Travis County is located in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat and most populous city is Austin, the state's capital. The county was established in 1840 and is named in honor of William Barret Travis, the commander of the Republic of Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo. Travis County is part of the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Blackland Prairie to the east.

Evidence of habitation of the Balcones Escarpment region of Texas can be traced to at least 11,000 years ago. Two of the oldest Paleolithic archeological sites in Texas, the Levi Rock Shelter and Smith Rock Shelter, are in southwest and southeast Travis County, respectively. Several hundred years before European settlers arrived, a variety of nomadic Native American tribes inhabited the area. These indigenous peoples fished and hunted along the creeks, including present-day Barton Springs, which proved to be a reliable campsite. At the time of the first permanent settlement of the area, the Tonkawa tribe was the most common, with the Comanches and Lipan Apaches also frequenting the area.

The region (along with all of modern Texas) was claimed by the Spanish Empire in the 1600s, but at the time no attempt was made to settle the area (or even to explore it fully). In 1691 Domingo Terán de los Ríos made an inspection tour through East Texas that likely took him through Travis Country. The first European settlers in the area were a group of Spanish friars who arrived from East Texas in July 1730. They established three temporary missions, La Purísima Concepción, San Francisco de los Neches, and San José de los Nazonis, on a site by the Colorado River near Barton Springs. The friars found conditions undesirable and relocated to the San Antonio River within a year of their arrival.

In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain, and the new government enacted laws encouraging colonists to settle the Texas frontier by granting them land and reduced taxation. Over the next decade, thousands of foreign immigrants (primarily from the United States) moved into Texas; in particular, American empresario Stephen F. Austin established one of his colonies near what is now Bastrop, Texas (in future Travis County) in 1827. Josiah and Mathias Wilbarger, Reuben Hornsby, Jacob M. Harrell, and John F. Webber were early settlers who moved into the area in the early 1830s.

In 1836 Texas declared and won its independence from Mexico, forming a new Republic of Texas. After Texas Vice President Mirabeau B. Lamar visited central Texas during a buffalo-hunting expedition between 1837 and 1838, he proposed that the republic's capital (then located in Houston) be relocated to a site on the north bank of the Colorado River. In 1839 the site was officially chosen as the republic's new capital and given the name Waterloo; shortly thereafter the city's name was changed to Austin in honor of Stephen F. Austin. A new county was also established the following year, of which Austin would be the seat; the county was named Travis County, after William B. Travis. Though the Republic's capital moved briefly back to Houston during the events surrounding the Texas Archive War, by 1845 Austin was again the capital, and it became the capital of the new State of Texas when Texas was annexed by the United States later that year.

In 1861 Travis County was one of the few Texas counties to vote against secession from the Union. Since the majority of the state did favor secession, Travis County then became a part of the Confederacy for the duration of the Civil War. After the Confederacy's defeat, Texas was fully readmitted to the Union in 1870.

From the end of the Civil War to the early twenty-first century, Travis County has experienced steady, rapid population growth (averaging more than a 36% increase every decade from 1870 to 2010), driven largely by the growth of Austin and its suburbs; it is now the fifth most populous county in Texas, after Harris (Houston), Dallas, Tarrant (Fort Worth) and Bexar (San Antonio) counties.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,023 square miles (2,650 km), of which 990 square miles (2,600 km) is land and 33 square miles (85 km) (3.2% of the territory) is water. Travis County is located in the southern part of central Texas, between San Antonio and Dallas–Fort Worth. The county's geographical center lies two miles northwest of downtown Austin at 30°18' north latitude and 97°45' west longitude.

Travis County straddles the Balcones Fault, the boundary between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Texas Coastal Plain to the east. The western part of the county is characterized by the karst topography of the Texas Hill Country, while the eastern part exhibits the fertile plains and farmlands of the Blackland Prairie. The Colorado River meanders through the county from west to east, forming a series of man-made lakes (Lake Travis, Lake Austin, and Lady Bird Lake).

The limestone karst geology of the western and southwestern parts of Travis County gives rise to numerous caverns and springs, some of which have provided shelter and water for humans in the region for thousands of years. Notable springs in the county include Barton Springs, Deep Eddy and Hamilton Pool.

