Chambers County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 46,571. The county seat is Anahuac. Chambers County is one of the nine counties that comprise Greater Houston, the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area.
History Mission Nuestra Señora de la Luz, a Spanish mission in Texas, was established in 1756 near what is now Wallisville.
Chambers County was founded in 1858. It is named for Thomas Jefferson Chambers, a major general in the Texas Revolution.
In 2019, Atlas Air Flight 3591, a cargo flight operating for Amazon Air, crashed in the Trinity Bay, in Chambers County and near Anahuac, while flying from Miami to Houston. All three people on board were killed.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (31%) are covered by water.
The south and southwestern parts of the county lie in the Galveston Bay Area on the shores of Trinity Bay and East Bay. A small portion of the southeastern area lies on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Adjacent counties
National protected areas Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge (formerly Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge) Moody National Wildlife Refuge
State and local protected areas Candy Cain Abshier Wildlife Management Area Turtle Bayou Nature Preserve
Communities Cities
Anahuac (county seat) Baytown (mostly in Harris County) Beach City Cove Mont Belvieu (small part in Liberty County) Old River-Winfree (small part in Liberty County)
Census-designated places Oak Island Stowell Winnie
Unincorporated communities
Double Bayou Hankamer Monroe City Seabreeze Smith Point Turtle Bayou Wallisville
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Chambers County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)15,16516,17020,21024,76729,85881.80%80.50%77.64%70.57%64.11%Black or African American alone (NH)2,6342,5402,5252,8173,14814.21%12.64%9.70%8.03%6.76%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)8949841341610.48%0.24%0.32%0.38%0.35%Asian alone (NH)201131723266220.11%0.56%0.66%0.93%1.34%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census0130xx0.00%0.04%0.00%Other race alone (NH)32125252150.02%0.10%0.10%0.07%0.46%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2053791,615xx0.79%1.08%3.47%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6271,1952,8106,63510,9523.38%5.95%10.79%18.91%23.52%Total18,53820,08826,03135,09646,571 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 46,571. The median age was 35.8 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 70.0% White, 6.9% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 9.3% from some other race, and 11.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 23.5% of the population.
45.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 54.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 15,623 households in the county, of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 62.2% were married-couple households, 14.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 16,933 housing units, of which 7.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 85.3% were owner-occupied and 14.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.4%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 26,031 people, 9,139 households, and 7,219 families were residing in the county. The population density was . The 10,336 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 81.88% White, 9.77% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 6.02% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. About 10.79% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 9,139 households, 40.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.00% were not families. About 17.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82, and the average family size was 3.20.
In the county, the age distribution was 28.90% under 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,964, and for a family was $52,986. Males had a median income of $43,351 versus $25,478 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,863. About 8.30% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over. Government Chambers County is governed by a five-member commissioners' court, consisting of the county judge and four county commissioners. The county judge is elected to four-year terms in a countywide election. Commissioners are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts.
Chambers County Commissioners' Court OfficeNamePolitical partyFirst electedArea(s) represented County JudgeJimmy SylviaRepublican1996Countywide Commissioner, Precinct 1Jimmy E. GoreRepublican2016Anahuac, Double Bayou, Hankamer, Oak Island, Seabreeze, Smith Point, Stowell, Wallisville, Winnie Commissioner, Precinct 2Mark TiceRepublican2018Beach City, Cove, Turtle Bayou, Wallisville Commissioner, Precinct 3Tommy HammondRepublican2006Mont Belvieu, Old River-Winfree Commissioner, Precinct 4Ryan DagleyRepublican2018Baytown, Beach City
Elected Officials OfficeNamePolitical party County AttorneyAshley Cain LandRepublican County ClerkHeather H. HawthorneRepublicanCounty Court JudgeCindy S. PriceRepublican District AttorneyCheryl Swope LieckRepublican District ClerkPatti HenryRepublican SheriffBrian HawthorneRepublican Tax Assessor-CollectorLaurie G. PaytonRepublican TreasurerNicole WhittingtonRepublicanCounty SurveyorMichael W. Chandler
