Texas is organized into several overlapping sets of districts: 38 U.S. congressional districts, 31 state senate districts, 150 state house districts, 15 State Board of Education districts, more than 450 judicial districts served by district courts, 15 courts of appeals, roughly 1,000 independent school districts, and over 3,000 special purpose districts. If you’re trying to answer how many districts there are in Texas, the honest answer is that it depends on which kind, because each type serves a different function and the boundaries don’t line up with one another.
38 U.S. Congressional Districts
Texas sends 38 representatives to the U.S. House, one from each congressional district.1Texas Redistricting. Current Districts The count rose from 36 after the 2020 Census, which put the state’s population at roughly 29.1 million and made Texas the only state to gain two seats that cycle.2Census.gov. Congressional Apportionment: 2020 Census Brief The U.S. Constitution requires this reapportionment every ten years so each district holds a roughly equal share of the population.3Congress.gov. Constitution Annotated – Article I Section 2
The Texas Legislature draws the congressional maps, and those maps are frequently challenged in court under federal voting-rights law. Because Texas keeps growing faster than most states, the seat count could rise again after the 2030 Census.
31 State Senate Districts
The Texas Senate has 31 members, each representing one district.4Justia. Texas Constitution Article 3 – Legislative Department That number is fixed in the state constitution and hasn’t changed in over a century. With the 2020 Census population of roughly 29.1 million, each senate district now holds about 940,000 people, among the largest legislative districts in the country.
Senators serve staggered four-year terms, with about half the chamber up for election every two years.5Texas Legislature Online. About the Texas Legislature One exception: in the first election after new maps are drawn, all 31 seats appear on the ballot together. Because each senator represents nearly a million people, individual districts often cover enormous geographic areas, especially in West Texas and the Panhandle.
150 State House Districts
The Texas House of Representatives has 150 members, nearly five times the senate.4Justia. Texas Constitution Article 3 – Legislative Department Each district contains roughly 194,000 people based on the 2020 Census. House members serve two-year terms, so every seat is on the ballot in every general election.6Texas House of Representatives. About – Texas House of Representatives
In urban areas like Houston or Dallas, a house district might cover only a few neighborhoods. In rural West Texas, a single district can stretch across a dozen or more counties. Like the senate maps, these boundaries are redrawn every ten years.
15 State Board of Education Districts
Texas is divided into 15 State Board of Education districts, each electing one member to oversee statewide public education policy. Texas Education Code Section 7.101 establishes this 15-member board and gives it authority over curriculum standards, textbook adoption, and the Permanent School Fund. Because only 15 districts cover the entire state, each one holds far more people than a state senate district and can take in dozens of counties.
Board members serve staggered four-year terms. Their decisions reach every public school classroom in the state.
More Than 450 Judicial Districts, Plus 15 Courts of Appeals
Texas has more than 450 judicial districts, each served by at least one district court that acts as the state’s primary trial court. The Texas Constitution gives these courts broad original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters, including felony prosecutions, contested elections, and disputes over land titles.7Justia. Texas Constitution Article 5 – Section 8 In densely populated counties like Harris or Dallas, multiple district courts sit within a single county. In rural areas, one judicial district may cover several counties.
Above the trial courts sit 15 courts of appeals, the intermediate appellate layer. Each covers a multi-county geographic district and is led by a chief justice. Across all 15 courts there are 83 justices, with panel sizes ranging from three to 13 depending on the court.8Texas Judicial Branch. Courts of Appeals Appeals are usually heard by a three-justice panel unless the full court decides to sit together.
Roughly 1,000 Independent School Districts
Texas has roughly 1,000 independent school districts, the most numerous type of district most residents interact with directly. Each is an independent political subdivision with its own taxing authority. Under Texas Education Code Section 11.152, the elected board of trustees in each district can levy property taxes and issue bonds to fund operations and facilities, and a locally hired superintendent runs the day-to-day work.
District sizes vary enormously. The largest urban districts serve hundreds of thousands of students across dozens of campuses, while some rural districts enroll fewer than 100 students in a single building. Each district’s property tax rate combines a maintenance-and-operations component with a debt-service component, with total rates typically falling somewhere between roughly $0.80 and $1.20 per $100 of property value, depending on local decisions about bond debt and operational spending.
More Than 3,000 Special Purpose Districts
Beyond the better-known districts, thousands of special purpose districts handle specific services like water supply, sewage treatment, flood control, hospital operations, and fire protection. The Texas Comptroller’s office describes these as local governments that may be funded through property taxes, sales taxes, or user fees and that can issue their own debt.9Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Special Purpose Districts The most common variety in fast-growing suburban areas is the Municipal Utility District, created by developers to finance water and sewer infrastructure for new neighborhoods.
These districts number well over 3,000 statewide, and the count grows every year as new development pushes outward from major cities. Most operate with little public visibility. Residents inside a MUD or emergency services district pay the district’s property tax alongside their school and county taxes, sometimes without realizing a separate governing board controls that revenue. Each district has its own elected board, its own budget, and often its own bond debt. On a homeowner’s tax bill, the district line item can range from a fraction of a penny to well over a dollar per $100 of assessed value, depending on the district’s outstanding obligations.