Blanco County (Spanish: "white", ) is a United States county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located in Central Texas and its county seat is Johnson City.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,374.
The county is named for the Blanco River that traverses the county.
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,374. The median age was 52.6 years. 17.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 81.4% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.6% from some other race, and 10.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 18.4% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,787 households in the county, of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.6% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 6,056 housing units, of which 21.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.8% were owner-occupied and 21.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.
As of the 2000 census, there were 8,418 people, 3,303 households, and 2,391 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 4,031 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.97% White, 0.74% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.88% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. 15.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,303 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 27.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,369, and the median income for a family was $45,382. Males had a median income of $31,717 versus $21,879 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,721. About 8.10% of families and 11.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.
Blanco County is located in the Hill Country of central Texas, west of Austin and north of San Antonio. Two significant rivers, the Blanco and the Pedernales, flow through the county.
School districts:
Austin Community College is the designated community college for the county.