Constables OfficeNamePolitical partyArea(s) represented Constable, Precinct 1Dennis DugatRepublicanStowell, Winnie Constable, Precinct 2John MulryanRepublicanAnahuac, Turtle Bayou, Wallisville Constable, Precinct 3Donnie StandleyRepublicanDouble Bayou, Oak Island, Smith Point Constable, Precinct 4Ben L. "Butch" BeanRepublicanMont Belvieu, Old River-Winfree Constable, Precinct 5Bradley W. MoonRepublicanHankamer, Wallisville Constable, Precinct 6Kirk W. RitchRepublicanBaytown, Beach City, Cove
United States Congress SenatorsNamePolitical partyFirst electedLevel Senate Class 2John CornynRepublican 2002 Senior Senator Senate Class 1Ted CruzRepublican 2012 Junior SenatorRepresentativesNamePolitical PartyFirst ElectedArea(s) Represented Texas's 14th DistrictRandy WeberRepublican2012A small, unpopulated portion of the county that extends to the Gulf of Mexico, across the Intracoastal Waterway. Texas's 36th DistrictBrian BabinRepublican 2014 All populated areas of the county
Texas Legislature
Texas Senate DistrictSenatorPolitical partyFirst electedArea(s) represented 4Brandon CreightonRepublican2014Countywide, district also covers portions of Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, and Montgomery Counties
Texas House of Representatives DistrictRepresentativePolitical partyFirst electedArea(s) represented 23Terri Leo-WilsonRepublican2022Chambers County, Galveston County (part)
State Board of Education DistrictMemberPolitical partyFirst electedArea(s) represented 7Julie PickrenRepublican2022Countywide, district also covers all of Brazoria, Galveston, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Orange, and Tyler Counties and most of Fort Bend County
Courts
Justices of the Peace OfficeNamePolitical party Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1Celia DevillierRepublican Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2Michael W. WheatRepublican Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4Blake D. SylviaRepublican Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5David HatfieldRepublican Justice of the Peace, Precinct 6Larry Ray CryerRepublican
District Courts OfficeNamePolitical partyArea(s) represented 253rd District CourtChap B. Cain, IIIRepublicanCountywide, district also covers Liberty County 344th District CourtRandy McDonaldRepublicanCountywide
1st Court of Appeals NamePolitical partyFirst elected Chief JusticeTerry AdamsRepublican2022 Place 2Jennifer CaugheyRepublican2024 Place 3Veronica Rivas-MolloyDemocrat2020 Place 4David Gunn Republican2024 (appointed) Place 5Amparo GuerraDemocrat2020 Place 6Andrew JohnsonRepublican2024 Place 7Clint MorganRepublican2024 Place 8Kristin GuineyRepublican2024 Place 9Susanna DokupilRepublican2024
14th Court of Appeals NamePolitical partyFirst elected Chief JusticeTracy E. Christopher Republican2020 Place 2Kevin JewellRepublican2016 Place 3Chad BridgesRepublican2024 Place 4Tonya McLaughlinRepublican2024 Place 5Maritza AntuRepublican2024 Place 6Katy BoatmanRepublican2024 Place 7Ken WiseRepublican2014, Appointed in 2013 Place 8Brad HartRepublican2024 Place 9Randy WilsonRepublican2020 (appointed)
Politics As with much of the Southern United States, Democrats won locally up into the 21st century, but the county has now become solidly Republican, with President Donald Trump winning over 80% of the vote in the 2024 United States presidential election.
Education Public School Districts - Text list Local Primary and Secondary School Jurisdictions. Each are governed by their own respective school board. Goose Creek CISD Barbers Hill ISD Anahuac ISD East Chambers ISD La Porte ISD (parts of uninhabited Galveston Bay)
Higher Education Community Colleges Lee College (Anahuac, Barbers Hill, East Chambers, and Goose Creek ISDs: in other words, for all land areas of Chambers County)Texas Education Code, Section 130.186, "Lee College District Service Area". Its service area includes Goose Creek, Barbers Hill, Anahuac, and East Chambers school districts. San Jacinto College (La Porte ISD, which here means parts of uninhabited Galveston Bay)Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.197. SAN JACINTO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA..
Public libraries The Chambers County Library System operates three libraries in the county. Chambers County Library (main branch) in Anahuac Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch in Winnie Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Branch in Mont Belvieu
Transportation
Major highways Interstate 10 State Highway 61 State Highway 65 State Highway 73 State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) State Highway 124 State Highway 146
Airports The county operates two airports in unincorporated areas: Chambers County Airport is east of Anahuac. It was developed in the 1940s, and the county collaborated with the federal government to have it built. In August 1947, the federal government was to pay $23,322. Chambers County-Winnie Stowell Airport serves Stowell and Winnie.
In addition, RWJ Airpark, a privately owned airport for public use, is located in Beach City.
In the 1970s there had been a proposal to establish another airport in the county, but the Baytown city council objected to the proposal, arguing it was too close to another airport under private ownership.