[2] The area was sparsely settled until a townsite was laid out with the construction of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway in 1887, and named for Benjamin F. Yoakum, a vice president of the line.

The railroad built a roundhouse and maintenance shops there, employing hundreds of workers.

According to the Handbook of Texas Online, "By 1896 Yoakum had a cotton mill, three cotton gins, a compress, several churches, a bank, an ice factory, specialty and general stores, two weekly newspapers and one daily, a school system with 700 pupils, and a population of 3,000.

"[3] In the early 20th century, the Tex-Tan company, later part of the Tandy Corporation, manufactured saddles, bridles, harnesses, belts, and wallets.

Other industries included a dairy, a cannery, meat-packing and food-processing plants, and a metalworking shop.

[2] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,908 people, 2,102 households, and 1,485 families residing in the city.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.