232,387 people (2024 Census estimate, +19.6% since 2020)
936 square miles of land · 248 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.
32 active community water systems list Ellis County in the area they serve, reporting 252,842 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF WAXAHACHIE surface water · local government · TX0700008 | 50,814 served |
| ROCKETT SUD buys surface water · local government · TX0700033 | 46,614 served |
| CITY OF MIDLOTHIAN surface water · local government · TX0700005 | 27,699 served |
| MOUNTAIN PEAK SUD buys surface water · local government · TX0700042 | 25,302 served |
| CITY OF ENNIS surface water · local government · TX0700001 | 24,891 served |
| SARDIS LONE ELM WSC buys surface water · local government · TX0700034 | 20,736 served |
| CITY OF RED OAK buys surface water · local government · TX0700031 | 18,577 served |
| BUENA VISTA BETHEL SUD groundwater · local government · TX0700037 | 8,218 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 572 people were held in Ellis County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 459.
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.
10 school districts have their office in Ellis County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $154.8 million — $117.4 million to run schools, about $10,686 per student, plus $18.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $106.9 million local (mostly property tax), $40.6 million state, $11.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $413.7 million.
Spent $143.9 million — $124.8 million to run schools, about $11,520 per student, plus $8.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $101.3 million local (mostly property tax), $42.6 million state, $15.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $223.3 million.
Spent $79.1 million — $70.3 million to run schools, about $10,825 per student, plus $3.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $46.1 million local (mostly property tax), $33 million state, $11.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $84.6 million.
Spent $82.9 million — $70.1 million to run schools, about $11,329 per student, plus $9.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $53.6 million local (mostly property tax), $26 million state, $13.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $92.5 million.
Spent $35.3 million — $31.7 million to run schools, about $11,668 per student, plus $2.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $10.8 million local (mostly property tax), $22.2 million state, $5.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $27.1 million.
Spent $18.3 million — $15.6 million to run schools, about $11,969 per student, plus $2.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7 million local (mostly property tax), $11 million state, $1.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $17.4 million.
Spent $17.3 million — $13.5 million to run schools, about $11,168 per student, plus $2.3 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.4 million local (mostly property tax), $8.3 million state, $1.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.8 million.
Spent $13 million — $10.6 million to run schools, about $16,697 per student, plus $1.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.7 million local (mostly property tax), $7.4 million state, $1.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $11.6 million.
And 2 more.
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: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Ellis County about $46.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
690 bridges in Ellis County: 367 in good condition, 311 fair, and 12 poor (1.7%). “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.
| IH 45 BUS LP over IH 45 ML · built 1992 | 1,500 vehicles a day |
| Old Alma Road over Draw · built 1930 | 1,084 vehicles a day |
| Hampton Road over Red Oak Creek · built 1970 | 645 vehicles a day |
| OAK BRANCH ROAD over OAK BRANCH · built 1987 | 281 vehicles a day |
| BARTON ROAD over E FORK CHAMBERS CREEK · built 1991 | 179 vehicles a day |
| OLD MAYPEARL RD over OAK BRANCH · built 1960 | 144 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $63.9 million of work in Ellis County in fiscal 2025, about $332 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 Ellis 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 Ellis County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Navarro County (28 mi) · Dallas County (29 mi) · Hill County (32 mi) · Johnson County (33 mi) · Kaufman County (34 mi) · Tarrant County (41 mi).