Scores by category

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

Safety16#13,103/15,637
Economy16#13,088/15,631
Housing26#11,066/14,977
Health4#14,996/15,609
Healthcare10#14,079/15,650
Environment30#10,843/15,453
Education11#13,976/15,649
Infrastructure32#10,632/15,650
Community3#15,105/15,651
Leisure & amenities5#14,828/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Median Air Quality Index · low33
91/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyPolk County value
New homes permitted · high9.7 /1k
87/100Texas 6.3 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Child care cost burden · low23.9%
81/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.0
80/100Texas 3.4United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPolk County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low134 min
78/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPolk County value
Comfortable days · high30.0%
78/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationPolk County value

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Texas 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Access to exercise opportunities · low29.2%
2/100Texas 82.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Life expectancy · low70.3 yrs
3/100Texas 77.2 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePolk County value
Frequent mental distress · high22.3%
4/100Texas 18.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Traffic deaths · high34.7 /100k
5/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataPolk County value
Firearm deaths · high25.8 /100k
5/100Texas 13.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPolk County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,779 (2015-2019) → 3,210 (2020-2024)
+16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
44.1% (2015-2019) → 76.8% (2020-2024)
+33 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.2× (2015-2019) → 3.2× (2020-2024)
+161%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.3% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.7% (2015-2019) → 91.6% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
32.7% (2015-2019) → 14.8% (2020-2024)
−18 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, Onalaska, Texas improved on 2 of 13 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.

Improved2

Uninsured−18 points32.7% → 14.8%
Broadband+22 points69.7% → 91.6%

Declined1

Rent / income+27 points24.3% → 51.0%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Onalaska, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	33.3 min2015-2019	22.2 min2020-2024	−11.1 min	Within the margin of error	99%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6.8%2015-2019	11.7%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Broadband subscriptions	69.7%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	93%
Child poverty rate	29.2%2015-2019	36.5%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Effective property tax rate	1.21%2015-2019	1.14%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
High school diploma or higher	87.6%2015-2019	82.6%2020-2024	−5 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4122015-2019	0.4672020-2024	+0.054	Within the margin of error	15%
Median household income	$47,9612015-2019	$51,9122020-2024	+8.2%	Within the margin of error	15%
Poverty rate	19.5%2015-2019	23.7%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	24.3%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+27 points	Declined	1%
Rent-burdened households	44.1%2015-2019	76.8%2020-2024	+33 points	Within the margin of error	2%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	32.7%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	−18 points	Improved	99%

“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 Onalaska, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Onalaska, 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, Onalaska, Texas itself moved −12.8 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

3,210 residents (±18)

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: 10–19 women (+10.1 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

3,210 residents (±18)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

White78%2,503
Black1.2%†37
Hispanic or Latino17%†535

Education

2,173 residents (±233)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma17%†379
High school or GED30%662
Some college37%†804

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

1,280 households (±185)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k29%†369
$25k–50k20%†258
$50k–75k23%†288
$75k–100k6.6%†84
$100k–150k11%†140
$150k–200k3.7%†47
$200k or more7.3%†94

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+7.3 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

1,280 households (±185)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Own78%1,004
Rent22%†276

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

276 households (±161)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Under $7509.1%†25
$750–1,00026%†71
$1,000–1,50053%†146

Home values

1,004 homes (±207)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k45%†449
$150k–250k32%†321
$250k–400k12%†125

Age of homes

1,765 homes (±229)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later19%†339
2000–200911%†193
1980–199954%947

Size of homes

1,765 homes (±229)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Studio0.6%†10
1 bedroom11%†188
2 bedrooms20%†348

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

1,242 workers (±235)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone76%†947
Carpool16%†204
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.3%†91
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

1,151 workers (±242)

Onalaska, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min23%†269
15–29 min59%†680
30–44 min9.0%†104

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 Polk County, the county holding most of Onalaska's residents.

Polk County has 859 employer establishments, 160 for every 10,000 residents (0.65× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Texas's), with 9,640 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,902. The Census Bureau also counts 5,187 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 859; 5,187 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 160; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 9,640
Average annual pay: $47,902; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	77	14.4	0.69×Fewer than typical	834	$58,173	170
Specialty trade contractors	62	11.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	406	$58,086	456
Restaurants and other eating places	60	11.2	0.61×Fewer than typical	977	$19,908	32
Offices of physicians	34	6.3	0.98×About typical	223	$66,027	35
Religious organizations	34	6.3	1.14×About typical	259	$29,903	—
Lessors of real estate	28	5.2	0.42×Fewer than typical	36	$36,389	328
Building equipment contractors	27	5	0.84×About typical	181	$57,845	94
Limited-service restaurants	27	5	0.63×Fewer than typical	626	$19,518	10
Management, scientific and technical consulting	26	4.8	0.72×Fewer than typical	35	$49,200	197
Full-service restaurants	25	4.7	0.61×Fewer than typical	313	$20,725	14
Construction of buildings	22	4.1	0.54×Fewer than typical	81	$60,012	231
Other specialty trade contractors	22	4.1	1.63×More than typical	144	$70,660	189

Rank places for an industry Open Polk County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 53,617 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 $38.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Onalaska, Texas: $11.90 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $38.2K; +2,527% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.90; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$38.2K100%

Top recipients

AERIS OPS LLC$38.2K100%

Spending by fiscal year

1.5KFY2025
38.2KFY2026

What was bought

Other equipment & supplies$29.2K76%
Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles$8,98324%

Top industries (NAICS)

Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$15.7K41%
Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing · 3333$13.5K35%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$8,98324%

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

Onalaska, Texas's figures are part of those of Polk County, TX ($224K in FY2026), never added to them: 17% of that total.

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

See federal money in Polk 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.

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

House

Morgan LuttrellR-TX-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.9%

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.

Polk County9100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Polk 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/4854048