Travis County is crossed by Interstate Highway 35, US Highways 183 and 290, and Texas Highway 71. IH-35 leads northward to Waco and Dallas–Fort Worth and southward to San Antonio. US-183 leads northward through Cedar Park to Lampasas and southward to Lockhart. US-290 leads westward to Fredericksburg and eastward to Houston. TX-71 leads westward to Marble Falls and eastward to Bastrop.

Other major highways within the county include Texas Highway Loop 1 (the "Mopac Expressway"), which runs from north to south through the center of the county, and Texas Highway 45, which forms parts of an incomplete highway loop around Austin. Texas Highway 130 (constructed as an alternative to IH-35 for long-distance traffic wishing to avoid Austin and San Antonio) also runs from north to south through the sparsely populated eastern part of the county.

Amtrak's Austin station is located in downtown Austin and is served by the Texas Eagle which runs daily between Chicago and San Antonio, continuing on to Los Angeles several times a week.

Travis County is served by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Austin Western Railroad.

• Williamson County (north)
• Bastrop County (east)
• Caldwell County (southeast)
• Hays County (south)
• Blanco County (southwest)
• Burnet County (northwest)

• Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	3,138		—
1860	8,080		157.5%
1870	13,153		62.8%
1880	27,028		105.5%
1890	36,322		34.4%
1900	47,386		30.5%
1910	55,620		17.4%
1920	57,616		3.6%
1930	77,777		35.0%
1940	111,053		42.8%
1950	160,980		45.0%
1960	212,136		31.8%
1970	295,516		39.3%
1980	419,573		42.0%
1990	576,407		37.4%
2000	812,280		40.9%
2010	1,024,266		26.1%
2020	1,290,188		26.0%
2023 (est.)	1,334,961		3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010–2020

Travis County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1990	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	375,279	457,817	517,644	612,824	65.11%	56.36%	50.54%	47.50%
Black or African American alone (NH)	60,998	73,242	82,805	96,270	10.58%	9.02%	8.08%	7.46%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1,562	2,261	2,611	2,762	0.27%	0.28%	0.25%	0.21%
Asian alone (NH)	15,883	35,842	58,404	99,660	2.76%	4.41%	5.70%	7.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	N/A	390	540	774	N/A	0.05%	0.05%	0.06%
Other race alone (NH)	996	1,429	1,813	6,513	0.17%	0.18%	0.18%	0.50%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	N/A	12,251	17,683	50,275	N/A	1.51%	1.73%	3.90%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	121,689	229,048	342,766	421,110	21.11%	28.20%	33.46%	32.64%
Total	576,407	812,280	1,024,266	1,290,188	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

According to the census of 2010, there were 1,024,266 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,034 persons per square mile (399 persons/km). There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 units per square mile (130 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 68.21% White, 9.26% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 4.47% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 14.56% other races, and 2.85% from two or more races. 28.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. English is the sole language spoken at home by 71.42% of the population age 5 or over, while 22.35% speak Spanish, and a Chinese language (including Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Cantonese) is spoken by 1.05%. As of the 2010 census, there were about 11.1 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.

According to the census of 2000, there were 812,280 people, of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.60% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.70% were non-families. 30.10% of all households were composed of individuals, and 4.40% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.15. 12.0% were of German, 7.7% English, 6.6% Irish and 5.5% American ancestry according to Census 2000

The population's age distribution was 23.80% under the age of 18, 14.70% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 18.20% from 45 to 64, and 6.70% age 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.50 males.

Like other Texas counties, Travis County is governed by a Commissioners' Court composed of the county judge and four county commissioners. The court levies county taxes and sets the budgets for county officials and agencies. The judge and commissioners are elected for four-year terms (the judge at-large, and the commissioners from geographic precincts). The other major county-wide official is the county clerk, who maintains the county's records, administers elections, and oversees legal documentation (such as property deeds, marriage licenses and assumed name certificates). The clerk is also elected at-large for a four-year term.

The Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse is located in downtown Austin. The county courthouse holds civil and criminal trial courts and other functions of county government. As of 2017, the county's probate courts are in the process of being moved from the county courthouse into Austin's 1936 United States Courthouse, which was acquired by the county in 2016.

The Travis County Jail and the Travis County Criminal Justice Center are located in Downtown Austin. The Travis County Correctional Complex is located in an unincorporated area in Travis County, next to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Travis County State Jail, a state jail for men, in eastern Austin.

