Lavaca County, Texas

Lavaca County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,337. Its county seat is Hallettsville. The county was created in 1846. It is named for the Lavaca River, which curves its way southeast through Moulton and Hallettsville before reaching the coast at Matagorda Bay.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 970 sqmi, of which 0.7 sqmi (0.08%) is covered by water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 77.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 77
 * [[Image:Alternate plate.svg|20px]] [[Image:US 77.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 77 Alternate
 * [[Image:Alternate plate.svg|20px]] [[Image:US 90.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 90 Alternate
 * [[Image:Texas 95.svg|20px]] State Highway 95
 * [[Image:Texas 111.svg|20px]] State Highway 111

Adjacent counties

 * Fayette County (north)
 * Colorado County (northeast)
 * Jackson County (southeast)
 * Victoria County (south)
 * DeWitt County (southwest)
 * Gonzales County (northwest)

Demographics
''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 can be of any race.''

As of the census of 2000, 19,210 people, 7,669 households, and 5,391 families were residing in the county. The population density was 20 /mi2. The 9,657 housing units had an average density of 10 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 86.86% White, 6.79% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 4.86% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. About 11.36% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. Of descent, 27.0% were of Czech, 24.1% German, 9.1% American, and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000; 86.3% spoke English, 7.7% Spanish, 4.6% Czech and 1.2% German as their first language. In terms of ancestry in 2016, 32.8% were of German, 30.7% were of Czech, 10.8% were of Irish, 5.4% were of English, 3.4% were of American, and 2.2% were French.

Of the 7,669 households, 30.0% had children under 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were not families. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the age distribution was 24.2% under 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 21.80% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.10 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 88.50 males.

The median income for a household was $29,132, and for a family was $36,760. Males had a median income of $26,988 versus $17,537 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,398. About 10.20% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education
These school public school districts are located in Lavaca County:
 * Hallettsville Independent School District
 * Moulton Independent School District
 * Shiner Independent School District
 * Sweet Home Independent School District
 * Vysehrad Independent School District
 * Yoakum Independent School District
 * Ezzell Independent School District

Cities

 * Hallettsville (county seat)
 * Shiner
 * Yoakum (partly in DeWitt County)

Town

 * Moulton

Unincorporated communities

 * Breslau
 * Sweet Home
 * Speaks
 * Sublime

Politics
Lavaca County is a very conservative county and has been getting more conservative since 1992. The last Democrat to win the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Donald Trump carried it substantially in the 2020 presidential election. His margin was over 70% against Joe Biden.