El Paso County, Texas

El Paso County
Skyline of El Paso, the largest city within the county
Skyline of El Paso, the largest city within the county
Flag of El Paso County
Official seal of El Paso County
Map of Texas highlighting El Paso County
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Map of the United States highlighting Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°46′N 106°14′W / 31.77°N 106.24°W / 31.77; -106.24
Country United States
State Texas
Founded1871
SeatEl Paso
Largest cityEl Paso
Area
 • Total
1,015 sq mi (2,630 km2)
 • Land1,013 sq mi (2,620 km2)
 • Water2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
865,657
 • Density850/sq mi (330/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts16th, 23rd
Websitewww.epcounty.com

El Paso County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 865,657,[1] making it the ninth-most populous county in the state of Texas. Its seat is the city of El Paso,[2] the sixth-most populous city in Texas and the 22nd-most populous city in the United States. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1871.[3]

El Paso is short for "El Paso del Norte", which is Spanish for "The Route of the North". It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either side of the river. The county is northeast of the Mexico–United States border.

El Paso County is included in the El Paso metropolitan area. Along with Hudspeth County, it is one of two counties of Texas entirely in the Mountain Time Zone (all other Texas counties except for northwestern Culberson County use Central Time). El Paso County is one of nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas.

  1. ^ "El Paso County, Texas". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.