Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton is a city in Pecos County in the Big Bend country of far West Texas, about 73 miles southwest of Odessa, in dry ranchland and desert basin. The town grew up around Comanche Springs, a large spring that watered old freight, stage, and military routes, and around the frontier army post from which it takes its name. Its economy has long combined irrigated farming and extensive ranching with oil and gas production.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 8,027
- Change from 2020 base
- -5.2%
- Land area
- 5.5 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- Pecos County
Place type, county footprint, and land area use the Census Bureau's January 1, 2025 geography. Population uses Vintage 2025 estimates through July 1, 2025; change compares that estimate with the April 1, 2020 estimates base. Geography file | Population file
Property here runs through the appraisal district and tax office for Pecos County. The homestead exemption, appraisal cap, protests, and any MUD, PID, or special districts all sit at the parcel level.
Official routes
Use the office for the parcel address; a mailing city is not always the governing city.
County context
What to know around Fort Stockton
County lines carry much of the property, land, water, and outdoors context around Fort Stockton.
Local History
Comanche Springs and the Story of Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton grew around one of Texas's most powerful springs, which dried up in 1961 after decades of heavy groundwater pumping.
Water Supply
Groundwater and Wells in Pecos County
Pecos County wells can vary a lot from one tract to the next, so private well water needs real testing before anyone drinks it.
Mineral Rights
Oil and Gas Activity in Pecos County
Pecos County has active oil and gas production, so understanding mineral rights matters if you buy land here.
Nearby
Places near Fort Stockton
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Fort Stockton
Compare nearby places
Put Census population, land area, county footprints, and official office routes side by side.
Open comparison ->Estimate property tax
Model school and local rates, the homestead exemption, and the appraisal cap.
Open estimator ->Look up another place
Every Texas town and all 254 counties.
Find a place ->