Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026.
Wharton County, Texas, has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Wharton County is held at the county jail, run by the Wharton County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Wharton County public records, Wharton County arrest records, Wharton County warrants, Wharton County criminal records, Wharton County court records, Texas arrest records and Texas inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Wharton County
The county jail, run by the Wharton County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Wharton County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Wharton County Sheriff's Office at co.wharton.tx.us/page/wharton.Sheriff (page title: Wharton County, Texas), phone 979-532-1550, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at 979-532-1550.
The Wharton County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 140 people on an average day, up from about 130 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 168 beds, and it is running at 83 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Wharton County has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 33 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Wharton County Jail
The Wharton County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for El Campo and Wharton make the arrests that end in a booking in Wharton County.
The FBI's agency list also places four other agencies in Wharton County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were El Campo's 522 for 2025, the Wharton County Sheriff's Office's 395 for 2025 and Wharton's 339 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Wharton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,256 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Wharton County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice lists its inmates at inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Wharton County?
Ask the Wharton County Sheriff's Office at 979-532-1550; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at co.wharton.tx.us/page/wharton.Sheriff.
How many people are in the Wharton County jail?
About 140 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 168 beds.
What is the phone number for the Wharton County jail?
979-532-1550, the number on the page of the Wharton County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Wharton County go?
To a facility of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; its inmate locator is at inmate.tdcj.texas.gov/InmateSearch/start.
Is this the official Wharton County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.