Travis County is one of the most consistently Democratic counties in Texas, having voted for the Democratic presidential nominee all but five times since 1932. The only exceptions have been the Republican landslide years of 1952, 1956, 1972 and 1984, when Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan each won over 400 electoral votes, and 2000, when the Republican nominee was incumbent Texas Governor George W. Bush. In 2005 Travis County was the only county in Texas to vote against the Proposition 2 state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, with slightly under 60% of voters being against it. In 2020, Travis County backed Democrat Joe Biden with nearly 72% of the vote, his strongest showing in the state and the best showing for any presidential candidate in the county since 1948.

The county's Democratic bent is not limited to the presidential level, as all of the county-level officials are Democrats. In addition, the majority of the county is represented by Democrats in the US Congress, Texas Senate, and Texas House.

Representatives		Name	Party	First elected	Area(s) of Travis County represented
	District 10	Michael McCaul	Republican	2004	Avery Ranch, Elgin, Lago Vista, Lakeway, Pflugerville, West Lake Hills
	District 17	Pete Sessions	Republican	2020	Pflugerville
	District 21	Chip Roy	Republican	2018	Barton Creek, Oak Hill
	District 35	Greg Casar	Democratic	2022	East Austin, Del Valle, Manor,
	District 37	Lloyd Doggett	Democratic	1995	West Austin, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, West Lake Hills

State Senators serve four year terms with no term limits.

Representatives		Name	Party	First elected	Area(s) of Travis County represented
	District 14	Sarah Eckhardt	Democratic	2020	Austin, Elgin, Manor, Pflugerville, Rollingwood West Lake Hills
	District 21	Judith Zaffirini	Democratic	1987	East Austin, Del Valle
	District 25	Donna Campbell	Republican	2013	Bee Cave, Lago Vista, Lakeway

State Representatives serve two year terms with no term limits.

Representatives		Name	Party	First elected	Area(s) of Travis County represented
	District 19	Ellen Troxclair	Republican	2022	Lago Vista
	District 46	Sheryl Cole	Democratic	2018	East Austin, Elgin, Huston-Tillotson University, Manor
	District 47	Vikki Goodwin	Democratic	2018	West Austin, Bee Cave, Lakeway
	District 48	Donna Howard	Democratic	2006	West Austin, South Austin, Rollingwood, West Lake Hills
	District 49	Gina Hinojosa	Democratic	2016	Central Austin, The University of Texas
	District 50	James Talarico	Democratic	2018	Northeast Austin, Pflugerville
	District 51	Lulu Flores	Democratic	2022	Southeast Austin, Del Valle, St Edwards University

In addition to Travis, the 3rd Court of Appeals hears cases from 23 other counties across Central Texas: Bastrop, Bell, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Coke, Comal, Concho, Fayette, Hays, Irion, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, McColluch, Milam, Mills, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Sterling, Tom Green, and Williamson.

All 24 counties in the district vote for justices. Justices serve six year terms in at-large seats with no term limits, besides a mandatory retirement age of 75 years old.

Following the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats held a majority on the 3rd Court of Appeals. Since 2022, Democrats have held all six seats.

Place	Name	Party	Last Election	Elected	Term Up
1	Darlene Byrne (Chief Justice)	Democratic	52.2% D	2020	2026
2	Edward Smith	Democratic	53% D	2018	2024
3	Chari L. Kelly	Democratic	54.4% D	2018	2024
4	Rosa Lopez Theofanis	Democratic	52.6% D	2022	2028
5	Thomas J. Baker*	Democratic	53.9% D	2018	2024
6	Gisela D. Triana	Democratic	54.4% D	2018	2024

*lost renomination in 2024

Judges serve a 4-year term, with no term limits.

