Liberty County is a county in Texas, United States, on the Trinity River northeast of Houston. It had a population of 91,628 at the 2020 census and covers 1,176 square miles (3,050 km2), of which 18 square miles (47 km2) is water, centred near 30°09′N 94°49′W.
Liberty is the county seat and its postal code is 77575. The county has 11 incorporated cities and towns, two census-designated places, and about three dozen smaller unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone and forms part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Liberty County
Liberty County’s 90-plus named places range from the incorporated cities strung along U.S. 90 and State Highway 321 to scattered rural settlements first platted in the 1800s. Type legend: City · seat = the county seat, City/Town = incorporated municipality, CDP = Census-Designated Place (unincorporated but tracked by the Census Bureau), Unincorp. = unincorporated community or historic settlement with no municipal government. Two cities — Mont Belvieu and Old River–Winfree — are mostly in neighboring Chambers County but extend into Liberty County. Population figures are shown only where independently confirmed; other cells read —.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | City · seat | — | 77575 |
| Dayton | City | 8,777 | 77535 |
| Cleveland | City | — | 77327 / 77328 |
| Daisetta | City | — | 77533 |
| Ames | City | — | — |
| Dayton Lakes | City | — | — |
| Devers | City | — | 77538 |
| Hardin | Town | — | 77561 |
| Kenefick | Town | — | — |
| North Cleveland | City | — | — |
| Plum Grove | City | — | — |
| Mont Belvieu | City | — | — |
| Old River–Winfree | City | — | — |
| Hull | CDP | — | 77564 |
| Big Thicket Lake Estates | CDP | — | — |
| Rye | Unincorp. | — | 77369 |
| Raywood | Unincorp. | — | 77582 |
| Romayor | Unincorp. | — | 77368 |
| Moss Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moss Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rayburn | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hightower | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hoop and Holler | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Macedonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stilson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tarkington Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Colony Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dolen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eastgate | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ainsworth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Atascosito | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Big Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carter Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clark | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cockrans | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cottonwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Coushatta Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cow Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| East River | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Esperson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Felicia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Franklin | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fullerton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fuqua | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gladstell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grace | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grady | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Grand Cane | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gum Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jacob Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Keno | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ladd | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lakeland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lumm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mariam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Martha | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marvels | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mason Lake Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Milvid | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Moore Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Hope | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nimrod | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old River Community | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pedeco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pelican | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rock Island | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sam Houston | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sandune | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Seaman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sheeks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shiloh | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Simmons Bottom | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Snuff Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Dayton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| South Liberty | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tanner Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Timber Lake Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tivett | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Trinity River Lake Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Vanva Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wadley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Williams | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Winter Valley Estates | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woodson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Abshier Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bendetsen | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Dowdel Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ducat Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Frige Settlement | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Big Thicket Creekmore Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Big Thicket Loblolly | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 77575 — Liberty
- 77535 — Dayton
- 77327 — Cleveland
- 77328 — Cleveland (also serves Cape Royale)
- 77533 — Daisetta
- 77538 — Devers
- 77564 — Hull
- 77369 — Rye
- 77582 — Raywood
- 77561 — Hardin
- 77368 — Romayor
Smaller communities such as Ames, Kenefick, North Cleveland and Plum Grove use the ZIP code of the nearest post-office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Liberty County lies in the Piney Woods-to-Gulf Coastal Plain transition east of Houston, straddling the lower Trinity River, which enters from the north and flows south into Trinity Bay. Much of the eastern county sits within the Big Thicket ecoregion, a mix of pine, hardwood bottomland and wetland. The county borders Polk County to the north, Hardin County to the east, Jefferson County to the southeast, Chambers County to the south, Harris County to the southwest, Montgomery County to the west and San Jacinto County to the northwest.
Demographics
Liberty County had 91,628 residents at the 2020 census. Dayton, its largest city, counted 8,777 people the same year; Cleveland and Liberty are the county’s next-largest incorporated places. Median household income figures specific to the county are not independently confirmed here; the Texas median stood at $75,780 in the 2023 American Community Survey for comparison. With 1,158 square miles of land, the county’s overall density works out to roughly 79 people per square mile, though population is concentrated along the U.S. 90/State Highway 321 corridor around Dayton and Liberty rather than spread evenly.
Economy & Local Life
Liberty County’s economy runs on a mix of oil and gas production, timber, cattle ranching and Houston-commuter growth. Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District and area refineries and petrochemical plants near Mont Belvieu draw workers from the county’s eastern cities, while Dayton and Liberty have grown as bedroom communities for Houston along the U.S. 90 corridor. The Big Thicket’s forests support hunting leases and timber operations in the county’s northern and eastern reaches.
History
Empresario and commissioner José Francisco Madero laid out the settlement in 1831 as Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad, a town in Mexican Texas. After Texas independence, the Republic of Texas organized Liberty County in 1836, and the town’s name was anglicized to Liberty, reflecting the American ideal the revolution invoked. The county is one of the original 23 counties formed by the first Congress of the Republic of Texas.
Getting There
Interstate 69/U.S. 59 crosses the county’s western edge, U.S. 90 runs through Liberty and Dayton, and State Highways 61, 105, 146 and 321 connect the county’s smaller towns. Approximate driving distances:
- Houston — about 45 miles southwest
- Beaumont — about 45 miles east
- Conroe — about 30 miles west
- Livingston — about 30 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Liberty County, Texas?
It is in southeast Texas, on the Trinity River northeast of Houston, part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area.
What is the population of Liberty County?
91,628 as of the 2020 census.
How big is Liberty County?
1,176 square miles (3,050 km2), of which 18 square miles (47 km2) is water.
What is the county seat of Liberty County?
Liberty is the county seat.
How many towns are in Liberty County?
11 incorporated cities and towns, two census-designated places, and roughly 80 smaller unincorporated communities and historic settlements.
What ZIP codes are in Liberty County?
Eleven, including 77575 (Liberty), 77535 (Dayton), 77327/77328 (Cleveland) and 77533 (Daisetta).
Why is it called Liberty County?
Its seat began as the Mexican town of Villa de la Santísima Trinidad de la Libertad in 1831; after Texas independence in 1836 the name was anglicized to Liberty.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.