Loving County is a county in Texas, United States, about 77 miles west of Odessa on the New
Mexico border. It had a population of 64 at the 2020 census, an estimated 52 by 2023, and covers
677 square miles (1,753 km2) centred near 31°50′N 103°34′W — making it, by a wide margin,
the least populous county in the United States with a permanent population.
Mentone is the county seat and the county’s only community; its postal code is 79754. The
county holds no incorporated cities or towns and runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 48301,
and it sits in Texas’s 23rd congressional district.
Towns & Villages in Loving County
Loving County has exactly one named place with any population: Mentone, an unincorporated
community and census-designated place. Texas counties have no civil townships, so this table
carries no Township column, and there is no CDP-versus-town distinction to make — Mentone
is the whole list.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mentone | CDP · seat | 22 | 79754 |
Three settlements once stood in the county but no longer register a population and carry no
current addressing data: Hay Flat, Porterville and Woody. All three were early-1900s farming and
ranching outposts that emptied out as Loving County’s population collapsed through the
twentieth century; none appears in Census Bureau place data today, so they are not listed in the
table above.
ZIP Codes
- 79754 — Mentone (the only ZIP code assigned anywhere in the county)
Every address in Loving County, including ranch headquarters and oilfield facilities scattered
across its 669 square miles of land, is served by the single Mentone post office; there is no
second ZIP to split off, since the county has no other community.
Geography
Loving County sits in the Trans-Pecos region of far West Texas, a stretch of flat-to-rolling
desert grassland east of the Pecos River. Of its 677 square miles, 669 are land and 7.7 are
water, about 1.1 percent — nearly all of it the Pecos River itself, which crosses the
county’s southwestern corner about 1.5 miles from Mentone. The terrain is otherwise dry
rangeland dotted with oil and gas well pads, with almost no surface water away from the river.
Lea County, New Mexico lies to the north, Winkler County to the east, Ward County and Reeves
County to the south, and Reeves County again, along with Eddy County, New Mexico, to the west.
Lea County, Winkler County, Ward County, Reeves County and Eddy County all border Loving directly.
Demographics
Loving County had a population of 64 at the 2020 census, down from 82 in 2010, and the latest
estimate puts the county near 52 residents. Mentone is the only community large enough to count
separately, with 22 residents in 2020; the remainder live on scattered ranches and oilfield
sites across the rest of the county. Median household income runs $141,373 (2018–2022 ACS
5-year estimate), well above Texas’s 2023 statewide figure of $75,780, reflecting oil and
gas royalty and wage income concentrated among a very small resident base. Population density
works out to well under one person per square mile of land, the lowest of any county in Texas.
Economy & Local Life
Oil and gas production dominates Loving County’s economy; the county sits atop the
Permian Basin’s Delaware sub-basin, and well pads, pipelines and service roads cover much
of its rangeland. Cattle ranching, the county’s original industry, continues on the land
around the oilfields. County government is itself a major local employer relative to the tiny
population — the courthouse in Mentone houses the county judge, sheriff, tax office and
clerk. Loving County has no incorporated municipal government, no school building of its own (it
is zoned to the Wink-Loving Independent School District, based in neighboring Winkler County),
and no commercial retail beyond a single gas station and post office in Mentone.
History
Texas organized Loving County on 26 February 1887, naming it for Oliver Loving, a cattle
drover killed by a Comanche raiding party in 1867 while blazing the Goodnight–Loving Trail.
The county was disorganized in 1897 after its population fell too low to sustain a functioning
government, then reorganized in 1931 as oil exploration drew people back — the only Texas
county ever organized twice. Mentone was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1967 as
the “Smallest County Seat in Texas.” The two-story Loving County Courthouse, built in
1931 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remains the county’s largest
building. Mentone was also home to Edna Reed Clayton DeWees, the first woman elected sheriff in
Texas, who served from 1945 to 1947.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Loving County. State Highway 302 runs through Mentone, along
with Ranch to Market Road 652 and Farm to Market Road 1933.
- Odessa — about 77 miles east
- Pecos — about 22 miles south
- Kermit — about 30 miles southeast
- Carlsbad, New Mexico — about 45 miles northwest
Midland International Air & Space Port, roughly 100 miles east of Mentone, is the nearest
major commercial airport. Loving County has no Amtrak service; the nearest station is in Alpine,
well over 100 miles to the south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Loving County located?
It sits in far West Texas’s Trans-Pecos region, on the New Mexico border about 77 miles
west of Odessa, bordered by Lea, Winkler, Ward, Reeves and Eddy counties.
What is the population of Loving County?
64 at the 2020 census, with a 2023 estimate near 52 — the smallest population of any
county in the United States.
How big is Loving County?
677 square miles (1,753 km2), of which 669 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Loving County?
Mentone, designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark as the smallest county seat in Texas, is
the county seat and only community.
How many towns and cities are in Loving County?
None are incorporated. Mentone is the county’s single named community; Hay Flat,
Porterville and Woody are former settlements with no population today.
What ZIP code does Loving County use?
79754, for Mentone, is the only ZIP code assigned anywhere in the county.
What is Loving County known for?
Being the least populous county in the United States, and the only Texas county ever organized
twice, in 1887 and again in 1931.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.