East Texas County Governments
![]() Trinity County Courthouse in the City of Groveton in Deep East Texas |
The State of Texas is divided into 254 counties, the largest number in the United States.
When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, the 23 existing municipalities became the original Texas counties. Many of these were later divided into new counties.
Texas county courthouses are often located in the georgraphical center of the county.
Each county is run by a commissioners' court, consisting of four elected commissioners (one from each of four precincts drawn based on population) and a county judge elected from all the voters of the county.
The 38-county East Texas region stretches from the piney woods bordering Louisiana and Arkansas to the eastern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and from Oklahoma in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south.
List of East Texas Counties and County Seats
The following is a list of East Texas counties and county seats along with Census 2020 population numbers:County Name |
County Seat |
Population |
Area |
Anderson | Palestine | 57,922 | Upper East Texas |
Angelina | Lufkin | 86,395 | Deep East Texas |
Bowie | New Boston | 92,893 | Upper East Texas |
Camp | Pittsburg | 12,464 | Upper East Texas |
Cass | Linden | 28,454 | Upper East Texas |
Cherokee | Rusk | 50,412 | Upper East Texas |
Delta | Cooper | 5,230 | Upper East Texas |
Franklin | Mt. Vernon | 10,359 | Upper East Texas |
Gregg | Longview | 124,239 | Upper East Texas |
Hardin | Kountze | 56,231 | South East Texas |
Harrison | Marshall | 68,839 | Upper East Texas |
Henderson | Athens | 82,150 | Upper East Texas |
Hopkins | Sulphur Springs | 36,787 | Upper East Texas |
Houston | Crockett | 22,066 | Deep East Texas |
Jasper | Jasper | 32,980 | Deep East Texas |
Jefferson | Beaumont | 256,526 | South East Texas |
Lamar | Paris | 50,088 | Upper East Texas |
Marion | Jefferson | 9,725 | Upper East Texas |
Morris | Daingerfield | 11,973 | Upper East Texas |
Nacogdoches | Nacogdoches | 64,653 | Deep East Texas |
Newton | Newton | 12,217 | Deep East Texas |
Orange | Orange | 84,808 | South East Texas |
Panola | Carthage | 22,491 | Upper East Texas |
Polk | Livingston | 50,123 | Deep East Texas |
Rains | Emory | 12,164 | Upper East Texas |
Red River | Clarksville | 11,587 | Upper East Texas |
Rusk | Henderson | 52,214 | Upper East Texas |
Sabine | Hemphill | 9,984 | Deep East Texas |
San Augustine | San Augustine | 7,918 | Deep East Texas |
San Jacinto | Coldspring | 27,402 | Deep East Texas |
Shelby | Center | 24,022 | Deep East Texas |
Smith | Tyler | 233,479 | Upper East Texas |
Titus | Mt. Pleasant | 31,247 | Upper East Texas |
Trinity | Groveton | 13,602 | Deep East Texas |
Tyler | Woodville | 19,798 | Deep East Texas |
Upshur | Gilmer | 40,892 | Upper East Texas |
Van Zandt | Canton | 59,541 | Upper East Texas |
Wood | Quitman | 44,843 | Upper East Texas |
Total - 38 Counties | 1,918,718 | East Texas |
Smith County Courthouse in Tyler, Texas
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List of East Texas County Government Websites
Included below is list of East Texas counties and their official county websites.
The historic Franklin County Court House in Mount Vernon, Texas
Historic Shelby County Courthouse in Center, Texas
Hopkins County Courthouse in Sulphur Springs, Texas
Sabine County Courthouse in Hemphill

Map of East Texas Counties and Larger Cities