In the least populous county in America, 64 people live in a desert.
In short: Loving County, Texas, is a place of extremes. Despite having the lowest permanent population of any US county, it maintains Texas's highest median household income. In this vast, flat desert, life is defined by oil, isolation, and a history of political chaos.
With a 2020 census population of just 64 people, Loving County is a geographic anomaly. Covering 677 square miles—roughly three-fifths the size of Rhode Island—the landscape is a flat desert of shrubs, cacti, and range grasses. Because the local groundwater contains gypsum, residents must import water from nearby towns like Kermit or Pecos to avoid high salinity. The terrain consists of low hills and desert shrubs alongside salt cedars. Elevations in this region range from 2,686 to 3,311 feet above sea level.
The county's history is marked by volatility and failed attempts at organization. After separating from Reeves County in 1887, it rejoined that county a decade later before being reconstituted in 1931. This makes it the only county in Texas to be organized twice. In the late 1890s, the county was essentially dissolved after accusations of fraudulent elections and the disappearance of its sheriff, W. A. Hunter, who was later found living in Alabama under an assumed name. The area was once a part of Bexar and Tom Green counties. In 1854, John Pope surveyed the land to facilitate a transcontinental railroad.
Despite its tiny population, the county is an economic powerhouse in West Texas. Driven by oil production, which peaked in 1931 with over 1.2 million barrels, the area has seen massive wealth concentration. Between 2018 and 2022, the median household income reached $141,373, the highest in Texas. This wealth is a stark contrast to the county's isolation, where even registered voters may live on ranches that have been uninhabited since 2008. The local economy was transformed when the Toyah-Bell Oil Company began production in 1921. This industry has sustained the area despite its extreme isolation.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Loving County, Texas
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