| County: | Cass County |
| State: | Texas |
| Founded: | 1846 |
| Seat Wl: | Linden |
| Largest City Wl: | Atlanta |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 960 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 937 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 23 |
| Area Percentage: | 2.4% |
| Census Yr: | 2020 |
| Pop: | 28454 |
| Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Ex Image: | Cass County Courthouse 2015, Linden, TX.jpg |
| Ex Image Size: | 250px |
| Web: | www.co.cass.tx.us |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| District: | 1st |
| Named For: | Lewis Cass |
Cass County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,454.[1] The county seat is Linden.[2] The county was named for United States Senator Lewis Cass (D-Michigan), who favored the U.S. annexation of Texas in the mid-19th century.
Cass County was formed in 1846 from sections of Bowie County.[3] It was named for Lewis Cass,[4] a U.S. Senator from Michigan who had favored the annexation of Texas to the United States.
The county was originally developed by planters for cotton plantations. By 1860, the majority of the population were enslaved African Americans. After the war, freedmen worked largely as tenant farmers and sharecroppers into the early 20th century. Black residents faced violence and discrimination in Cass County, which was the location of nine lynchings, the fifth-highest total among Texas' 254 counties.[5] [6]
From 1861 to 1871, this county was known as Davis County, after Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. (It should not be confused with the still extant Jeff Davis County in West Texas.)
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (2.4%) is water.[7]
Cass County, Texas is one of only three counties in Texas to border two other U.S. states (the others are Bowie and Dallam counties). Cass County forms part of the tripoint of Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana.
| White alone (NH) | 23,522 | 21,028 | 77.21% | 73.90% | |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 5,299 | 4,518 | 17.39% | 15.88% | |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 133 | 155 | 0.44% | 0.54% | |
| Asian alone (NH) | 89 | 119 | 0.29% | 0.42% | |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 10 | 0.01% | 0.04% | |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 15 | 86 | 0.05% | 0.30% | |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 349 | 1,202 | 1.15% | 4.22% | |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,053 | 1,336 | 3.46% | 4.70% | |
| Total | 30,464 | 28,454 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The 2020 U.S. census reported a population of 28,454 residents, down from 2010's 30,464.[10] The racial makeup of the county in 2010 was 78.20% White, 19.47% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the population in 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 73.90% non-Hispanic white, 15.88% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.30% some other race, 4.22% multiracial, and 4.70% Hispanic or Latino American of any race.
In 2010, there were 12,190 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.90% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families; 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. The median income for a household in the county was $28,441, and the median income for a family was $35,623. Males had a median income of $30,906 versus $19,726 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,777. About 14.70% of families and 17.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.20% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.
The following school districts serve Cass County:[11]
Marietta Independent School District was formerly in operation. It consolidated into Pewitt ISD in 2008.[12]
The majority of Cass County is in the service area of Texarkana College. Areas in Avinger ISD, Hughes Springs ISD, and Pewitt CISD within Cass County are instead assigned to Northeast Texas Community College.[13]
Don Henley named his 2015 album Cass County, as he had grown up here.[14]