175px|right|thumb
200px|right|thumb|Howard County Library in Big Spring
Howard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. At the 2020 census, its population was 34,860. Its county seat is Big Spring. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1882. It is named for Volney E. Howard, a U.S. Congressman from Texas.
Howard County is included in the Big Spring, Texas micropolitan statistical area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.4%) are covered by water.
Howard County is located at the boundary between the Llano Estacado to the north and the Edwards Plateau to the south. Beals Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River, flows through the center of Big Spring and divides these two major physiographic regions.
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 20
- 20px Interstate 20 Business
- 20px U.S. Highway 87
- 20px State Highway 176
- 20px State Highway 350
- 20px Farm to Market Road 669
- 20px Farm to Market Road 700
Adjacent counties
- Borden County (north)
- Mitchell County (east)
- Sterling County (southeast)
- Glasscock County (south)
- Martin County (west)
- Dawson County (northwest)
- Scurry County (northeast)