3,193 people (2024 Census estimate, −2.7% since 2020)
927 square miles of land · 3 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
5 active community water systems list Donley County in the area they serve, reporting 2,893 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF CLARENDON buys surface water · local government · TX0650001 | 2,026 served |
| RRA HOWARDWICK groundwater · local government · TX0650004 | 370 served |
| HEDLEY MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM buys surface water · local government · TX0650002 | 275 served |
| RRA GREENBELT LAKE LOTS buys surface water · local government · TX0650014 | 222 served |
| GREENBELT MIWA surface water · local government · TX0650013 | 0 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 4 people were held in Donley County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 10.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
2 school districts have their office in Donley County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $6.7 million — $6.4 million to run schools, about $14,661 per student, plus $324,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.2 million local (mostly property tax), $3.7 million state, $1.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $478,000.
Spent $2.6 million — $2.3 million to run schools, about $20,051 per student, plus $223,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $779,000 local (mostly property tax), $1.6 million state, $479,000 federal.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Very Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Donley County about $6.6 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
68 bridges in Donley County: 30 in good condition, 33 fair, and 5 poor (7.4%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| US 287 over DRAINAGE DITCH · built 1935 | 14,318 vehicles a day |
| FM 2362 over DRAW · built 1957 | 159 vehicles a day |
| FM 1260 over SALT FORK OF RED RIVER · built 1971 | 20 vehicles a day |
| FM 1260 over EAST LELIA LAKE CK · built 1956 | 20 vehicles a day |
| CR 20 over LELIA LAKE CRK · built 1955 | 12 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $5.1 million of work in Donley County in fiscal 2025, about $1,571 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Donley County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Donley County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Armstrong County (31 mi) · Collingsworth County (31 mi) · Gray County (31 mi) · Briscoe County (37 mi) · Hall County (37 mi) · Carson County (44 mi).