Census-designated place · Cooke County, Texas

Lake Kiowa, Texas

Lake Kiowa is a census-designated place in Cooke County, Texas, part of the Gainesville, TX metro area. It has 2,476 residents. Lake Kiowa, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 41 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #9,235 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #199 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on unemployment rate (low), child care cost burden (low) and poverty rate (low). It ranks worst on traffic deaths (high), mental health providers (low) and uninsured residents (under 65) (high).

41Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #9,235 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #199 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 2,476 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 829.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 4840624

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.

Safety45#8,557/15,637
Economy93#1,031/15,631
Housing27#10,930/14,977
Health63#5,779/15,609
Healthcare8#14,344/15,650
Environment29#11,032/15,453
Education52#7,513/15,649
Infrastructure90#1,600/15,650
Community25#11,813/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,969/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Texas 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Child care cost burden · low19.5%
95/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCooke County value
Poverty rate · low2.1%
94/100Texas 13.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001High uncertainty
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
93/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCooke County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low112 min
92/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCooke County value
Broadband subscriptions · high98.4%
92/100Texas 91.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high30.2 /100k
7/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataCooke County value
Mental health providers · low70 /100k
9/100Texas 181 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCooke County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high15.5%
10/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
High ozone days · high8 days
10/100Texas 7 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCooke County value
Primary care physicians · low28 /100k
11/100Texas 61 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCooke County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
11/100Texas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCooke County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 48.1% (2020-2024)
+48 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
36.9% (2015-2019) → 50.6% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$77,031 (2015-2019) → $125,956 (2020-2024)
+64%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 8.3% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Average commute timeImproving
44.0 min (2015-2019) → 29.9 min (2020-2024)
−32%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
21.0% (2015-2019) → 15.5% (2020-2024)
−5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Lake Kiowa, Texas improved on 1 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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

Household income+64%$77,031 → $125,956

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Lake Kiowa, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	44.0 min2015-2019	29.9 min2020-2024	−14.0 min	Within the margin of error	100%
Bachelor's degree or higher	36.9%2015-2019	50.6%2020-2024	+14 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Broadband subscriptions	95.5%2015-2019	98.4%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Effective property tax rate	1.34%2015-2019	1.11%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	65%
High school diploma or higher	95.2%2015-2019	99.6%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Home price to income ratio	3.9×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4462015-2019	0.4982020-2024	+0.053	Within the margin of error	15%
Median household income	$77,0312015-2019	$125,9562020-2024	+64%	Improved	92%
Unemployment rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	21.0%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	88%

“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 Lake Kiowa, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Lake Kiowa, 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, Lake Kiowa, Texas itself moved +6.1 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

2,476 residents (±491)

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

2,476 residents (±491)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

White94%2,329
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino1.3%†33

Education

2,124 residents (±418)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma0.4%†9
High school or GED16%†343
Some college23%†

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

1,113 households (±200)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k7.7%†86
$25k–50k2.2%†25
$50k–75k9.2%†102
$75k–100k14%†154
$100k–150k29%†323
$150k–200k16%†175
$200k or more22%†248

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−17.5 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

1,113 households (±200)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Own93%1,032
Rent7.3%†81

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

81 households (±86)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00017%†14
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

1,032 homes (±195)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k0.3%†3
$150k–250k9.1%†94
$250k–400k24%†251

Age of homes

1,352 homes (±231)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later17%†235
2000–200918%†238
1980–199943%†578

Size of homes

1,352 homes (±231)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.0%†14
2 bedrooms26%†357

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

1,193 workers (±338)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone69%†821
Carpool7.2%†86
Public transit4.1%†49
Walk0.0%0
Bike2.6%†31
Work from home17%†206
Other0.0%0

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

987 workers (±294)

Lake Kiowa, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min33%†324
15–29 min17%†168
30–44 min23%†227

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 Gainesville, 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 Cooke County, the county holding most of Lake Kiowa's residents.

Cooke County has 1,040 employer establishments, 238 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248; 1.09× Texas's), with 13,433 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,817. The Census Bureau also counts 4,426 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,040; 4,426 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 238; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 13,433
Average annual pay: $52,817; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	84	19.2	1.24×About typical	487	$54,639	553
Restaurants and other eating places	81	18.5	1.01×About typical	1,885	$21,201	23
Ambulatory health care services	66	15.1	0.72×Fewer than typical	410	$49,771	133
Building equipment contractors	41	9.4	1.56×More than typical	173	$52,503	94
Full-service restaurants	35	8	1.04×About typical	615	$21,268	10
Limited-service restaurants	35	8	1.00×About typical	1,167	$21,215	6
Religious organizations	35	8	1.44×More than typical	189	$21,513	—
Lessors of real estate	32	7.3	0.59×Fewer than typical	66	$33,136	406
Automotive repair and maintenance	29	6.6	1.32×More than typical	173	$49,064	87
Construction of buildings	28	6.4	0.85×About typical	54	$59,815	165
Other specialty trade contractors	25	5.7	2.28×More than typical	159	$49,774	224
Gasoline stations	24	5.5	1.69×More than typical	246	$27,541	—

Rank places for an industry Open Cooke County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 43,773 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: Lake Kiowa is mostly in Cooke County.

See federal money in Cooke 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.

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

House

Brandon GillR-TX-26 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.1%

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.

Cooke County38100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Gainesville, TX30

Other cities and towns in Cooke 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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