The City - The Community
El Campo is the larger of the two incorporated cities in Wharton County. El Campo is located seventy (70) miles southwest of Houston and fifty (50) miles northeast of Victoria on U.S. 59. El Campo is also located on S.H. 71, one hundred twenty five (125) miles southeast of Austin. The development of the I-69 Corridor will increase traffic and trade in the area and further encourage population development closer to El Campo from rapidly growing Ft. Bend County to the east. El Campo has an area of 5.9 square miles within the City limits and a one-mile extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ). The 2000 census population was 10,945 only slightly larger than the 1990 census of 10,511.

City's Economic Development Program
In 1992, the El Campo voters approved a 1/4 cent increase in the sales tax for economic development along with a 1/4 cent increase for property tax relief. The City Development Corporation receives 16.66% of all sales tax collections. The City Development Corporation, appointed by the City Council to administer the economic development program, operates on a budget of $698,600.

El Campo's Resources
The City of El Campo's financial status is strong with strong cash reserves in both the General and Utility Funds. The total budget in both operating funds is approximately $9.8 million. The City has a work force of approximately 100 employees. The overall economy of Wharton County is agricultural and mineral based. The City has a mixture of several different types of industrial businesses. The property tax base is diversified with the top 10 taxpayers in the City accounting for only 11.73% of the entire tax base. Sales tax figures for the past five years show a growth in sales tax revenue for the City of 14.6% with figures for 2001 at $2,109,912 and 2005 figures of $2,417,919.