In Upton County, pumpjacks and ranchland still share the view

Upton County is home to 3,175 residents across two towns in the heart of West Texas oil country. Median home values sit at $109,200 with median rent at $839 monthly. The county operates without published school district data, reflecting its small population spread across a vast rural landscape. Construction and energy extraction dominate the economy, with mining, quarrying, and oil and gas workers earning an average of $155,601 annually, making Upton County one of the most petroleum-dependent counties in Texas.

Cities Compared

McCamey and Rankin share similar affordability profiles as small West Texas towns shaped by the same economic forces, though McCamey's larger population and commercial activity give it slightly more housing inventory and employment options. Both communities offer the isolation and space that define rural Texas living, with property values reflecting distance from major metros.

Demographics

The county's population of 3,175 skews slightly older with a median age of 40.2 years. The demographic makeup is 55 percent Hispanic and 42.3 percent White, reflecting the cultural blend common in West Texas border regions, with a notably high homeownership rate of 77 percent.

Economy

The energy industry defines Upton County employment, with construction claiming 2,203 workers at an average pay of $76,886 and oil and gas extraction employing 421 at $155,601 annually. Wholesale trade and transportation support the petroleum operations, while traditional retail and service sectors remain minimal in this sparsely populated county.

Schools

Upton County operates with limited published school district information, reflecting the challenges of providing education infrastructure across a vast, sparsely populated area. Families in this rural region navigate schooling options appropriate to the county's small-town character and geographic isolation.

Cost of Living

Upton County offers remarkable housing affordability with a median home value of $109,200 and median rent of $839 monthly, well below state averages. The median household income of $55,116 reflects the working-class character of this energy-dependent region, where high-paying oilfield jobs coexist with limited retail and service employment.

About Upton County

Upton County stretches across nearly nine hundred square miles of West Texas oil country, where derricks punctuate horizons once dominated solely by mesquite and cattle. Created from Tom Green County in 1887 and organized in 1910, the county was named for John Cunningham Upton, a Confederate colonel killed at Second Manassas in 1862. For decades this was pure ranching territory, where George Elliott built one of the first homesteads in 1880 and had to haul water fifty miles from the head of the Concho River.

Everything changed in 1926 when George B. McCamey drilled the discovery well that would transform Upton County into one of the most productive petroleum regions in Texas. Within a year, the boomtown bearing his name swelled to ten thousand people. Ira Yates struck his legendary fifteen million dollar gusher the same year on ranch land he had acquired in a general store swap, and built the Yates Hotel as a showplace for the crowds flooding in. By 1964, that original discovery had led to thirty-one separate oil and gas fields across the county.

Today Upton County is home to just over three thousand residents split between two communities. McCamey, the larger town founded during the boom years, serves as the commercial center, while Rankin won designation as county seat in 1921. The economy remains anchored to the energy industry that built it, with construction crews and oilfield workers far outnumbering other employment sectors. This is a landscape where historic markers commemorate Castle Gap, the mile-long pass between Castle and King mountains that funneled southwestern trail traffic for centuries, and where Table Top Mountain rises as a limestone remnant of the prehistoric sea that once covered the Permian Basin. Midland lies roughly sixty miles northeast, but Upton County maintains the character of genuine West Texas isolation, where wide open spaces still define daily life and the nearest grocery run might involve significant mileage.

McCamey and Rankin: Two Towns Shaped by Oil and Rails

Rankin claimed the county seat in 1921, named for F. E. Rankin who donated land for the railway station that became the community's social center. The depot hosted Saturday night cowboy dances and served as the gathering point for a ranching community that predated the oil boom. Rankin maintains the governmental functions and quieter character of a traditional West Texas county seat.

McCamey exploded into existence in 1926 as a pure oil boomtown, swelling to ten thousand residents within a year of the discovery well. The town was built to house and serve the workers flooding into the new petroleum fields, and structures like the Adrian Building, originally constructed in nearby Girvin in 1915 and moved to McCamey in 1946, tell the story of communities that shifted with the industry. Today McCamey remains the larger and more commercially active of the two towns, its fortunes still tied to the oil and gas operations that continue across the county. The contrast between the two communities reflects the dual heritage of Upton County: Rankin representing the ranching past, McCamey embodying the energy boom that redefined the region.

