Taylor County, Texas

Taylor County is a county in Texas, United States, about 150 miles west of Fort Worth in the
West Texas plains. It had a population of 143,208 at the 2020 census, an estimated 145,863 by
2024, and covers 919.4 square miles (2,381 km2) centred near 32°19′N 99°53′W.

Abilene is the county seat and by far the county’s largest city; its postal code is 79601.
The county holds 4 cities, 4 incorporated towns, 1 census-designated place and 5 unincorporated
communities, and it runs on Central Time.

Towns & Villages in Taylor County

Taylor County has 14 named places on record: 8 incorporated cities and towns, 1 census
designated place (CDP) and 5 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own.
Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.

Impact is an incorporated town completely surrounded by the city of Abilene, chartered in 1960
so its founders could sell liquor while Abilene stayed dry — it has no ZIP of its own and
uses Abilene’s. The county’s earlier settlement list also carried Blair, Bradshaw,
Cozart, Elmdale, Guion, Happy Valley, Mount Pleasant, Rogers and Shep; none of those names
appear in current Census or Wikipedia records for Taylor County, so they are left off this list
rather than republished unverified.

ZIP Codes

• 79601 — Abilene (downtown; also serves 79602, 79603, 79604, 79605, 79606, 79608, plus
  PO-box-only codes 79697–79699)
• 79607 — Dyess Air Force Base
• 79536 — Merkel
• 79563 — Tye
• 79562 — Tuscola
• 79508 — Buffalo Gap
• 79530 — Lawn
• 79561 — Trent
• 79541 — Ovalo

Hamby, Caps, View, Wylie, Potosi and Impact have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is
delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Taylor County sits on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado in West Texas, rolling plains
that break into rockier terrain toward Buffalo Gap in the county’s south. Of its 919.4
square miles, 915.6 are land and 3.8 are water, a small share concentrated in reservoirs such as
Lake Fort Phantom Hill and Kirby Lake rather than any natural lake. Clear Creek runs through
downtown Abilene.

Jones County lies to the north, Shackelford County to the northeast, Callahan County to the
east, Coleman County to the southeast, Runnels County to the south, Nolan County to the west and
Fisher County to the northwest. Jones County, Shackelford County, Callahan County, Coleman County, Runnels County, Nolan County and Fisher County all border Taylor
directly.

Demographics

Taylor County had a population of 143,208 at the 2020 census, and the latest county estimate
puts it near 145,863 residents as of 2024. Abilene and Merkel are the two largest communities,
with Abilene alone holding well over 85 percent of the county’s population. Median
household income runs $67,139 (2024 estimate), below Texas’s statewide figure of $75,780
(2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 156 people per square mile of land,
concentrated almost entirely in and around Abilene.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 11,605
people, followed by retail trade at 8,854 and educational services at 8,266. Dyess Air Force
Base, home to the 7th Bomb Wing and its fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers, employs more than 5,000
people and is the single largest employer in the area. Hendrick Health System and Abilene
Independent School District are the next-largest employers, and Abilene Christian University,
Hardin–Simmons University and McMurry University give the city an outsized higher-education
presence for its size. The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, built in the county’s southwest,
was the world’s largest wind farm when it opened. Buffalo Gap’s Old Settlers Reunion,
held each summer, is the county’s longest-running community event.

History

The Texas Legislature created Taylor County in 1858 and it organized as a functioning county
government in 1878, with Buffalo Gap serving as the first county seat. The county is named for
three brothers, Edward, James and George Taylor, who died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. In
1881 the Texas and Pacific Railway bypassed Buffalo Gap for flatter ground to the north, and
cattleman Clabe Merchant staked out the townsite that became Abilene; the county seat moved
there the same year. Dyess Air Force Base opened in 1942 as Abilene Army Air Base and was
renamed in 1956 for Lieutenant Colonel William Dyess, a Taylor County native and prisoner-of-war
survivor of the Bataan Death March.

Getting There

Interstate 20 crosses the county east–west through Merkel, Tye and Abilene. US Routes 83,
84 and 277 and State Highways 36, 153 and 351 also run through the county, along with Loop
322 around Abilene.

• Sweetwater — about 40 miles west
• San Angelo — about 90 miles south
• Fort Worth — about 150 miles east
• Midland — about 150 miles southwest

Abilene Regional Airport, about 3 miles southeast of downtown Abilene, is the county’s
own commercial airport, with daily flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Denver and Houston. No
Amtrak line reaches Taylor County; the nearest station is in Fort Worth, about 150 miles east, on
the Texas Eagle route.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Taylor County located?
It sits in West Texas on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado, about 150 miles west of Fort
Worth, bordered by Jones, Shackelford, Callahan, Coleman, Runnels, Nolan and Fisher counties.

What is the population of Taylor County?
143,208 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 145,863.

How big is Taylor County?
919.4 square miles (2,381 km2), of which 915.6 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Taylor County?
Abilene is the county seat, and has been since 1881 when it replaced Buffalo Gap.

How many towns and cities are in Taylor County?
Eight incorporated places — Abilene, Merkel, Tye, Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, Lawn, Trent and
Impact — plus the Potosi CDP and five unincorporated communities: Ovalo, Hamby, Caps, View
and Wylie.

What ZIP codes does Taylor County use?
79601 through 79608 and 79697–79699 for Abilene, plus 79607 for Dyess Air Force Base,
79536 for Merkel, 79563 for Tye, 79562 for Tuscola, 79508 for Buffalo Gap, 79530 for Lawn,
79561 for Trent and 79541 for Ovalo.

What is Taylor County known for?
Dyess Air Force Base and its B-1B bomber wing, three Christian universities in Abilene, and the
Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in the county’s southwest.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.