vinton
Census-designated places
Agua Dulce Butterfield Canutillo Fabens Homestead Meadows North Homestead Meadows South Morning Glory Prado Verde Sparks Tornillo Westway
Military base Fort Bliss (also CDP)
Unincorporated communities Montana Vista Newman
Economy
As of 2021, El Paso County had a total GDP of around $30 billion and $35,000 per capita.
Education School districts include: - Text list Anthony Independent School District Canutillo Independent School District Clint Independent School District El Paso Independent School District Fabens Independent School District San Elizario Independent School District Socorro Independent School District Tornillo Independent School District Ysleta Independent School District