According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 808 square miles (2,090 km2), of which 781 square miles (2,020 km2) are land and 27 square miles (70 km2) (3.3%) are covered by water.[4] Located in the northeast portion of Texas, it is bounded on the southwest by theTrinity River, and drained by its east fork.[5]
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 145,310. The median age was 35.2 years. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.5 males age 18 and over.[10]
58.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 41.9% lived in rural areas.[12]
There were 47,673 households in the county, of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.3% were married-couple households, 13.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]
There were 51,228 housing units, of which 6.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.8% were owner-occupied and 23.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.5%.[10]
Kaufman County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition 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 may be of any race.
According to thecensus of 2000,[15] 71,313 people, 24,367 households, and 19,225 families were residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 91 per square mile (35/km2). Its 26,133 housing units averaged 33 per square mile (13/km2). According to the 2000 census, theracial and ethnic makeup of the county was 81.10% White, 10.53% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 5.68% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. About 11.11% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Kaufman County’s population was 185,690. It also estimated that the population was 46.6% non-Hispanic White, 28.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% non-Hispanic Black, 2.2% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 1.9% multiracial.[16]
Kaufman County is served by three newspapers, theTerrell Tribune, theKaufman Herald, and theForney Messenger.Forney, Texas, is also served by online news media outlet inForney.com, which covers breaking news for the county. A quarterly magazine calledKaufman County Life is produced by theTerrell Tribune. The Kemp and Mabank areas are included in coverage byThe Monitor andAthens Daily Review newspapers.
The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office is Kaufman County's main police force. Smaller cities depend on the sheriff's office, along with theTexas Highway Patrol, for law-enforcement duties.
In December 2012, Texas officials issued a statewide bulletin warning that theAryan Brotherhood was "actively planning retaliation against law enforcement officials" who worked to prosecute the gang's leadership.[17]
In January 2013, Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse of Kaufman County was assassinated by gunshot outside the Kaufman County courthouse.[17] On March 30, 2013,District AttorneyMike McLelland, along with his wife, were found shot and killed in their home.[18] On April 13, 2013, ex-justice of the peace Eric Williams was arrested for making terrorist threats to county officials by email. Hasse and McLelland had aggressively prosecuted Williams in a theft case. Williams was convicted, and lost his position and his law license as a result.[19] On April 17, 2013, his wife Kim Williams was arrested oncapital murder charges in all three deaths.[20]
Officials did not link these arrests or events to the Aryan Brotherhood. Eric Williams was convicted at trial and sentenced to death on December 16, 2014.[21] Kim Williams pleaded guilty on December 30, 2014, and received a 40-year sentence.[22]
Prior to 1952, Kaufman County was a Democratic Party stronghold in presidential elections. From 1952 to 1980, it was still primarily Democratic, though the party's margin of victories were far lower than before. RepublicanRichard Nixon won the county handily in 1972 as part of his national landslide. Starting with the 1984 election, it has become a Republican stronghold, though neither ofBill Clinton's two Republican opponents managed a majority despite winning the county due toRoss Perot's strong third-party candidacy.
The county's Republican lean has lessened a bit due to population growth in theDFW metroplex in recent years, but it still remains strongly Republican. Republicans have consistently won more than 60% of the vote in the county in the 21st century.
United States presidential election results for Kaufman County, Texas[23]
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