Scores by category

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

Safety62#5,883/15,637
Economy70#4,695/15,631
Housing56#6,563/14,977
Health49#7,969/15,609
Healthcare27#11,413/15,650
Environment53#7,269/15,453
Education25#11,736/15,649
Infrastructure30#10,926/15,650
Community14#13,415/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#14,981/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ferris, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Ellis 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

New homes permitted · high46.0 /1k
99/100Texas 6.3 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.305
97/100Texas 0.478United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Job growth · high4.1%
97/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataEllis County value
Drug overdose deaths · low6.3 /100k
95/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataEllis County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Texas 5.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationEllis County value
Natural hazard risk · low6.3
90/100Texas 39.62025Federal Emergency Management AgencyEllis County value

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high22.2%
4/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Lack of reliable transportation · high16.2%
6/100Texas 10.5%United States 8.3%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food insecurity · high31.8%
7/100Texas 19.4%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
7/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEllis County value
Restaurants and bars · low4.7 /10k
8/100Texas 7.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEllis County value
High school diploma or higher · low85.2%
9/100Texas 86.0%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,692 (2015-2019) → 3,238 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
10.6 /1k (2021) → 46.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+334%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.5% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
19.5% (2015-2019) → 37.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.5× (2015-2019) → 2.9× (2020-2024)
+89%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherImproving
74.0% (2015-2019) → 85.2% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Ferris, Texas improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved2

Broadband+22 points71.5% → 93.8%
Inequality−0.0760.380 → 0.305

Declined1

Price / income+1.4×1.5× → 2.9×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Ferris, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	30.0 min2015-2019	32.2 min2020-2024	+2.2 min	Within the margin of error	26%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.4%2015-2019	20.2%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Broadband subscriptions	71.5%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	93%
Effective property tax rate	1.79%2015-2019	1.27%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	91%
High school diploma or higher	74.0%2015-2019	85.2%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Home price to income ratio	1.5×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+1.4×	Declined	12%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3802015-2019	0.3052020-2024	−0.076	Improved	92%
Median household income	$59,1292015-2019	$89,7222020-2024	+52%	Within the margin of error	86%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	19.9%2015-2019	24.8%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	26.5%2015-2019	22.2%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	83%

“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 Ferris, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ferris, 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, Ferris, Texas itself moved +7.5 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

3,238 residents (±24)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

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

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,238 residents (±24)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

White16%†517
Black28%†896
Hispanic or Latino54%1,741

Education

1,788 residents (±220)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma15%†264
High school or GED31%556
Some college31%†557

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

974 households (±114)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k7.2%†70
$25k–50k19%†186
$50k–75k18%†180
$75k–100k8.1%†79
$100k–150k40%†389
$150k–200k4.6%†45
$200k or more2.6%†25

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+23.4 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

974 households (±114)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Own69%669
Rent31%†305

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

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

280 households (±114)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Under $7509.3%†26
$750–1,00029%†81
$1,000–1,50030%†83

Home values

669 homes (±125)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k24%†158
$150k–250k24%†159
$250k–400k47%†315

Age of homes

1,102 homes (±142)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later20%†216
2000–200916%†174
1980–199922%†245

Size of homes

1,102 homes (±142)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Studio2.5%†27
1 bedroom3.3%†36
2 bedrooms12%†129

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,452 workers (±200)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone79%1,144
Carpool7.2%†104
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home12%†173
Other2.1%†31

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

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,279 workers (±209)

Ferris, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min10%†130
15–29 min26%†337
30–44 min35%†448

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

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 Ellis County, the county holding most of Ferris's residents.

Ellis County has 3,808 employer establishments, 170 for every 10,000 residents (0.69× the US rate of 248; 0.78× Texas's), with 53,171 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,722. The Census Bureau also counts 25,042 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,808; 25,042 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 170; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 53,171
Average annual pay: $49,722; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	400	17.9	1.16×About typical	3,907	$63,188	2,367
Restaurants and other eating places	320	14.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	6,461	$20,422	112
Ambulatory health care services	246	11	0.53×Fewer than typical	2,074	$57,594	913
Building equipment contractors	179	8	1.33×More than typical	1,454	$66,451	527
Lessors of real estate	174	7.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	629	$45,787	1,758
Limited-service restaurants	162	7.3	0.90×About typical	4,070	$18,594	29
Religious organizations	132	5.9	1.07×About typical	1,263	$24,709	—
Truck transportation	126	5.6	1.12×About typical	1,432	$54,676	1,037
Construction of buildings	124	5.6	0.73×Fewer than typical	571	$79,489	981
Automotive repair and maintenance	123	5.5	1.09×About typical	780	$42,286	527
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	112	5	1.59×More than typical	1,518	$65,196	592
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	112	5	1.52×More than typical	942	$69,987	277

Rank places for an industry Open Ellis County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 223,347 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 $858 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ferris, Texas: $0.26 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $858; +39% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.26; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$885100%

Top recipients

AEROFORCE LOGISTICS LLC$885100%
DMS-SOUTH/BAILEY TOOL LLC$00.0%
WASTE MANAGEMENT OF TEXAS, INC.-$27.260.0%

Spending by fiscal year

-1.7KFY2017
3.1KFY2018
50.4KFY2019
595.2KFY2020
10.9KFY2021
3KFY2022
-14KFY2023
2.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$885100%

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 Ferris, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Ferris, Texas's figures are part of those of Ellis County, TX and Dallas County, TX ($27.2B in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Ellis 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.

Ferris, Texas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Ellis County52100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX52

Other cities and towns in Ellis County

Largest first.

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/4825752

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends