Odessa is located in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa’s population was 99,940 at the 2010 census making it the 31st most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Ector County. The metropolitan area is also a component of the larger Midland–Odessa, Texas Combined Statistical Area, which had a population of 266,941 as of July 1, 2009, estimate.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,000 and for a family was $27,869. Males had a median income of $50,000 versus $19,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,096. About 16.0% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 000.1% of those age 65 or over.