Identifiers

GEOID

48461

State FIPS

48

County FIPS

461

Statistics

Neighborhoods

1

Population

2,760

Geography

Type

polygon

Area

3,215 km²

Data Source

Primary Source

tiger

Census Reference

QuickFacts

Frequently Asked Questions About Upton County

What is Upton known for?

Upton County is defined by its petroleum heritage and vast West Texas geography, where oil and gas operations continue to drive the economy nearly a century after the 1926 discovery wells transformed ranching country into energy country. The county's 3,175 residents live primarily in McCamey, the boom-era town that once housed ten thousand workers, and Rankin, the traditional county seat established along the railway. This is genuine rural Texas, where Castle Gap and Table Top Mountain mark a landscape shaped by prehistoric seas and centuries of trail traffic, and where construction crews and oilfield workers outnumber all other employment sectors combined. The high homeownership rate of 77 percent reflects a population invested in staying put despite the boom-and-bust cycles that have always characterized petroleum regions. Upton County remains what it became in the 1920s: working oil country with the space and isolation that define life beyond the reach of Texas metros.

What is the cost of living in Upton?

Upton County delivers exceptional housing affordability even by rural Texas standards, with a median home value of $109,200 and median rent of just $839 monthly. The median household income of $55,116 reflects the county's working-class character, though oilfield positions in mining, quarrying, and gas extraction average $155,601 annually, creating significant income variation across the small population. Construction workers, who make up the largest employment sector with 2,203 positions, earn an average of $76,886. The high homeownership rate of 77 percent indicates that buying property remains accessible and practical for long-term residents. Without published property tax data, prospective residents should research rates directly with county offices, though the small population and limited municipal services typically correlate with lower overall tax burdens than urban counties. The tradeoff for affordability is geographic isolation, with Midland roughly sixty miles away and limited local retail or service options.

How are the schools in Upton?

Upton County presents unique educational considerations due to its small population spread across nearly nine hundred square miles of West Texas. The county operates without readily available published school district performance data, reflecting the challenges of maintaining comprehensive education infrastructure in sparsely populated rural regions. Families considering Upton County should contact district offices directly in McCamey and Rankin to understand enrollment numbers, facilities, extracurricular offerings, and student-teacher ratios that characterize small-town Texas schools. The 23.6 percent bachelor's degree attainment rate among adults suggests a community where vocational skills and oilfield expertise often matter more than traditional four-year degrees. For families prioritizing diverse academic programs, advanced placement courses, or extensive extracurricular options, the limited population base inevitably constrains what small rural districts can offer compared to larger Texas systems. The benefit is smaller class sizes and tight-knit school communities where every student is known.

What is the nearest city or metro area?

Midland, located roughly sixty miles northeast, serves as the nearest significant city and the commercial hub for Upton County residents needing services beyond what McCamey and Rankin provide. Midland offers major retail chains, healthcare facilities, the Midland International Air and Space Port, and the full range of urban amenities absent in Upton County's small towns. The drive represents the standard calculation for rural West Texas living: trading daily convenience for space, affordability, and distance from urban density. Odessa sits slightly farther but provides additional options for shopping, medical care, and entertainment. For major metropolitan amenities, San Angelo lies about one hundred miles southeast, while El Paso and Lubbock each sit roughly two hundred miles away in opposite directions. Upton County residents grow accustomed to planning trips to Midland for anything beyond basic groceries and fuel, accepting the mileage as the price of living in genuine oil country where neighbors are measured in sections rather than subdivisions.

Find Your Place in Upton County's Wide Open Spaces

Whether you're drawn to McCamey's energy industry opportunities or Rankin's quieter county seat character, Upton County offers affordable West Texas living far from urban crowds. Connect with a Texas Ally advisor who understands rural property searches and can help you navigate this unique corner of the Permian Basin.