Census-designated place · Gillespie County, Texas

Harper, Texas

Harper is a census-designated place in Gillespie County, Texas, part of the Fredericksburg, TX metro area. It has 1,214 residents. Harper, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,723 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #72 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), unemployment rate (low) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on high school diploma or higher (low), rent as share of income (high) and traffic deaths (high).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,723 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #72 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 1,214 (2020-2024)
Land area: 57 mi²
Density: 21.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 4832456

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.

Safety85#2,406/15,637
Economy56#6,818/15,631
Housing21#11,874/14,977
Health64#5,679/15,609
Healthcare50#7,898/15,650
Environment79#3,200/15,453
Education52#7,501/15,649
Infrastructure49#8,021/15,650
Community61#6,131/15,651
Leisure & amenities64#5,578/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Restaurants and bars · high26.6 /10k
99/100Texas 7.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGillespie County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Texas 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Preventable hospital stays · low1,510 /100k
96/100Texas 2,991 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGillespie County value
Property crime rate · low356 /100k
95/100Texas 1,786 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationGillespie County value
Comfortable days · high34.5%
94/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGillespie County value
Violent crime rate · low67 /100k
94/100Texas 345 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationGillespie County value

Weaknesses

High school diploma or higher · low82.1%
7/100Texas 86.0%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Rent as share of income · high43.1%
10/100Texas 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Traffic deaths · high26.9 /100k
10/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataGillespie County value
Hot days · high96 days
10/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGillespie County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.3 /10k
12/100Texas 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGillespie County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low53.1%
13/100Texas 82.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGillespie County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
35.6% (2015-2019) → 90.1% (2020-2024)
+55 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
70.9% (2015-2019) → 94.9% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.9% (2015-2019) → 43.1% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
31.6% (2015-2019) → 11.2% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateImproving
11.1% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,111 (2015-2019) → $69,653 (2019-2023)
+51%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $77,719

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, Harper, Texas improved on 1 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 5 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.

Improved1

Broadband+24 points70.9% → 94.9%

Declined1

Rent / income+23 points19.9% → 43.1%

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Harper, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.8 min2015-2019	28.5 min2020-2024	+3.7 min	Within the margin of error	15%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.7%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Broadband subscriptions	70.9%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	95%
High school diploma or higher	83.0%2015-2019	82.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4322015-2019	0.4732020-2024	+0.042	Within the margin of error	20%
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	43.1%2020-2024	+23 points	Declined	1%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15075 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 Harper, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Harper, 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, Harper, Texas itself moved −10.7 points in standing on average over the same 6 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

1,214 residents (±422)

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

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 80 and over women (−7.2 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,214 residents (±422)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

White59%†721
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino29%†354

Education

781 residents (±284)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma18%†140
High school or GED31%†240
Some college11%†

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

411 households (±159)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k13%†52
$25k–50k33%†134
$50k–75k12%†51
$75k–100k2.7%†11
$100k–150k12%†51
$150k–200k10%†42
$200k or more17%†70

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 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

411 households (±159)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Own74%†303
Rent26%†108

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

101 households (±89)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Under $75051%†52
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50049%†49

Home values

303 homes (±143)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k23%†69
$150k–250k1.3%†4
$250k–400k21%†65

Age of homes

570 homes (±167)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later29%†163
2000–200913%†73
1980–199926%†151

Size of homes

570 homes (±167)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Studio3.2%†18
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms21%†122

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

496 workers (±193)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone76%†375
Carpool4.8%†24
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home20%†97
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+19.6 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

399 workers (±183)

Harper, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min11%†42
15–29 min58%†230
30–44 min23%†93

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 Fredericksburg, 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 Gillespie County, the county holding most of Harper's residents.

Gillespie County has 1,202 employer establishments, 433 for every 10,000 residents (1.74× the US rate of 248; 1.98× Texas's), with 11,690 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,877. The Census Bureau also counts 4,455 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,202; 4,455 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 433; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 11,690
Average annual pay: $44,877; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	104	37.5	2.42×More than typical	801	$57,818	440
Restaurants and other eating places	84	30.3	1.65×More than typical	1,679	$28,301	17
Ambulatory health care services	83	29.9	1.43×More than typical	626	$75,177	123
Construction of buildings	58	20.9	2.76×More than typical	219	$62,525	223
Full-service restaurants	55	19.8	2.58×More than typical	1,223	$28,852	7
Lessors of real estate	51	18.4	1.49×More than typical	167	$50,144	543
Building equipment contractors	43	15.5	2.57×More than typical	300	$54,753	44
Offices of physicians	39	14	2.17×More than typical	308	$93,097	36
Traveler accommodation	37	13.3	7.38×More than typical	425	$31,092	200
Clothing and accessories stores	28	10.1	2.78×More than typical	290	$32,897	47
Services to buildings and dwellings	28	10.1	1.50×More than typical	142	$47,556	352
Religious organizations	26	9.4	1.69×More than typical	205	$26,980	—

Rank places for an industry Open Gillespie County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 27,766 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Gillespie 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.

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

House

Chip RoyR-TX-21 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 5.6%

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.

Gillespie County79100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fredericksburg, TX74

Other cities and towns in Gillespie 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
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

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