Ellis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, its population was estimated to be 192,455. The county seat is Waxahachie. The county was founded in 1849 and organized the next year. It is named for Richard Ellis, president of the convention that produced the Texas Declaration of Independence. Ellis County is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 952 square miles (2,470 km2), of which 935 square miles (2,420 km2) are land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (1.7%) are covered by water.
Lake Waxahachie is located about five miles south of Waxahachie in Ellis County, Texas. Owned and operated by Ellis County Water Control and Improvement District Number One on behalf of the city of Waxahachie, the lake was formed by impounding the Waxahachie Creek in 1956. The water covers about 650 acres and has a maximum depth around 50. The former community of South Prong was located beside the creek before the lake was created. There has been a country club and a two-acre public park with boat ramp since the lake was completed. The lake is a recreational resource for the entire county.
Major highways
Interstate 35E
Interstate 45
I-45 BL (Ferris)
I-45 BL (Palmer)
I-45 BL (Ennis)
U.S. Route 67
U.S. 77
U.S. 287
State Highway 34
State Highway 342
State Highway 360
Loop 561
Spur 73
Spur 394
Spur 437
Spur 469
Adjacent counties
Dallas County (north)
Kaufman County (northeast)
Henderson County (east)
Navarro County (south)
Hill County (southwest)
Johnson County (west)
Tarrant County (northwest)
Communities
Cities (multiple counties)
Cedar Hill (mostly in Dallas County)
Ferris (small part in Dallas County)
Glenn Heights (mostly in Dallas County)
Grand Prairie (mostly in Dallas and Tarrant Counties)
Mansfield (mostly in Tarrant County and a small part in Johnson County)
Venus (mostly in Johnson County)
Ovilla (small part in Dallas County)
Census-designated place
Bristol
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 192,455. The median age was 36.6 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 61.8% White, 12.6% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.4% from some other race, and 13.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 27.04% of the population. Non-Hispanic whites made up 55.34% of the population, while non-Hispanic African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, other races, and multiracial residents accounted for 12.33%, 0.37%, 0.79%, 0.41%, and 3.62%, respectively.
69.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 30.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 64,996 households in the county, of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.6% were married-couple households, 13.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 68,531 housing units, of which 5.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.3% were owner-occupied and 25.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.2%.
2010 census
A Williams Institute analysis of 2010 census data found about 3.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county.
2000 census
According to the census of 2000, 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families resided in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile (46 people/km2). The 39,071 housing units averaged 42 units per square mile (16/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 80.63% White, 8.64% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 7.92% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. About 18.42% of the population was Hispanic or Latinos of any race.
American Community Survey 2023 racial data
The United States Census Bureau estimated that in 2023, Ellis County’s population was 222,829. It was also estimated that the county was 28.4% Hispanic or Latino, 51.9% NH White, 16.5% NH Black, 1.0% NH Asian, 0.4% NH Native, 0.1% NH Pacific Islander, and 1.7% NH Multiracial.
Politics
Ellis is a staunchly Republican county in presidential elections. The last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, and since 2000, Republican presidential candidates have won with more than 60% of the vote.
Law enforcement
The Ellis County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services to the county. The current sheriff is Brad Norman. The agency also operates the Ellis County Jail in Waxahachie.
Line of duty deaths
As of 2025, six officers of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office have been killed in the line of duty.
Media
Ellis County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth television media market in North Texas. Stations in the market are KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, KFWD-TV, and KDTX-TV.
The county is home to one local radio station KBEC 1390 AM and 99.1 FM. The station has been in continuous operation since 1955 and is the oldest Family owned radio station in Texas. A weekly newspaper, the Ellis County Press, is based in Ferris and published Thursdays. The Waxahachie Daily Light is published on Fridays. Waxahachie Sun is online only published biweekly; other weekly newspapers are The Ennis News and Midlothian Mirror.
Education
School districts include:
Avalon Independent School District
Ennis Independent School District
Ferris Independent School District
Frost Independent School District
Italy Independent School District
Maypearl Independent School District
Midlothian Independent School District
Milford Independent School District
Palmer Independent School District
Red Oak Independent School District
Waxahachie Independent School District
It is in the service area of Navarro College.
Notable people
Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde
J. D. Grey, clergyman, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Ennis, 1931–1934; later president of the Southern Baptist Convention
Ernest Tubb, country singer and songwriter
Lecil Travis Martin, known more commonly as Boxcar Willie, country singer and songwriter