The town of Wilson was established in 1912 by William Dickson Green of Shiner, Texas, and Lonnie Lumsden. Early settlers included German and Polish emigrant farmers who acquired property on former Wilson County School lands located in Lynn County, hence the city's name. Wilson was founded in anticipation that the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway would lay tracks through the area. The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company was one of the two major operating subsidiaries of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company in Texas, with lines crossing the Texas Panhandle and South Plains regions, as well as a line across the Trans-Pecos to Presidio. A branch line between Slaton Junction and Lamesa was constructed in 1911, and this line would pass directly through Wilson. In 1917, William Green built the "Green Building" that housed a mercantile store that quickly became the center of activity in this small town. The couple most involved in operating the store were Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Williams, who managed the store from 1916 to 1936, when Mr. Williams died. Mrs. Williams continued to manage the store for another few years until the early 1940s. In 1963, the citizens of Wilson celebrated the renovation of the Green Building, and today, the refurbished building serves as the city hall and historical museum, and continues to be a community gathering spot. In 1923, Wilson, with only 20 residents, was among 37 communities that applied to become the home of the new Texas Technological College, which was instead located to the north in Lubbock. Wilson offered the choice of 6000 acres for the institution, three times the amount required in the legislation authored by State Senator William H. Bledsoe of Lubbock, whose district included Lynn County. The institution could have picked any arrangement of land without disturbing any individual or even moving a fence.
As of the 2010 census, 489 people resided in Wilson, down from 532 people in 2000. According to the 2000 census, 182 households and 139 families resided in the city. The population density was 816.8 people per square mile. The 194 housing units averaged 297.8/sq mi. The racial makeup of the city was 72.56% White, 0.94% African American, 22.18% from other races, and 4.32% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 55.45% of the population. Of the 182 households, 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couplesliving together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were not families; 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.41. In the city, the population was distributed as 32.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,333, and for a family was $32,000. Males had a median income of $26,944 versus $18,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,654. About 15.0% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.6% of those under age 18 and 23.4% of those age 65 or over.