District	Name	Party	Area of Focus	Term	Elected	Term Up
53rd	Maria Cantú Hexsel	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2020	2024
98th	Rhonda Hurley	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2008	2024
126th	Aurora Martinez Jones	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2020	2024
147th	Cliff Brown	Democratic	Criminal	4th	2010	2026
167th	Dayna Blazey	Democratic	Criminal	1st	2020	2024
200th	Jessica Mangrum	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2020	2024
201st	Amy Clark Meachum	Democratic	Civil & Family	4th	2010	2026
250th	Karin Crump	Democratic	Civil & Family	3rd	2014	2026
261st	Daniella DeSeta Lyttle	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2022	2026
299th	Karen Sage	Democratic	Criminal	4th	2010	2026
331st	Chantal Eldridge	Democratic	Criminal	2nd	2018	2026
345th	Jan Soifer	Democratic	Civil & Family	2nd	2016	2024
353rd	Madeleine Connor*	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2020	2024
390th	Julie Kocurek	Democratic	Criminal	6th	1999	2024
403rd	Brandy Mueller	Democratic	Criminal	1st	2022	2026
419th	Catherine Mauzy	Democratic	Civil & Family	2nd	2018	2026
427th	Tamara Needles	Democratic	Criminal	2nd	2016	2024
450th	Brad Urrutia	Democratic	Criminal	2nd	2016	2024
455th	Laurie Eiserloh	Democratic	Civil & Family	1st	2022	2026
459th	Maya Guerra Gamble	Democratic	Civil & Family	2nd	2018	2026
460th	Selena Alvarenga	Democratic	Criminal	1st	2020	2024

*censured by the Travis County Democratic Party

United States presidential election results for Travis County, Texas

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	161,337	26.43%	435,860	71.41%	13,152	2.15%
2016	127,209	27.14%	308,260	65.77%	33,251	7.09%
2012	140,152	36.21%	232,788	60.14%	14,117	3.65%
2008	136,981	34.25%	254,017	63.52%	8,890	2.22%
2004	147,885	42.00%	197,235	56.01%	6,993	1.99%
2000	141,235	46.88%	125,526	41.67%	34,502	11.45%
1996	98,454	39.97%	128,970	52.36%	18,877	7.66%
1992	88,105	31.89%	130,546	47.26%	57,584	20.85%
1988	105,915	44.86%	127,783	54.13%	2,386	1.01%
1984	124,944	56.84%	94,124	42.82%	745	0.34%
1980	73,151	45.69%	75,028	46.87%	11,914	7.44%
1976	71,031	46.67%	78,585	51.63%	2,597	1.71%
1972	70,561	56.30%	54,157	43.21%	611	0.49%
1968	34,309	41.58%	39,667	48.07%	8,544	10.35%
1964	19,838	31.02%	44,058	68.89%	62	0.10%
1960	22,107	44.87%	27,022	54.85%	135	0.27%
1956	23,551	53.98%	19,982	45.80%	98	0.22%
1952	20,850	52.06%	19,155	47.83%	46	0.11%
1948	5,994	22.03%	19,598	72.03%	1,615	5.94%
1944	2,324	12.09%	14,384	74.80%	2,522	13.11%
1940	3,128	15.26%	17,300	84.38%	75	0.37%
1936	1,154	8.60%	12,092	90.07%	179	1.33%
1932	1,532	11.45%	11,718	87.60%	126	0.94%
1928	4,847	51.83%	4,487	47.98%	17	0.18%
1924	1,909	19.43%	7,573	77.06%	345	3.51%
1920	1,204	20.39%	3,541	59.97%	1,160	19.64%
1916	690	15.47%	3,682	82.54%	89	2.00%
1912	468	12.04%	2,741	70.54%	677	17.42%

As of March 2024, all county elected officials are members of the Democratic Party.

