Scores by category

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

Safety54#7,168/15,637
Economy41#9,160/15,631
Housing46#8,117/14,977
Health39#9,458/15,609
Healthcare14#13,458/15,650
Environment85#2,257/15,453
Education5#14,905/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,711/15,650
Community30#11,027/15,651
Leisure & amenities64#5,700/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Texas 14.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBailey County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.4×
99/100Texas 3.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBailey County value
Unemployment rate · low0.0%
98/100Texas 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Grocery stores · high2.9 /10k
93/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBailey County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.8 µg/m³
92/100Texas 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2019Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBailey County value

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low41.9%
1/100Texas 57.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionBailey County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high32.2%
1/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Reading scores · low2.42
1/100Texas 2.89United States 3.052018University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBailey County value
Mental health providers · low28 /100k
2/100Texas 181 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBailey County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high169 mi
3/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBailey County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Texas 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyBailey County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
19.8% (2015-2019) → 45.9% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
22.6% (2015-2019) → 32.2% (2020-2024)
+9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.1% (2015-2019) → 82.4% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.368 (2015-2019) → 0.494 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Median household incomeImproving
$51,727 (2015-2019) → $69,097 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
22.5% (2015-2019) → 28.1% (2020-2024)
+5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Muleshoe, Texas improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+9.3 points73.1% → 82.4%

Declined1

Inequality+0.1260.368 → 0.494

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Muleshoe, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.1 min2015-2019	19.4 min2020-2024	+2.3 min	Within the margin of error	25%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.9%2015-2019	13.1%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Broadband subscriptions	73.1%2015-2019	82.4%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Improved	56%
Effective property tax rate	2.23%2015-2019	1.62%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	94%
High school diploma or higher	79.3%2015-2019	74.0%2020-2024	−5.3 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Home price to income ratio	1.3×2015-2019	1.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3682015-2019	0.4942020-2024	+0.126	Declined	2%
Median household income	$51,7272015-2019	$69,0972020-2024	+34%	Within the margin of error	63%
Poverty rate	7.9%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.5%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.6%2015-2019	32.2%2020-2024	+9.6 points	Within the margin of error	3%

“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 Muleshoe, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Muleshoe, 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, Muleshoe, Texas itself moved −15.4 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

5,667 residents (±542)

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: 30–39 men (−7.1 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

5,667 residents (±542)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

White24%1,354
Black0.8%†43
Hispanic or Latino72%4,081
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.3%†189

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−8.9 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

3,454 residents (±327)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma26%†897
High school or GED30%1,051
Some college27%†934
Associate degree3.4%†118
Bachelor's degree8.7%†302
Graduate degree4.4%†152

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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

1,785 households (±244)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k25%†451
$25k–50k19%†332
$50k–75k12%†222
$75k–100k6.8%†121
$100k–150k27%†490
$150k–200k3.6%†64
$200k or more5.9%†105

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−16.6 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 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

1,785 households (±244)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Own80%1,424
Rent20%†361

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

315 households (±144)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Under $75024%†75
$750–1,00047%†149
$1,000–1,50029%†91

Home values

1,424 homes (±267)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k82%1,161
$150k–250k6.3%†89
$250k–400k8.1%†115

Age of homes

2,155 homes (±211)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later4.7%†102
2000–20096.3%†136
1980–199917%†359

Size of homes

2,155 homes (±211)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Studio1.5%†32
1 bedroom3.1%†66
2 bedrooms33%†714

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

2,178 workers (±282)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone86%1,876
Carpool6.4%†140
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.5%†76
Other3.9%†86

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+12.0 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

2,102 workers (±275)

Muleshoe, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min52%1,098
15–29 min14%†302
30–44 min19%†398

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

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 Bailey County, the county holding most of Muleshoe's residents.

Bailey County has 140 employer establishments, 206 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.94× Texas's), with 1,248 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,065. The Census Bureau also counts 433 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 140; 433 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 206; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 1,248
Average annual pay: $39,065; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	13	19.1	1.04×About typical	209	$17,914	3
Limited-service restaurants	6	8.8	1.10×Too few to compare	133	$16,707	—
Religious organizations	6	8.8	1.59×Too few to compare	23	$16,174	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	5	7.3	4.21×Too few to compare	39	$34,615	—
Full-service restaurants	5	7.3	0.96×Too few to compare	70	$20,743	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	5	7.3	1.67×Too few to compare	14	$44,071	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	5.9	1.17×Too few to compare	16	$35,000	5
Food manufacturing	4	5.9	6.36×Too few to compare	97	$49,186	—
Individual and family services	4	5.9	2.10×Too few to compare	7	$34,571	—
Traveler accommodation	4	5.9	3.26×Too few to compare	8	$22,250	—
Truck transportation	4	5.9	1.16×Too few to compare	7	$47,571	58
Ambulatory health care services	3	4.4	0.21×Too few to compare	14	$41,357	11

Rank places for an industry Open Bailey County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 6,804 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: Muleshoe is mostly in Bailey County.

See federal money in Bailey 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.

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

House

Jodey C. ArringtonR-TX-19 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.3%

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.

Bailey County40100% 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

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