Winkler County is a county in Texas, United States, on the western edge of the Permian Basin near the New Mexico state line. It had a population of 7,791 at the 2020 census and covers 841 square miles (2,180 km2) of land, centred near 31°52′N 103°03′W.
Kermit is the county seat, and its postal code is 79745. The county has two incorporated cities — Kermit and Wink — and no townships or census-designated places with a standing population count. Winkler County sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 48495.
Towns & Villages in Winkler County
Both of Winkler County’s towns grew up around the Permian Basin oil boom of the 1920s, and both still carry that history in their layout and their names.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kermit | City · seat | 6,267 | 79745 |
| Wink | City | 915 | 79789 |
Older maps and gazetteers also list Cheyenne, Cowden Place, Magwalt and Vesrue inside the county. These were small oilfield camps and lease-housing clusters from the 1920s–1940s boom years; none is an incorporated place or a Census Bureau-tracked community today, so no population or ZIP figure is published for them.
ZIP Codes
- 79745 — Kermit (also serves the surrounding rural county outside Wink)
- 79789 — Wink
Every address in Winkler County falls under one of these two ZIP codes; there is no separate postal designation for the former oilfield camps.
Geography
Winkler County lies on flat to gently rolling plains at the western rim of the Permian Basin, cut by the Pecos River along its southern edge. Elevations run from roughly 2,600 to 3,000 feet, and the terrain is sparse desert grassland dotted with mesquite and, across much of the county, pump jacks. The county covers 841 square miles of land and about 0.2 square miles of water. It borders:
- Andrews County to the north
- Ector County to the east
- Ward County to the south
- Loving County to the west
- Lea County, New Mexico, to the northwest
Demographics
Winkler County had 7,791 residents at the 2020 census, down from a peak of 13,652 in 1960, and the 2025 estimate puts the population at roughly 7,540, continuing a slow decline tied to swings in the oil industry. Kermit and Wink are the county’s two population centers, together accounting for the large majority of residents. Texas’s 2023 ACS median household income was $75,780; Winkler County’s oilfield-driven wages have historically run close to or above that figure, though the county’s small population means year-to-year estimates swing widely. Population density works out to roughly 9 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Oil and gas extraction has driven Winkler County’s economy since 1926, when the Hendrick oilfield came in near what became Wink. Drilling, well servicing, trucking and oilfield-supply businesses remain the largest private employers, alongside Winkler County Memorial Hospital and the Kermit and Wink independent school districts. The county fairgrounds in Kermit host the Winkler County Fair each fall, the area’s largest annual community event.
History
The Texas Legislature created Winkler County on February 26, 1887, from part of Tom Green County, but it stayed unorganized — with no county government of its own — until April 5, 1910. It is named for Clinton McKamy Winkler, a Confederate Army colonel and Texas legislator. The county’s population was tiny until oil struck in 1926; within two years 164 wells were producing more than half a million barrels of oil a day, and the boomtown of Wink sprang up almost overnight to house the workers. Singer Roy Orbison grew up in Wink from age ten, an experience he later described bluntly as “football, oil fields, oil, grease, and sand.”
Getting There
Kermit sits along U.S. Route 385 and State Highway 115, the county’s main north–south and east–west routes.
- Odessa — 45 miles east
- Midland — 65 miles east
- Pecos — 40 miles south
- Hobbs, New Mexico — 35 miles northwest
The nearest commercial air service is Midland International Air & Space Port. Amtrak does not serve Winkler County; the closest station is in Alpine, over 100 miles to the south.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Winkler County located?
It sits in far West Texas on the New Mexico border, part of the Permian Basin oil region between Odessa and Hobbs, New Mexico.
What is the Kermit postcode?
79745.
What is the population of Winkler County?
7,791 people at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate of about 7,540.
What city is the county seat?
Kermit is the county seat.
What is Winkler County named after?
Confederate Army colonel and Texas legislator Clinton McKamy Winkler.
What put Winkler County on the map?
The 1926 discovery of the Hendrick oilfield near Wink, which triggered a major Permian Basin oil boom.
Which counties border Winkler County?
Andrews to the north, Ector to the east, Ward to the south, Loving to the west, and Lea County, New Mexico, to the northwest.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.