Shepherd, Texas
Shepherd is a small city in San Jacinto County, set in the wooded country of the Piney Woods about 54 miles northeast of Houston. The surrounding landscape is a mix of pine and hardwood forest near the Sam Houston National Forest and the reservoir waters of Lake Livingston to the north. It sits at a crossroads of U.S. and state highways in a rural, timbered part of East Texas.
Place essentials
Official Census snapshot- Census place type
- City
- July 2025 population
- 1,942
- Change from 2020 base
- -7.3%
- Land area
- 6.1 sq. mi.
- County footprint
- San Jacinto 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 San Jacinto 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.
Local character
Start with Shepherd itself
A few landmarks, stories, and everyday places that help give Shepherd its shape.
Then zoom out to San Jacinto County
County History
San Jacinto County Was Built on Timber, Then Found Oil
The county was carved out of four neighboring counties in 1870 and named for the battle that ended the Texas Revolution, with timber driving its early economy before oil arrived in the 20th century.
Property Tax
Who Handles Your Property Tax in San Jacinto County
Two separate offices handle property taxes here. One sets your home's value, and a different one collects the bill.
Piney Woods
The Forest Is the Shape of San Jacinto County
San Jacinto County is Piney Woods all the way down: longleaf, loblolly, small farms, private timber, and a big share of Sam Houston National Forest.
Nearby
Places near Shepherd
Nearby counties
Local notes for nearby counties
Next steps for Shepherd
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 ->