City · San Saba County, Texas

San Saba, Texas

San Saba is a city in San Saba County, Texas. It has 3,056 residents. San Saba, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 22 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,263 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #473 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on drug overdose deaths (low), students per teacher (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on uninsured residents (under 65) (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and mental health providers (low).

22Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,263 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #473 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 3,056 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,128.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4865648

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 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.

Safety59#6,404/15,637
Economy18#12,873/15,631
Housing63#5,482/14,977
Health32#10,647/15,609
Healthcare5#14,877/15,650
Environment71#4,497/15,453
Education21#12,426/15,649
Infrastructure10#14,045/15,650
Community29#11,080/15,651
Leisure & amenities23#11,980/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSan Saba County value
Students per teacher · low10.1×
98/100Texas 15.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSan Saba County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Texas 5.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSan Saba County value
Public libraries · high1.7 /10k
89/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSan Saba County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,863 /100k
88/100Texas 2,991 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Saba County value
Comfortable days · high31.9%
86/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSan Saba County value

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high36.1%
1/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Distance to an emergency room · high30.2 mi
1/100Texas 5.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSan Saba County value
Mental health providers · low18 /100k
1/100Texas 181 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Saba County value
Reading scores · low2.50
2/100Texas 2.89United States 3.052018University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Saba County value
Flu vaccinations · low25.0%
3/100Texas 40.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Saba County value
Dentists · low17 /100k
3/100Texas 63 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSan Saba County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
62.6% (2015-2019) → 25.7% (2020-2024)
−37 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
33.5% (2015-2019) → 17.5% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.2% (2015-2019) → 89.1% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$33,663 (2015-2019) → $50,373 (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
26.5% (2015-2019) → 36.1% (2020-2024)
+9.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
High school diploma or higherImproving
67.2% (2015-2019) → 75.3% (2020-2024)
+8.1 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, San Saba, Texas improved on 5 of 14 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.

Improved5

Rent burden−37 points62.6% → 25.7%
Child poverty−16 points33.5% → 17.5%
Household income+50%$33,663 → $50,373
Broadband+14 points75.2% → 89.1%
Bachelor's++6.5 points9.3% → 15.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of San Saba, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.1 min2015-2019	22.3 min2020-2024	+5.2 min	Within the margin of error	9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.3%2015-2019	15.8%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Improved	76%
Broadband subscriptions	75.2%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	76%
Child poverty rate	33.5%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	−16 points	Improved	90%
Effective property tax rate	1.41%2015-2019	1.03%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
High school diploma or higher	67.2%2015-2019	75.3%2020-2024	+8.1 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	82%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4032015-2019	0.3842020-2024	−0.018	Within the margin of error	66%
Median household income	$33,6632015-2019	$50,3732020-2024	+50%	Improved	84%
Poverty rate	21.2%2015-2019	15.2%2020-2024	−6 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	33.1%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Rent-burdened households	62.6%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	−37 points	Improved	99%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	26.5%2015-2019	36.1%2020-2024	+9.7 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 San Saba, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of San Saba, 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, San Saba, Texas itself moved +18.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

3,056 residents (±17)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

1,059 households (±109)

San Saba, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k21%†225
$25k–50k27%†286
$50k–75k31%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,059 households (±109)

San Saba, Texas
Texas share

Own66%698
Rent34%361

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,138 workers (±132)

San Saba, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone72%823
Carpool21%†241
Public transit0.0%0

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 San Saba County, the county holding most of San Saba's residents.

San Saba County has 162 employer establishments, 293 for every 10,000 residents (1.18× the US rate of 248; 1.34× Texas's), with 939 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,160. The Census Bureau also counts 595 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 162; 595 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 293; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 939
Average annual pay: $39,160; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	13	23.5	1.28×More than typical	94	$22,372	4
Full-service restaurants	9	16.3	2.12×Too few to compare	55	$25,818	3
Religious organizations	8	14.5	2.61×Too few to compare	30	$20,533	—
Specialty trade contractors	7	12.6	0.82×Too few to compare	23	$51,304	87
Truck transportation	7	12.6	2.50×Too few to compare	36	$60,056	19
Construction of buildings	5	9	1.19×Too few to compare	5	$45,600	41
Gasoline stations	5	9	2.79×Too few to compare	29	$28,310	—
Ambulatory health care services	4	7.2	0.35×Too few to compare	23	$64,783	10
Building material and supplies dealers (hardware, home centers)	4	7.2	4.38×Too few to compare	10	$27,200	3
Grocery and convenience stores	4	7.2	2.44×Too few to compare	42	$15,286	4
Lessors of real estate	4	7.2	0.59×Too few to compare	6	$34,500	46
Limited-service restaurants	4	7.2	0.90×Too few to compare	39	$17,513	—

Rank places for an industry Open San Saba County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,535 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: San Saba is mostly in San Saba County.

See federal money in San Saba 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.

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

House

August PflugerR-TX-11 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 1.3%

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.

San Saba County29100% of residents

Other cities and towns in San Saba County

Largest first.

Richland Springs362

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/4865648

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends