Austin County, Texas

Austin County is a county in Texas, United States, part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. It had a population of 30,167 at the 2020 census and covers 657 square miles (1,706 km2) centred near 29°53′N 96°17′W.

Bellville is the county seat, and its postal code is 77418. The county has five incorporated cities, two towns and more than a dozen unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone (UTC−6, UTC−5 during daylight saving).

Towns & Villages in Austin County

Austin County has 22 named places on record: five incorporated cities, two incorporated towns, one census-designated place (New Ulm) and the rest unincorporated communities and crossroads settlements. “Unincorp.” below means the place has no city or town government of its own.

Several small communities share a ZIP with a larger neighbor rather than having their own post office — the table above lists the serving ZIP, not proof of a separate post office.

ZIP Codes

• 77418 — Bellville (also serves Buckhorn, Burleigh, Cochran, Frydek, Nelsonville, Peters, South Frydek)
• 77474 — Sealy (also serves Brazos Country)
• 77485 — Wallis
• 77473 — San Felipe (PO Box service)
• 77452 — Kenney (PO Box service, also serves Raccoon Bend)
• 78950 — New Ulm (also serves Millheim, New Wehdem, Shelby, Wehdem, Welcome)
• 78933 — Cat Spring (also serves Post Oak Point)
• 78944 — Industry
• 78931 — Bleiblerville (also serves Rockhouse)

Sealy carries the county’s only 5-digit ZIP with more than 10,000 residents; the rest are small, rural post office zones covering multiple communities each.

Geography

Austin County lies in the coastal plain of southeast Texas, straddling the Brazos River, which forms part of its eastern boundary, and crossed by the San Bernard River and Mill Creek in the west. The terrain is gently rolling prairie and post-oak woodland, historically prized for cotton and cattle. About 1.5% of the county is water.

The county borders Washington County to the north, Waller County to the east, Fort Bend County to the southeast, Wharton County to the south, Colorado County to the southwest, and Fayette County to the west.

Demographics

Austin County had 30,167 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 47 people per square mile. Sealy and Bellville are its two largest communities. Median household income in the county runs close to the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting a mix of agricultural, commuter and small-manufacturing households; Sealy and the I-10 corridor skew higher than the rural western half of the county.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture remains central — cattle ranching, hay, and row crops on the county’s black-land and post-oak soils — alongside growing commuter employment toward Houston along Interstate 10. Sealy is home to Sealy Mattress Company’s namesake manufacturing roots and a regional retail hub anchoring the county’s east side. The Cat Spring Agricultural Society, founded in 1856 and believed to be the oldest continuously operating agricultural society in Texas, still holds its annual county fair in Cat Spring every October.

History

Austin County was created in 1836 by the Republic of Texas, one of the state’s original counties, and named for Stephen F. Austin, the empresario known as the “Father of Texas.” San Felipe de Austin, in the county’s east, served as the capital of Austin’s colony and the seat of the convention that adopted Texas’s 1836 declaration of independence from Mexico; the town was burned during the Runaway Scrape ahead of Santa Anna’s army days later. German immigrants settled much of the county from the 1830s onward, founding communities such as Cat Spring, New Ulm, Millheim and Bleiblerville, whose Lutheran and Catholic parish records still shape local place names.

Getting There

Interstate 10 crosses the county east–west through Sealy, with U.S. Route 90 and State Highways 36 and 159 as secondary routes.

• Houston — about 60 miles east
• Austin — about 95 miles northwest
• San Antonio — about 140 miles southwest
• College Station — about 55 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston; William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is a comparable distance southeast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Austin County, Texas?
It is in southeast Texas, on the western edge of the Houston metropolitan area, about 60 miles west of downtown Houston.

What is the population of Austin County?
30,167 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Austin County?
657 square miles (1,706 km2), including about 9.9 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Austin County?
Bellville.

How many towns and cities are in Austin County?
Five incorporated cities (Bellville, Sealy, Wallis, Brazos Country, South Frydek), two towns (Industry, San Felipe) and one census-designated place (New Ulm), plus more than a dozen unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes are in Austin County?
Nine, led by 77418 (Bellville) and 77474 (Sealy) — see the ZIP Codes section above.

Why does Austin County have so many German place names?
Because German immigrants settled the western half of the county heavily from the 1830s, founding Cat Spring, New Ulm, Millheim, Bleiblerville and Welcome, whose churches and community halls still anchor local life.

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