San Saba County Overview

San Saba County is in Central Texas in the Llano Basin region. Its largest city and county seat, San Saba, is ninety miles northwest of Austin and 110 miles southwest of Waco. San Saba and Richland Springs are the two most populous communities. The county has a variety of recreational opportunities and is a popular deer hunting area. San Saba County, FIPSCODE 48411, is the 195th largest of the 254 counties in Texas, with an estimated population of 6,186 in 2000.

The county consists of 1138 square miles with a 2000 population density of 5.5 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 79.6 persons per square mile which is the same as the national average. Rainfall in San Saba County averages 26.3 inches per year as compared to the Texas average of 28.1 inches per year.

FARMING

The average growing season in San Saba County is 227 days with the first freeze generally occurring around November 14. Texas is so climatically diverse that statewide averages are irrelevant as a means of comparison.

Farming	1987	1997
Number of Farms	609	653
Acres of Farmland	741,678	732,874
Average Size of Farm (acres)	1,218	1,122

POPULATION

According to the Census, San Saba County's population changed 15 percent from 1990 to 2000. The county's population was 5,401 in 1990 and 6,186 in 2000, an increase of 785. In 2000, the median age was 39.4 years versus a statewide average of 32.3 years and a national average of 35.3 years. The Texas Department of Human Services reported there were 67 births and 73 deaths in San Saba County in 2000.

The 2000 Census estimates for Texas show a population composition as follows:

Age Breakdown

San Saba County

Texas

Under 18

27.9%

28.2%

18-24

8.2%

10.5%

25-44

20.8%

31.1%

45-64

22.8%

20.2%

65+

20.3%

9.9%

The 2000 Census Bureau's race/ethnic distribution estimates are as follows:

Group	San Saba County	San Saba County (Percent)	Texas	Texas (Percent)
White	5,227	84%	14,799,505	71.0%
Black	169	3%	2,404,566	11.5%
Hispanic	1,333	22%	6,669,666	32.0%
Asian	7	0.001%	562,319	2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	66	1%	118,362	0.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0	0%	14,434	0.1%

EDUCATION

According to the Census, 1,514 people in San Saba County were enrolled in school in 2000. Countywide, 70.0 percent had a high school diploma or higher and 15.8 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. The equivalent statewide figures for a high school diploma or higher and a bachelor's degree or higher were 75.7 percent and 23.2 percent, respectively.

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Population 3 years and over enrolled in school		EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Population 25 years and over
Nursery school, preschool	49	Less than 9th grade	604
Kindergarten	70	9th to 12th grade, no diploma	594
Elementary school (grades 1-8)	783	High school graduate	1,246
High school (grades 9-12)	476	Some college, no degree	808
College or graduate school	136	Associate degree	111
		Bachelor's degree	422
		Graduate or professional degree	211
Total	1514		3,997

LABOR FORCE

The county civilian labor force was 2,656 in March 2002 reflecting an increase from the March 2001 level of 2,564. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, total unemployment in March 2002 was 55 contrasted to the March 2001 total of 65. The San Saba County unemployment rate for March 2002 was 2.1 percent compared to the March 2001 rate of 2.5 percent. The statewide unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in March 2002 and 4.2 percent in March 2001.

In the first quarter of 2001, San Saba County had 2,030 employed persons and an average weekly wage of $377.

INDUSTRY	JOBS	PERCENTAGE
Natural Resources & Mining	114	6%
Construction	56	3%
Manufacturing	46	2%
Trade, Transportation & Utilities	444	21%
Information	0	0%
Financial Activities	42	2%
Professional & Business Services	32	2%
Education & Health Services	194	10%
Leisure & Hospitality	206	11%
Other Services	109	5%
Nonclassifiable	5	0%
Federal Government	23	2%
State Government	332	16%
Local Government	427	21%