Kaufman is a city in, and county seat of, Kaufman County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,797 at the 2020 census.
Kaufman was founded as "Kings Fort", named after Dr. William P. King, who established the fort in 1840 after purchasing of land where the city is now located. The community was renamed "Kingsboro" after five years of growth. In 1852, Kingsboro was renamed "Kaufman" after the newly formed Kaufman County, which in turn was named after David S. Kaufman.
Kaufman was the first place that Bonnie Parker, of Bonnie and Clyde, was incarcerated.
Nearby Camp Kaufman was used as a German POW camp during World War II.
U.S. Route 175, a four-lane limited-access highway, passes through the southwest side of the city, leading northwest to Dallas and southeast to Athens. Texas State Highway 34 passes through the south and east sides of the city, leading north to Terrell and southwest to Ennis. State Highway 243 leads east from Kaufman to Canton.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Kaufman has a total area of , of which , or 2.08%, is covered by water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Kaufman has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.
As of the 2020 census, Kaufman had a population of 6,797. The median age was 33.4 years. 28.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.3 males age 18 and over.
The census recorded 2,344 households, including 1,427 families; 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 44.0% were married-couple households, 16.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 2,569 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.
90.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.9% lived in rural areas.
Kaufman was home to minor league baseball. The 1915 Kaufman Kings played as members of the Class D level Central Texas League before the league disbanded.
Kaufman and surrounding portions of Kaufman County are served by the Kaufman Independent School District.
Honors Academy operates the Legacy Academy, a grades 6âÂÂ12 charter school, in Kaufman.
Kaufman Christian School, a church-run school with classes from prekindergarten to 12th grade, also serves the area.
Trinity Valley Community College operates its Health Science Center in Kaufman.
Hall Airport was a privately owned public use airport located about 6.8 miles southeast of Kaufman's central business district. The airport had one runway, designated "17/35", with a turf surface measuring 2,585 by 40 feet (788 x 12 m).