Counties with the oldest homes in Texas

Written by:
August 27, 2022
Arina P Habich // Shutterstock

Counties with the oldest homes in Texas

There's an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 12.8% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.

Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Texas with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2020 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.

The country's domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, "the ache for home lives in all of us," a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.

Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called "Robber Barons" at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.

The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.

Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Texas have the oldest homes.

#50. Borden County

- Median year homes built: 1968
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 1.3% (5 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 11.6% (43 homes)
- Total homes built: 371

#49. Terry County

- Median year homes built: 1968
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.1% (101 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 4.5% (218 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,864

#48. McCulloch County

- Median year homes built: 1968
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.1% (740 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 12.1% (526 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,335

#47. Childress County

- Median year homes built: 1968
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 25.2% (722 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 11.2% (320 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,860

#46. Scurry County

- Median year homes built: 1967
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.2% (375 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.4% (533 homes)
- Total homes built: 7,205

#45. Lynn County

- Median year homes built: 1967
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.1% (295 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 10.5% (280 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,661

#44. Jones County

- Median year homes built: 1967
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.6% (962 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 12.9% (908 homes)
- Total homes built: 7,054

#43. Hansford County

- Median year homes built: 1966
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.4% (127 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.6% (155 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,342

#42. Deaf Smith County

- Median year homes built: 1966
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.6% (539 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 8.2% (584 homes)
- Total homes built: 7,079

#41. Oldham County

- Median year homes built: 1966
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.7% (69 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 12.5% (99 homes)
- Total homes built: 794

#40. Stonewall County

- Median year homes built: 1966
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.5% (105 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 3.8% (32 homes)
- Total homes built: 837

#39. Throckmorton County

- Median year homes built: 1966
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.1% (202 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 9.7% (103 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,059

#38. Cochran County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 1.1% (15 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.3% (99 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,351

#37. Reeves County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.6% (213 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 13.4% (622 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,652

#36. Howard County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.9% (779 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 9.3% (1,223 homes)
- Total homes built: 13,200

#35. Dawson County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.6% (343 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 4.9% (254 homes)
- Total homes built: 5,171

#34. Castro County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.7% (246 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.8% (185 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,179

#33. Hale County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.8% (1,045 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 4.7% (630 homes)
- Total homes built: 13,382

#32. Coleman County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 18.1% (1,006 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 8.6% (478 homes)
- Total homes built: 5,547

#31. Cottle County

- Median year homes built: 1965
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 21.9% (241 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.5% (72 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,100

#30. Winkler County

- Median year homes built: 1964
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 0.9% (28 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.0% (152 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,066

#29. Crosby County

- Median year homes built: 1964
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.9% (201 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 3.5% (102 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,909

#28. Nolan County

- Median year homes built: 1964
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.6% (676 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.1% (360 homes)
- Total homes built: 7,075

#27. Baylor County

- Median year homes built: 1964
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.1% (340 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.8% (203 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,601

#26. Lamb County

- Median year homes built: 1963
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.5% (579 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.8% (415 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,069

#25. Sherman County

- Median year homes built: 1963
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.2% (226 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.0% (70 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,397

#24. Haskell County

- Median year homes built: 1963
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.6% (576 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.8% (235 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,465

#23. Wheeler County

- Median year homes built: 1963
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 21.2% (576 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 15.4% (417 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,715

#22. Swisher County

- Median year homes built: 1962
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.5% (333 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 4.1% (129 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,181

#21. Wilbarger County

- Median year homes built: 1962
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.1% (1,191 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.1% (441 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,242

#20. Armstrong County

- Median year homes built: 1962
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 23.7% (216 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 8.1% (74 homes)
- Total homes built: 913

#19. Foard County

- Median year homes built: 1962
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 31.6% (262 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.4% (45 homes)
- Total homes built: 829

#18. Potter County

- Median year homes built: 1961
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.2% (4,594 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 10.5% (5,253 homes)
- Total homes built: 50,174

#17. Fisher County

- Median year homes built: 1961
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.6% (215 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.4% (165 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,236

#16. Knox County

- Median year homes built: 1961
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.7% (359 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.7% (136 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,030

#15. Carson County

- Median year homes built: 1961
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.2% (730 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 9.9% (275 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,787

#14. Roberts County

- Median year homes built: 1961
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.6% (136 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 16.0% (71 homes)
- Total homes built: 445

#13. Gray County

- Median year homes built: 1960
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.3% (1,029 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.3% (734 homes)
- Total homes built: 9,995

#12. Hardeman County

- Median year homes built: 1960
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 28.9% (697 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.3% (152 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,411

#11. Floyd County

- Median year homes built: 1959
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.8% (381 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 3.4% (102 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,966

#10. Briscoe County

- Median year homes built: 1959
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.9% (138 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.1% (61 homes)
- Total homes built: 996

#9. Collingsworth County

- Median year homes built: 1959
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 25.7% (377 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 10.6% (156 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,467

#8. Runnels County

- Median year homes built: 1958
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.7% (1,034 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 6.9% (360 homes)
- Total homes built: 5,245

#7. Mitchell County

- Median year homes built: 1958
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 21.1% (862 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.5% (224 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,077

#6. Dickens County

- Median year homes built: 1956
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.4% (237 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 7.3% (99 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,363

#5. Hall County

- Median year homes built: 1956
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 36.5% (699 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 4.2% (80 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,916

#4. Kenedy County

- Median year homes built: 1954
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.4% (34 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 16.7% (37 homes)
- Total homes built: 221

#3. Loving County

- Median year homes built: 1954
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 43.7% (38 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
- Total homes built: 87

#2. Terrell County

- Median year homes built: 1949
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 36.2% (270 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
- Total homes built: 746

#1. Motley County

- Median year homes built: 1948
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 41.5% (324 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 5.4% (42 homes)
- Total homes built: 781

Trending Now