Wharton County Demographics

A map of Wharton County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	18,096	18,130	43.3%	43.6%
Hispanic	17,560	16,967	42.0%	40.8%
Black	4,563	5,469	10.9%	13.2%
Multiracial	1,221	667	2.9%	1.6%
Asian	209	164	0.5%	0.4%
Native American/Other	145	173	0.3%	0.4%

Wharton County, Texas has an estimated population of 41,794, a less than 1% change from the 41,570 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 43.3% White, 42.0% Hispanic, 10.9% Black, 2.9% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wharton County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wharton is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is 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 Wharton County, that probability was 62.6% in 2020 and 62.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wharton County is ranked the 80th most populous county in Texas, out of 254 counties. Wharton County was ranked the 79th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wharton County's White Population

18,096 residents of Wharton County, or 43.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wharton County is slightly higher than in Texas overall, where 39.1% of the population is White. Wharton County ranks 183rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wharton County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Wharton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 43.3%.

Wharton County is more White than neighboring Fort Bend County (28.7% White), and Matagorda County (41.4% White). Wharton County is less White than neighboring Colorado County (53.2% White), Jackson County (56.9% White), and Austin County (60.4% White).

Wharton County's Black Population

4,563 residents of Wharton County, or 10.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wharton County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 11.9% of the population is Black. Wharton County ranks 38th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wharton County's Black population has declined by an estimated 16.6%. Black residents' share of Wharton County's population has decreased from 13.2% to 10.9%.

Wharton County is more Black than neighboring Colorado County (9.7% Black), Jackson County (6.6% Black), Matagorda County (9.7% Black), and Austin County (7.9% Black). Wharton County is less Black than neighboring Fort Bend County (20.6% Black).

Wharton County's Asian Population

209 residents of Wharton County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wharton County is slightly lower than in Texas overall, where 5.5% of the population is Asian. Wharton County ranks 174th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wharton County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 27.4%. Asian residents' share of Wharton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Wharton County is less Asian than neighboring Colorado County (0.7% Asian), Jackson County (1.4% Asian), Fort Bend County (21.9% Asian), Matagorda County (1.6% Asian), and Austin County (0.8% Asian).

Wharton County's Hispanic Population

17,560 residents of Wharton County, or 42.0% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wharton County is slightly higher than in Texas overall, where 39.7% of the population is Hispanic. Wharton County ranks 82nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wharton County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 3.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Wharton County's population has increased from 40.8% to 42.0%.

Wharton County is more Hispanic than neighboring Colorado County (30.5% Hispanic), Jackson County (33.4% Hispanic), Fort Bend County (24.7% Hispanic), and Austin County (27.8% Hispanic). Wharton County is less Hispanic than neighboring Matagorda County (43.7% Hispanic).

Wharton County's Native American/Other Population

145 residents of Wharton County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wharton County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Wharton County ranks 210th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wharton County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 16.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wharton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Wharton County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Colorado County (0.6% Native American/Other), Jackson County (0.4% Native American/Other), Fort Bend County (0.6% Native American/Other), Matagorda County (1% Native American/Other), and Austin County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Wharton County's Multiracial Population

1,221 residents of Wharton County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wharton County is comparable to the share in Texas overall, where 3.1% of the population is Multiracial. Wharton County ranks 212th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 254 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wharton County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 83.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Wharton County's population has increased from 1.6% to 2.9%.

Wharton County is more Multiracial than neighboring Jackson County (1.5% Multiracial), Matagorda County (2.6% Multiracial), and Austin County (2.6% Multiracial). Wharton County is less Multiracial than neighboring Colorado County (5.3% Multiracial), and Fort Bend County (3.5% 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.