Haskell County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Rolling Plains of north-central Texas. It had a population of 5,416 at the 2020 census and covers 910 square miles (2,400 km2) centred near 33°11′N 99°44′W.
Haskell is the county seat, and its postal code is 79521. The county has four cities, two towns, and several unincorporated communities. It lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Haskell County
Haskell County has 15 named places: four incorporated cities, two incorporated towns, and nine unincorporated communities, one of them (Jud) now a ghost town. Texas draws no formal legal line between a “city” and a “town” — both are general-law municipalities — but the labels below follow common local usage.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haskell | City · seat | — | 79521 |
| O’Brien | City | — | — |
| Stamford | City | — | 79553 |
| Weinert | City | — | 79567 |
| Rochester | Town | — | 79544 |
| Rule | Town | — | 79547 |
| Irby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Josselet | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mattson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Paint Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinkerton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Plainview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sagerton | Unincorp. | — | 79548 |
| Scott Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jud | Unincorp. · ghost town | — | — |
Stamford straddles the Haskell–Jones county line; most of the city and most of its population sit across the line in Jones County, with only a small northeastern edge inside Haskell County.
ZIP Codes
- 79521 — Haskell (also serves O’Brien and surrounding rural addresses)
- 79547 — Rule
- 79544 — Rochester
- 79567 — Weinert
- 79548 — Sagerton
- 79553 — Stamford (shared with the Jones County side of the city)
Irby, Josselet, Mattson, Paint Creek, Pinkerton, Plainview, Scott Crossing, and the Jud townsite have no post office of their own and are served by a neighboring town’s ZIP code.
Geography
Haskell County sits in the Rolling Plains region of north-central Texas, gently rolling mesquite rangeland and cropland crossed by shallow creek drainages that feed toward the Brazos River system to the east. Of its 910 square miles, 903 square miles (2,340 km2) are land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2), 0.8 percent, are water. The terrain and climate support a mix of dryland and irrigated farming alongside open cattle range, the same combination that has shaped the county’s economy since its earliest settlement.
Haskell County borders seven other counties: Knox County to the north, Baylor County to the northeast, Throckmorton County to the east, Shackelford County to the southeast, Jones County to the south, Stonewall County to the west, and King County to the northwest.
Demographics
Haskell County had 5,416 residents at the 2020 census, down from a peak of more than 16,000 in 1910. The county seat, Haskell, and the town of Rule are its largest population centers. Median household income in the county runs below the Texas median of $75,780. With 903 square miles of land, the county’s population density works out to roughly 6 people per square mile, among the more sparsely settled counties on the Rolling Plains.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the local economy — cotton and wheat are the leading row crops, alongside cattle ranching on the county’s rangeland. Oil and gas production and, more recently, wind-energy development supplement farm income across the county. Haskell serves as the county’s retail, medical, and school-district hub, with the county courthouse, a hospital, and the local school district anchoring the town square. Smaller communities such as Rule, Rochester, and Weinert function mainly as agricultural shipping points along the county’s rail and highway lines.
History
Haskell County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1858 out of the vast Bexar and Fannin land districts, but the frontier remained too exposed to Comanche raids for permanent settlement until decades later. County government was not organized until 1885, once ranchers and farmers had begun moving in behind the retreating frontier line. The county is named for Charles Ready Haskell, a soldier killed at the Goliad massacre in 1836 during the Texas Revolution. Paint Creek, one of the county’s unincorporated communities, is the birthplace of former Texas governor Rick Perry.
Getting There
U.S. Highways 277 and 380 and State Highways 6 and 222 cross Haskell County, meeting at the city of Haskell.
- Abilene — about 45 miles south
- Wichita Falls — about 90 miles northeast
- Abilene Regional Airport — the nearest commercial airport, in Abilene
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Haskell County, Texas?
It is in north-central Texas, on the Rolling Plains, about 45 miles north of Abilene.
What is the population of Haskell County?
Haskell County had a population of 5,416 at the 2020 census.
How big is Haskell County?
The county covers 910 square miles (2,400 km2), of which 903 square miles (2,340 km2) are land.
What is the county seat of Haskell County?
Haskell is the county seat.
How many towns are in Haskell County?
The county has four cities, two towns, and several unincorporated communities — 15 named places in all.
What ZIP codes are in Haskell County?
Main ZIP codes include 79521 (Haskell), 79547 (Rule), 79544 (Rochester), 79567 (Weinert), 79548 (Sagerton), and 79553 (Stamford).
Who is Haskell County’s best-known native?
Former Texas governor Rick Perry was born at Paint Creek, an unincorporated community in Haskell County.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.