La Ward is a city in Jackson County, Texas, United States. The population was 176 at the 2020 census.
Geography
La Ward is located at (28.845036, –96.465659), at the junction of State Highway 172 and FM 616 in southern Jackson County, south of Ganado and southeast of Edna, the county seat. The nearest large city is Victoria, west of La Ward.
The U.S. Census Bureau lists the total city area at , all land.
History
The community emerged on the coastal prairie in 1904 with the arrival of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway. It was named for Lafayette Ward, a local person who became a leader in introducing Hereford, Brahman, and Jersey cattle to Texas. By 1914, La Ward had developed into a cattle and shipping center. The community had its own independent school district and an estimated population of 200 in 1940. That number would rise to around 300 by the early 1960s. La Ward's population declined to 247 in 1970, to 218 in 1980, and to 162 in 1990. It increased to 200 in 2000, a 23 percent increase over the 1990 figure.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, La Ward had a population of 176. The median age was 37.0 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.7 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 60 households in La Ward, of which 46.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 68.3% were married-couple households, 11.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 6.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 132 || 75.0%
|-
| Black or African American || 2 || 1.1%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Asian || 1 || 0.6%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 18 || 10.2%
|-
| Two or more races || 23 || 13.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 69 || 39.2%
|}
2000 census
As of the 2000 census