Texas · county 48165

Gaines County, Texas: public records at a glance

What national public records say about Gaines County — people, schools, health, drinking water, bridges, disaster risk, the jail, federal grants and how to vote — each with its source. A full County Commons site (the budget line by line, your tax bill, audits, local offices) isn't built for Gaines County yet — not gathered, never hidden.

22,892 people (2024 Census estimate, +5.5% since 2020)
1,502 square miles of land · 15 people per square mile

How Gaines County compares — against the other counties in Texas

22,892 — people: 108th highest of 254 Texas counties.
$15,767 — spending per student in its school districts: 58th highest of 253 Texas counties.
73.8 years — life expectancy: 123rd highest of 236 Texas counties.
32.0% — share of adults under 65 without health insurance: 3rd highest of 254 Texas counties.
19.3% — child poverty: 160th highest of 254 Texas counties.
80.8% — households with broadband internet: 180th highest of 254 Texas counties.
$66,019 — median household income: 82nd highest of 254 Texas counties.
$187 — federal grant dollars per resident: 161st highest of 253 Texas counties.
$12.9 million — expected yearly losses from natural hazards: 130th highest of 254 Texas counties.

“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.

Drinking water — public water systems serving Gaines County

4 active community water systems list Gaines County in the area they serve, reporting 10,103 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).

CITY OF SEMINOLE groundwater · local government · TX0830012	7,386 served
CITY OF SEAGRAVES groundwater · local government · TX0830001	2,417 served
LOOP WSC groundwater · local government · TX0830011	300 served
TEXLAND GREAT PLAINS WATER SUPPLY groundwater · private · TX0830023	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.

The jail — people held in the county jail

About 57 people were held in Gaines County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 55.

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.

Public schools — district budgets, fiscal 2023

3 school districts have their office in Gaines County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.

SEMINOLE IND SCH DIST 9033,011 students

Spent $58.6 million — $45.2 million to run schools, about $15,024 per student, plus $2.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $43.5 million local (mostly property tax), $7.9 million state, $7.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $7.7 million.

SEAGRAVES IND SCH DISTRICT 901505 students

Spent $10.9 million — $9.8 million to run schools, about $19,396 per student, plus $879,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $4.4 million local (mostly property tax), $4.4 million state, $2.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.3 million.

LOOP IND SCHOOL DIST 902157 students

Spent $3.5 million — $2.9 million to run schools, about $18,350 per student, plus $527,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.6 million local (mostly property tax), $632,000 state, $478,000 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.

Health, money and internet at home — Gaines County beside Texas

Life expectancy73.8 years · Texas 76.7 years

Adults under 65 without health insurance32.0% · Texas 18.8%

Children in poverty19.3% · Texas 18.4%

Households without enough food (food insecurity)15.5% · Texas 16.4%

Households with broadband internet80.8% · Texas 90.0%

Households with severe housing problems15.1% · Texas 17.5%

Residents per primary care doctor10,947 · Texas 1,657

Residents per mental health provider4,505 · Texas 590

Unemployment2.9% · Texas 3.9%

Median household income$66,019 · Texas $75,778

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.

Disaster risk — FEMA's National Risk Index

Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Gaines County about $12.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.

The costliest hazards here

Cold wave$3.4 million a year · Relatively Moderate

River and inland flooding$2.3 million a year · Very Low

Hail$2.2 million a year · Relatively High

Wildfire$1.6 million a year · Relatively Moderate

Drought$1.5 million a year · Relatively High

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.

Federal grants — the money that came in, and what's open now

Federal grants paid for $4 million of work in Gaines County in fiscal 2025, about $187 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.

Open now: federal grants county governments can apply for

F26AS00062: Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act FY 2026 Fish and Wildlife Service · F26AS00062	closes 2026-10-13
OVC FY 2026 Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Office for Victims of Crime · O-OVC-2026-172699	closes 2026-10-14
BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172661	closes 2026-10-15
FY26 Bureau of Land Management Youth Conservation Corps - Bureau wide Bureau of Land Management · L26AS00064	closes 2026-10-16
FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program Airport Improvement Program Discretionary Grants · DOT-FAA-26-0117-002	closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Service Area Competition (SAC) Health Resources and Services Administration · HRSA-27-005	closes 2026-10-19
Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Competition AmeriCorps · AC-08-20-2026	closes 2026-10-20
DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172778	closes 2026-10-20
Long-term health outcomes of people living with spina bifida Centers for Disease Control - NCBDDD · CDC-RFA-DD-26-0222	closes 2026-10-26
OJJDP FY 2026 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · O-OJJDP-2026-172741	closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172714	closes 2026-10-29
BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172708	closes 2026-10-29

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.

Voting

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

Not here yet

The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Gaines 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 Gaines County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.

More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.

Nearby counties: Andrews County (30 mi) · Yoakum County (31 mi) · Terry County (34 mi) · Dawson County (40 mi) · Lea County, NM (46 mi) · Martin County (49 mi).