Lubbock is located in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and is home to three universities: Lubbock Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. At the 2010 census, Lubbock had a population of 229,573, making it the 87th most populous city in the United States and the 11th most populous city in the state of Texas. The city is the economic center of the Lubbock metropolitan area, which had an estimated 2009 population of 276,659.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,844, and for a family was $41,418. Males had a median income of $30,222 versus $21,708 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,511. About 12.0% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.