Nueces County Demographics

A map of Nueces County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Hispanic	220,501	217,052	62.5%	61.5%
White	103,446	106,165	29.3%	30.1%
Black	12,470	12,651	3.5%	3.6%
Asian	8,002	7,712	2.3%	2.2%
Multiracial	6,758	7,146	1.9%	2.0%
Native American/Other	1,778	2,452	0.5%	0.7%

Nueces County, Texas has an estimated population of 352,955, a less than 1% change from the 353,178 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 62.5% Hispanic, 29.3% White, 3.5% Black, 2.3% Asian, 1.9% Multiracial, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Nueces County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Nueces has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Texas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Nueces County, that probability was 53.0% in 2020 and 52.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Nueces County is ranked the 17th most populous county in Texas, out of 254 counties. Nueces County was ranked the 16th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Nueces County's White Population

103,446 residents of Nueces County, or 29.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Nueces County is lower than in Texas overall, where 39.1% of the population is White. Nueces County ranks 222nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nueces County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.6%. White residents' share of Nueces County's population has decreased from 30.1% to 29.3%.

Nueces County is more White than neighboring Kleberg County (20.8% White), and Jim Wells County (18.4% White). Nueces County is less White than neighboring San Patricio County (37.9% White), Aransas County (67.2% White), and Refugio County (40.6% White).

Nueces County's Black Population

12,470 residents of Nueces County, or 3.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Nueces County is lower than in Texas overall, where 11.9% of the population is Black. Nueces County ranks 118th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nueces County's Black population has declined by an estimated 1.4%. Black residents' share of Nueces County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.5%.

Nueces County is more Black than neighboring San Patricio County (1.5% Black), Jim Wells County (0.8% Black), and Aransas County (1.3% Black). Nueces County is less Black than neighboring Kleberg County (3.6% Black), and Refugio County (6.2% Black).

Nueces County's Asian Population

8,002 residents of Nueces County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Nueces County is slightly lower than in Texas overall, where 5.5% of the population is Asian. Nueces County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nueces County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 3.8%. Asian residents' share of Nueces County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.3%.

Nueces County is more Asian than neighboring San Patricio County (1.1% Asian), Kleberg County (1.3% Asian), Jim Wells County (0.5% Asian), Aransas County (1.3% Asian), and Refugio County (0% Asian).

Nueces County's Hispanic Population

220,501 residents of Nueces County, or 62.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Nueces County is significantly higher than in Texas overall, where 39.7% of the population is Hispanic. Nueces County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nueces County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 1.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Nueces County's population has increased from 61.5% to 62.5%.

Nueces County is more Hispanic than neighboring San Patricio County (56.5% Hispanic), Aransas County (27.1% Hispanic), and Refugio County (50.4% Hispanic). Nueces County is less Hispanic than neighboring Kleberg County (71.4% Hispanic), and Jim Wells County (79.5% Hispanic).

Nueces County's Native American/Other Population

1,778 residents of Nueces County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Nueces County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Nueces County ranks 121st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nueces County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 27.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Nueces County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Nueces County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Jim Wells County (0.3% Native American/Other). Nueces County is less Native American/Other than neighboring San Patricio County (1% Native American/Other), Aransas County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Refugio County (0.6% Native American/Other).

Nueces County's Multiracial Population

6,758 residents of Nueces County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Nueces County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 3.1% of the population is Multiracial. Nueces County ranks 190th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Nueces County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 5.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Nueces County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.9%.

Nueces County is more Multiracial than neighboring Jim Wells County (0.5% Multiracial). Nueces County is less Multiracial than neighboring San Patricio County (2.2% Multiracial), Kleberg County (2.4% Multiracial), Aransas County (2.5% Multiracial), and Refugio County (2.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.