Austin County is a rural, agricultural dominated county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,167. Its seat is Bellville. The county and region was settled primarily by German emigrants in the 1800s. Austin County is included in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Statistical Area. Austin County does not contain the city of Austin, the state capital of Texas, which lies in Travis County, about 110 miles to the northwest.