Lamb County, Texas

Lamb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,045. Its county seat is Littlefield. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1908. It is named for George A. Lamb, who died in the Battle of San Jacinto.

Lamb County was the home of the Texas House Speaker Bill W. Clayton, who served from 1975 until 1983. It is also the birthplace of country music singer Waylon Jennings.

Lamb County was formed in 1876 from portions of Bexar County. It was named after George A. Lamb, a soldier in the Battle of San Jacinto.

In the 1960s, the water table began to decline. From the 1980s until 2023, the population declined by about 33%. Between circa 2013 and 2023, the population declined by about 8%.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamb County had an almost 1/100 death rate as of March 2023. As of that month, Lamb County, among American counties with 2,500 or more residents, had the eighth highest COVID-19 death rate.

By 2023, there was water scarcity among farms, and many younger people moved to other counties for jobs.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,018 square miles (2,640 km²), of which 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.2%) are covered by water.

As of the census of 2000, 14,709 people, 5,360 households, and 3,991 families resided in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5.4 people/km²). The 6,294 housing units averaged 6 units per square mile (2.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.1% White, 4.3% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, less than 0.05% Pacific Islander, 16.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. About 43.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.