District	Position	Name	Term	Elected	Term Up
At-Large	County Judge	Andy Brown	2nd	2020	2026
Precinct 1	Commissioner	Jeff Travillion	2nd	2016	2024
Precinct 2	Commissioner	Brigid Shea	3rd	2016	2026
Precinct 3	Commissioner	Ann Howard	1st	2020	2024
Precinct 4	Commissioner	Margaret Gómez	8th	1994	2026
At-Large	District Attorney	José Garza	1st	2020	2024
At-Large	County Attorney	Delia Garza	1st	2020	2024
At-Large	District Clerk	Velva Price	3rd	2014	2026
At-Large	County Clerk	Dyana Limon-Mercado	1st	2022	2026
At-Large	Treasurer	Dolores Ortega Carter	10th	1986	2026
At-Large	Sheriff	Sally Hernandez	2nd	2016	2024
At-Large	Tax Assessor-Collector	Bruce Elfant	3rd	2012	2024
Precinct 1	Constable	Tonya Nixon	1st	2020	2024
Precinct 2	Constable	Adan Ballesteros	4th	2008	2024
Precinct 3	Constable	Stacy Suits	2nd	2016	2024
Precinct 4	Constable	George Morales III	2nd	2016	2024
Precinct 5	Constable	Carlos B. Lopez	3rd	2012	2024
Precinct 1	Justice of the Peace	Yvonne Michelle Williams	4th	2010	2026
Precinct 2	Justice of the Peace	Randall Slagle	3rd	2014	2026
Precinct 3	Justice of the Peace	Sylvia Holmes	2nd	2018	2026
Precinct 4	Justice of the Peace	Raúl Arturo Gonzalez	5th	2006	2026
Precinct 5	Justice of the Peace	Rick "Rico" Olivo	1st	2023*	2024
At-Large	County Court At Law #1	Todd Wong	3rd	2014	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #2	Eric Sheppard	3rd	2014	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #3	Bianca Garcia	1st	2022	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #4	Dimple Malhotra	2nd	2019*	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #5	Mary Ann Espiritu	1st	2022	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #6	Denise Hernandez	1st	2022	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #7	Elisabeth A. Earle	6th	2002	2026
At-Large	County Court At Law #8	Carlos H. Barrera	4th	2008	2024
At-Large	County Court At Law #9	Kim Williams	2nd	2016	2024
At-Large	Probate Court**	Guy Herman	1st	2023*	2026
At-Large	Probate Court**	Nicholas Chu	1st	2023*	2024

*appointed to fill a vacancy

**court created in 2023

The board governing the Austin Community College district, which Travis County is a part of alongside Hays, Caldwell, and Blanco counties, as well as portions of Williamson, Bastrop, Guadalupe, Lee, and Fayette counties. Members are elected in nonpartisan elections and serve six year terms.

Place	Name	Term	Elected	Term Up
1	Dana Walker	1st	2020*	2026
2	Gigi Edwards Bryant	2nd	2014	2026
3	Nan McRaven	3rd	2002	2026
4	Sean Hassan	2nd	2016	2028
5	Manny Gonzalez	2nd	2022	2028
6	Steve Jackobs	1st	2022	2028
7	Barbara Mink	4th	2000	2024
8	Stephanie Gharakhanian	1st	2018	2026
9	Julie Ann Nitsch	2nd	2016*	2024

As of 2017, Travis County had a median household income of $68,350 per year, and a per capita income of $38,820 per year. 13.9% of the population lived below the poverty level. The county's largest employers are governments (the State of Texas, the US Federal Government, Travis County and the City of Austin) and public education bodies. Other major employers are concentrated in industries relating to semiconductors, software engineering and healthcare.

Travis County is served by a number of public school districts; the largest is Austin Independent School District, serving most of Austin. Other districts wholly or mainly located in Travis County include Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Lago Vista ISD, Leander ISD, Del Valle ISD, Manor ISD, and Pflugerville ISD. Parts of Elgin ISD, Coupland ISD, Hutto ISD, Round Rock ISD, Marble Falls ISD, Johnson City ISD, Dripping Springs ISD and Hays Consolidated ISD also cross into Travis County.

State-operated schools include:

• Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• Texas School for the Deaf

Texas Blind, Deaf, and Orphan School was formerly in operation for black students pre-desegregation.

The largest university in Travis County is the University of Texas at Austin. Other universities include St. Edward's University, Huston–Tillotson University, and Concordia University Texas.

Under Texas law Austin Community College District (ACC) is the designated community college for most of the county. However, areas in Marble Falls ISD are zoned to Central Texas College District.

Central Health, a hospital district, was established in 2004. Brackenridge Hospital was originally built as the City-County Hospital in 1884 but Travis County ended its share of the ownership in 1907. In 2017 Brackenridge was replaced by the Dell Seton Medical Center.

• Austin (county seat) (small parts in Hays and Williamson counties)
• Cedar Park (mostly in Williamson County)
• Elgin (mostly in Bastrop County)
• Leander (mostly in Williamson County)
• Mustang Ridge (small parts in Caldwell and Bastrop counties)
• Pflugerville (small part in Williamson County)
• Round Rock (mostly in Williamson County)

• Austin Bat Cave (non-profit educational org)
• List of museums in Central Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Travis County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Travis County

• Travis County Government website
• Travis County from the Handbook of Texas Online

30°20′N 97°47′W / 30.33°N 97.78°W / 30.33; -97.78