City · Childress County, Texas

Childress, Texas

Childress is a city in Childress County, Texas. It has 5,834 residents. Childress, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 23 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,976 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #438 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), job growth (high) and home price to income ratio (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), flu vaccinations (low) and mammography screening (low).

23Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,976 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #438 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 5,834 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 706.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 4814668

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety57#6,775/15,637
Economy34#10,342/15,631
Housing38#9,352/14,977
Health24#11,835/15,609
Healthcare44#8,724/15,650
Environment48#8,109/15,453
Education51#7,725/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,695/15,650
Community12#13,784/15,651
Leisure & amenities32#10,674/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Childress, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Childress County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high147 /100k
99/100Texas 61 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChildress County value
Job growth · high4.8%
98/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataChildress County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.5×
97/100Texas 3.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public EV charging ports · high21.1 /10k
96/100Texas 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyChildress County value
Pharmacies · high3.0 /10k
96/100Texas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChildress County value
Unemployment rate · low0.4%
95/100Texas 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low44.3%
1/100Texas 57.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionChildress County value
Flu vaccinations · low21.0%
1/100Texas 40.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChildress County value
Mammography screening · low29.0%
2/100Texas 42.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChildress County value
Traffic deaths · high41.5 /100k
3/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataChildress County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high167 mi
4/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChildress County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Texas 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChildress County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
6,201 (2015-2019) → 5,834 (2020-2024)
−5.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
28.1% (2015-2019) → 52.7% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
13.1 min (2015-2019) → 25.1 min (2020-2024)
+93%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Child poverty rateWorsening
6.3% (2015-2019) → 23.6% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$38,500 (2015-2019) → $57,644 (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.4% (2015-2019) → 82.3% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Childress, Texas improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined3

Commute+12.1 min13.1 min → 25.1 min
Rent burden+25 points28.1% → 52.7%
Bachelor's+−6 points15.6% → 9.6%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Childress, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.1 min2015-2019	25.1 min2020-2024	+12.1 min	Declined	1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.6%2015-2019	9.6%2020-2024	−6 points	Declined	5%
Broadband subscriptions	74.4%2015-2019	82.3%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Effective property tax rate	1.69%2015-2019	1.29%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	85%
High school diploma or higher	80.9%2015-2019	78.0%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	1.5×2020-2024	−0.5×	Within the margin of error	94%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4482015-2019	0.4992020-2024	+0.050	Within the margin of error	16%
Median household income	$38,5002015-2019	$57,6442020-2024	+50%	Within the margin of error	84%
Poverty rate	15.9%2015-2019	14.4%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.5%2015-2019	33.4%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent-burdened households	28.1%2015-2019	52.7%2020-2024	+25 points	Declined	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.6%2015-2019	19.6%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Childress, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Childress, Texas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Childress, Texas itself moved −17.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

5,834 residents (±218)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,504 households (±188)

Childress, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k25%†379
$25k–50k22%†326
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,504 households (±188)

Childress, Texas
Texas share

Own65%985
Rent35%†519

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

2,059 workers (±272)

Childress, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone92%1,898
Carpool6.8%†140
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Childress County, the county holding most of Childress's residents.

Childress County has 179 employer establishments, 265 for every 10,000 residents (1.07× the US rate of 248; 1.21× Texas's), with 1,897 paid employees at an average annual pay of $38,266. The Census Bureau also counts 399 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 179; 399 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 265; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 1,897
Average annual pay: $38,266; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Childress County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	21	31	1.69×More than typical	540	$14,619	—
Ambulatory health care services	11	16.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	51	$45,922	22
Limited-service restaurants	10	14.8	1.84×More than typical	404	$14,520	—
Traveler accommodation	9	13.3	7.37×Too few to compare	68	$15,353	—
Full-service restaurants	8	11.8	1.54×Too few to compare	98	$17,714	—
Gasoline stations	7	10.3	3.19×Too few to compare	119	$28,185	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	7	10.3	2.36×Too few to compare	16	$54,938	17
Religious organizations	7	10.3	1.87×Too few to compare	24	$25,708	—
Truck transportation	7	10.3	2.05×Too few to compare	33	$80,697	11
Banks and credit unions	5	7.4	2.29×Too few to compare	46	$51,370	—
Building material and supplies dealers (hardware, home centers)	5	7.4	4.48×Too few to compare	24	$33,667	—
Offices of other health practitioners	5	7.4	1.22×Too few to compare	27	$33,370	7

Rank places for an industry Open Childress County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 6,765 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $185K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Childress, Texas: $31.72 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $185K; +68% vs FY2025
Per resident: $31.72; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Departmental Offices$185K100%

Top recipients

BOEDEKER FLYING SERVICE, INC.$185K100%

Spending by fiscal year

2.5KFY2019
172.8FY2020
379.9FY2023
65.6KFY2024
110.4KFY2025
185KFY2026

What was bought

Facilities & utilities$185K100%

Top industries (NAICS)

Support activities for forestry · 1153$185K100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Childress, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Childress, Texas's figures are part of those of Childress County, TX ($10.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Childress is mostly in Childress County.

See federal money in Childress County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Childress, Texas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ronny JacksonR-TX-13 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Childress County28100% of residents

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4814668

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends