| ZIP Codes: | 7 ZIP Codes (4 Standard, 3 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 806 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:55:15 PM |
| Population: | 32,945 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 48189 |
| CBSA: | Plainview, TX |
| Land Area: | 1,038 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 0 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 34.0573, -101.8239 |
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32,945 residents live across 7 ZIPs covering 1,038 sq mi, served by 6 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 37,007 to 32,945 from 2014 to 2024 — a -11.0% change. 1 ZIPs gained residents, 5 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 79311 (Abernathy, $81,985 median) and poorest ZIP 79072 (Plainview, $47,255) are 21.9 miles apart — a 1.7× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.2× across this county — from $78,600 in 79250 (Petersburg) to $176,800 in 79311 (Abernathy).
Density varies 10× across the county — from 6 people/sq mi in 79250 (Petersburg) to 65 in 79072 (Plainview).
Educational attainment ranges from 10.9% bachelor's+ in 79041 (Hale Center) to 26.5% in 79311 (Abernathy) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Texas, this is the #91 most populous of 254 counties and ranks #168 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $52,599 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
15.4% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (3,152 of 20,454 reporting).
4 Standard delivery, 3 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.
One ZIP holds the majority of this county's population — a sign of a county built around a single city or town.
Hale County lost 11.0% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79072 | Plainview | Standard | 25,389 | $47,255 | 391.9 | -8.5% |
| 79311 | Abernathy | Standard | 3,536 | $81,985 | 181.1 | -7.2% |
| 79041 | Hale Center | Standard | 2,861 | $61,832 | 308.7 | -22.8% |
| 79250 | Petersburg | Standard | 980 | $54,917 | 155.7 | -34.1% |
| 79032 | Edmonson | PO Box | 133 | $76,250 | 1.1 | 10.8% |
| 79021 | Cotton Center | PO Box | 46 | $51,094 | 0.0 | -61.3% |
| 79073 | Plainview | PO Box | 0 | — | 0.0 | — |