Most socially connected counties in Texas
Photo Illustration by Stacker // Canva
Most socially connected counties in Texas
In today’s digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.
While social media has its drawbacks—such as pulling attention away from other tasks or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.
A majority of students in grades 3 to 12 said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.
Spokeo compiled a ranking of the most socially connected counties in Texas using 2021 data from Facebook, based on a national analysis. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.
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#20. Reagan County and Irion County
– Reagan County population: 3,141
– Irion County population: 1,549
– Social connectedness index: 14,248,477
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#19. Menard County and Concho County
– Menard County population: 1,958
– Concho County population: 3,297
– Social connectedness index: 14,258,112
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#18. Kleberg County and Kenedy County
– Kleberg County population: 30,069
– Kenedy County population: 343
– Social connectedness index: 15,363,320
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#17. Zavala County and Dimmit County
– Zavala County population: 9,312
– Dimmit County population: 8,257
– Social connectedness index: 15,936,308
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#16. Throckmorton County and Shackelford County
– Throckmorton County population: 1,526
– Shackelford County population: 3,229
– Social connectedness index: 16,720,531
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#15. Ochiltree County and Lipscomb County
– Ochiltree County population: 9,704
– Lipscomb County population: 2,906
– Social connectedness index: 16,852,442
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#14. Nolan County and Fisher County
– Nolan County population: 14,306
– Fisher County population: 3,612
– Social connectedness index: 17,391,217
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#13. Dallam County and Hartley County
– Dallam County population: 7,237
– Hartley County population: 5,145
– Social connectedness index: 18,058,533
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#12. McMullen County and Live Oak County
– McMullen County population: 568
– Live Oak County population: 11,584
– Social connectedness index: 19,555,515
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#11. Coke County and Sterling County
– Coke County population: 3,352
– Sterling County population: 1,397
– Social connectedness index: 20,843,211
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#10. Schleicher County and Sutton County
– Schleicher County population: 2,391
– Sutton County population: 3,221
– Social connectedness index: 21,762,635
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#9. Edwards County and Real County
– Edwards County population: 1,393
– Real County population: 2,854
– Social connectedness index: 22,271,085
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#8. Wilbarger County and Foard County
– Wilbarger County population: 12,522
– Foard County population: 1,079
– Social connectedness index: 26,413,898
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#7. Garza County and Borden County
– Garza County population: 4,517
– Borden County population: 572
– Social connectedness index: 30,229,266
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#6. Hall County and Briscoe County
– Hall County population: 2,818
– Briscoe County population: 1,445
– Social connectedness index: 30,338,197
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#5. Knox County and Haskell County
– Knox County population: 3,302
– Haskell County population: 5,385
– Social connectedness index: 31,345,973
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#4. Roberts County and Hemphill County
– Roberts County population: 840
– Hemphill County population: 3,189
– Social connectedness index: 31,836,968
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#3. Motley County and Dickens County
– Motley County population: 1,020
– Dickens County population: 1,711
– Social connectedness index: 44,122,850
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#2. Stonewall County and Kent County
– Stonewall County population: 1,218
– Kent County population: 734
– Social connectedness index: 91,606,739
Darlene Tompkins // Shutterstock
#1. Cottle County and King County
– Cottle County population: 1,294
– King County population: 217
– Social connectedness index: 124,988,883
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Kayla Zhu, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.
This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
