Zavala County, in the Winter Garden Region of Southwest Texas, is 170 miles west of Corpus Christi. It borders Maverick, Uvalde, Frio, and Dimmit counties. Crystal City, the county seat, is in south central Zavala County. Attractions in Zavala County include hunting, fishing, and the annual Spinach Festival. Zavala County, FIPSCODE 48507, is the 157th largest of the 254 counties in Texas, with an estimated population of 11,600 in 2000. The county consists of 1302 square miles with a 2000 population density of 8.9 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 79.6 persons per square mile which is the same as the national average. Rainfall in Zavala County averages 21.0 inches per year as compared to the Texas average of 28.1 inches per year.
FARMING
The average growing season in Zavala County is 280 days with the first freeze generally occurring around December 1. Texas is so climatically diverse that statewide averages are irrelevant as a means of comparison.
Farming
1987
1997
Number of Farms
272
232
Acres of Farmland
825,843
590,746
Average Size of Farm (acres)
3,036
2,546
POPULATION
According to the Census, Zavala County's population changed -5 percent from 1990 to 2000. The county's population was 12,162 in 1990 and 11,600 in 2000, an increase of -562. In 2000, the median age was 29.0 years versus a statewide average of 32.3 years and a national average of 35.3 years. The Texas Department of Human Services reported there were 202 births and 107 deaths in Zavala County in 2000.
The 2000 Census estimates for Texas show a population composition as follows:
Age Breakdown
Zavala County
Texas
Under 18
34.1%
28.2%
18-24
10.2%
10.5%
25-44
25.6%
31.1%
45-64
18.7%
20.2%
65+
11.3%
9.9%
The 2000 Census Bureau's race/ethnic distribution estimates are as follows:
Group
Zavala County
Zavala County (Percent)
Texas
Texas (Percent)
White
7,547
65%
14,799,505
71.0%
Black
57
0%
2,404,566
11.5%
Hispanic
10,582
91%
6,669,666
32.0%
Asian
10
0%
562,319
2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native
69
1%
118,362
0.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
4
0%
14,434
0.1%
"Numbers may add up to more than the total population and more than 100 percent
because individuals may report more than one race."
HOUSEHOLDS
The county had approximately 3,428 households in 2000 according to the Census. This represents an average of 3.28 persons per household. The housing per square mile rate was 11.2 percent and the county's homeowner rate was 73.1 percent.
The mean travel time to work was 18.1 minutes compared to a state average of 25.4 minutes. The number of people over 16 who commuted to work was 2,972 while the number that worked at home was 75. The commuting to work breakdown was as follows: drove alone (2,010), carpooled (649), public transportation (21), walked (79), and other means (138).
EDUCATION
According to the Census, 3,883 people in Zavala County were enrolled in school in 2000. Countywide, 43.4 percent had a high school diploma or higher and 7.6 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. The equivalent statewide figures for a high school diploma or higher and a bachelor's degree or higher were 75.7 percent and 23.2 percent, respectively.
SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Population 3 years and over enrolled in school
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Population 25 years and over
Nursery school, preschool
276
Less than 9th grade
2,477
Kindergarten
303
9th to 12th grade, no diploma
1,129
Elementary school (grades 1-8)
1,868
High school graduate
1,295
High school (grades 9-12)
976
Some college, no degree
755
College or graduate school
460
Associate degree
231
Bachelor's degree
255
Graduate or professional degree
229
Total
3,883
6,371
FISCAL INFORMATION
In 1999, the Health and Human Services Commission's poverty estimates for Zavala County was 5,749 or 41.83 percent of the non-institutional population. Approximately 3,307,787 Texans or 16.54 percent of the total population fell beneath the poverty line in 1999; this exceeded the U.S. poverty rate of 11.8 percent. There were 3,673 people enrolled in Medicaid in April 2002 with 2,156 of those being under the age of 18.
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts reported total state expenditures of $46,958,626 for Zavala County in their "State Expenditures by County 2000" report. The State spent $16,733,261 on public assistance and $1,732,751 on highway construction and maintenance in Zavala County. During the third quarter of 2001, gross sales for all industries totaled $32,772,674. Comparing the third quarter of 2000 to the third quarter of 2001, gross sales changed 11 percent (from $29,649,655). The county had 3 bank offices in 2001, as reported by the FDIC, with total deposits of $44 million. This represents 0.02 percent of total deposits in Texas ($243,390 billion).
LABOR FORCE
The county civilian labor force was 4,474 in March 2002 reflecting an increase from the March 2001 level of 4,455. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, total unemployment in March 2002 was 746 contrasted to the March 2001 total of 693. The Zavala County unemployment rate for March 2002 was 16.7 percent compared to the March 2001 rate of 15.6 percent. The statewide unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in March 2002 and 4.2 percent in March 2001.
In the first quarter of 2001, Zavala County had 2,886 employed persons and an average weekly wage of $297.
Industry
Jobs
Percentage
Natural Resources & Mining
244
7%
Construction
47
2%
Manufacturing
0
0%
Trade, Transportation & Utilities
185
6%
Information
0
0%
Financial Activities
56
2%
Professional & Business Services
12
1%
Education & Health Services
802
29%
Leisure & Hospitality
103
3%
Other Services
52
2%
Nonclassifiable
529
12%
Federal Government
12
0%
State Government
42
1%
Local Government
802
28%
Distances from the county seat of Crystal City (Miles)
Austin
168
Amarillo
465
Brownsville
239
Dallas
337
El Paso
451
Houston
278
Houston
266
Austin
173
Amarillo
480
Browsville
240
Dallas
334
El Paso
459
Cities
- Crystal City, City of
Top 10 Employers
CRYSTAL CITY - CITY OF
CRYSTAL CITY ISD
DEL MONTE CORPORATION
H.E. BUTT GROCERY CO
LA PRYOR ISD
LOPEZ HEALTH SYSTEMS INC
OUTREACH HEALTH COMMUNITY CARE SVCS
SILGAN CONTAINERS MANUFACTURING CORP
UVALDE CONSOLIDATED ISD
VIDA Y SALUD-HEALTH SYSTEMS INC
Employers are listed alphabetically with no ranking intended.
Resources
For more Texas county data visit
The Texas Association of Counties - http://www.county.org
