Howard County is a county in Texas, United States, at the meeting point of the Llano Estacado and the Edwards Plateau in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 34,860 at the 2020 census and covers 904 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 901 square miles (2,330 km2) are land, centred near 32\u00b019\u2032N 101\u00b026\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Big Spring is the county seat, and its postal code is 79720. The county holds two cities, one town, and several unincorporated communities; it observes Central Time and carries FIPS code 48227.<\/p>\n
Howard County has 18 named places on record: two incorporated cities, one incorporated town, and 15 unincorporated communities scattered across the ranchland and oilfield country surrounding Big Spring. Most of the unincorporated names below are historic rail sidings, farming settlements, or oilfield camps that never organized as towns.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Spring<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 79720<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Coahoma<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 79511<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Forsan<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 79733<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Elbow<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fairview<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Knott<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lomax<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Luther<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Midway<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Morita<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Otis Chalk<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ross City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Sand Springs<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| South Haven<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vealmoor<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Vincent<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Webb Village<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ziler<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\nZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe remaining unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their own and use a Big Spring, Coahoma, or Forsan mailing address depending on location.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nHoward County sits on the boundary between the Llano Estacado tableland to the north and the Edwards Plateau to the south. Beals Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, runs through the center of Big Spring and roughly marks that transition. Terrain is mostly flat to gently rolling grassland and mesquite rangeland, with caprock breaks visible along the northern edge of the county.<\/p>\n Howard County borders Borden County to the north, Scurry County to the northeast, Mitchell County to the east, Sterling County to the southeast, Glasscock County to the south, Martin County to the west, and Dawson County to the northwest.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nHoward County had 34,860 residents at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 39 people per square mile. Big Spring is by far the largest community, followed by Coahoma. The county’s median household income runs below the Texas median of $75,780, reflecting its rural, ranching-and-oilfield economic base.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nOil and gas production from the Permian Basin has driven the county economy since the 1920s Howard-Glasscock field discovery, alongside cattle ranching and cotton farming on the surrounding plains. Big Spring is home to Howard College, a state technical and community college, and to a federal correctional institution. The Big Spring State Hospital has operated in the county for more than a century, and the city’s refinery and rail yards remain major local employers alongside the oilfield service companies that work the surrounding county.<\/p>\n Away from Big Spring, life in the county is centred on ranching and dryland cotton farming. Coahoma and Forsan each keep small-town amenities \u2014 a school district, a post office, a handful of churches \u2014 serving the farm families spread across the surrounding sections.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nThe county was created in 1876 and organized in 1882, named for Volney E. Howard, a Texas member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Big Spring itself takes its name from a natural spring that made the site a stopping point on the Comanche Trail and later a railroad water stop for the Texas and Pacific Railway. The 1920s discovery of the Howard-Glasscock oilfield transformed the county from a ranching community into an oil town almost overnight, drawing workers and businesses that built out much of downtown Big Spring. The county’s political leaning shifted from decades of Democratic dominance between 1912 and 1964 to a strong Republican majority beginning around 1980, with over 81% of the 2024 presidential vote going Republican.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nInterstate 20 crosses the county through Big Spring, alongside U.S. Highway 87 running north-south and U.S. Highway 350.<\/p>\n
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