Census-designated place · Matagorda County, Texas

Sargent, Texas

Sargent is a census-designated place in Matagorda County, Texas, part of the Bay City, TX metro area. It has 1,422 residents. Sargent, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 6 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,753 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #870 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), time spent in the emergency room (low) and comfortable days (high). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), food environment index (low) and primary care shortage (high).

6Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,753 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #870 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 1,422 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 190.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 4865864

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.

Safety12#13,734/15,637
Economy30#11,018/15,631
Housing50#7,417/14,977
Health16#13,047/15,609
Healthcare3#15,171/15,650
Environment9#14,009/15,453
Education27#11,501/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,325/15,650
Community26#11,645/15,651
Leisure & amenities31#10,831/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Texas 3.4United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMatagorda County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low95 min
97/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMatagorda County value
Comfortable days · high34.3%
94/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMatagorda County value
Job growth · high2.4%
91/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMatagorda County value
Social associations · high13.5 /10k
84/100Texas 7.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMatagorda County value
Public libraries · high1.1 /10k
79/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMatagorda County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high33.0 /100k
2/100Texas 14.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMatagorda County value
Food environment index · low5.5
2/100Texas 5.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMatagorda County value
Primary care shortage · high19.0
3/100Texas 5.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMatagorda County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100Texas 5.8United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMatagorda County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Texas 14.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMatagorda County value
Natural hazard risk · high93.1
7/100Texas 39.62025Federal Emergency Management AgencyMatagorda County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,204 (2016-2020) → 1,422 (2020-2024)
+18%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
14.0% (2016-2020) → 35.0% (2020-2024)
+21 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
5.1% (2016-2020) → 16.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts4 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.4% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
67.8% (2016-2020) → 78.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
26.0% (2016-2020) → 36.3% (2020-2024)
+10 pts4 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.9% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$43,024 (2016-2020) → $60,307 (2020-2024)
+40%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604

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.

There is not enough history to compare Sargent, Texas over five years.

Cities and towns like Sargent, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sargent, 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.

No place that looked like Sargent, Texas five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

1,422 residents (±268)

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

† 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

1,422 residents (±268)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

White83%1,183
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino11%†160

Education

1,402 residents (±269)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma9.8%†138
High school or GED32%†453
Some college18%†259

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

867 households (±170)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k31%†272
$25k–50k5.5%†48
$50k–75k24%†211
$75k–100k8.1%†70
$100k–150k21%†183
$150k–200k4.7%†41
$200k or more4.8%†42

† 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

867 households (±170)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Own97%837
Rent3.5%†30

† 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

9 households (±17)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,500100%†9

Home values

837 homes (±173)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k29%†240
$150k–250k30%†254
$250k–400k27%†222

Age of homes

1,715 homes (±306)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later15%†254
2000–200910%†174
1980–199921%†364

Size of homes

1,715 homes (±306)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Studio13%†227
1 bedroom12%†214
2 bedrooms38%660

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

509 workers (±177)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone68%†347
Carpool8.3%†42
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.8%†14
Bike0.0%0
Work from home21%†106
Other0.0%0

† 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

403 workers (±146)

Sargent, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min28%†113
15–29 min31%†126
30–44 min20%†80

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 Bay City, 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 Matagorda County, the county holding most of Sargent's residents.

Matagorda County has 707 employer establishments, 195 for every 10,000 residents (0.79× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Texas's), with 7,870 paid employees at an average annual pay of $70,810. The Census Bureau also counts 3,476 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 707; 3,476 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 195; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 7,870
Average annual pay: $70,810; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	67	18.5	0.89×About typical	483	$52,447	134
Restaurants and other eating places	57	15.7	0.86×About typical	791	$20,314	37
Religious organizations	34	9.4	1.69×More than typical	198	$19,510	—
Full-service restaurants	31	8.6	1.11×About typical	385	$21,990	18
Offices of physicians	27	7.4	1.15×About typical	165	$65,691	13
Gasoline stations	24	6.6	2.04×More than typical	170	$23,071	—
Traveler accommodation	23	6.3	3.52×More than typical	139	$20,029	14
Specialty trade contractors	22	6.1	0.39×Fewer than typical	119	$51,580	425
Limited-service restaurants	20	5.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	338	$18,947	8
Lessors of real estate	19	5.2	0.43×Fewer than typical	55	$42,327	212
Automotive repair and maintenance	15	4.1	0.82×About typical	51	$44,373	59
Banks and credit unions	14	3.9	1.20×About typical	88	$44,330	—

Rank places for an industry Open Matagorda County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,252 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 $1,018 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sargent, Texas: $0.72 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1,018
Per resident: $0.72; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; 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 the Army$1,018100%

Top recipients

CHLOETA HOLDINGS LLC$1,018100%

Spending by fiscal year

913.7KFY2017
210.6FY2018
68.5FY2019
136.9KFY2020
62.8KFY2021
-8.2KFY2022
17.4KFY2023
53.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$1,018100%

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

Sargent, Texas's figures are part of those of Matagorda County, TX ($86.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Matagorda 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.

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

House

Troy E. NehlsR-TX-22 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 7.3%

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.

Matagorda County12100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Bay City, TX10

Other cities and towns in Matagorda 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

JSON · /api/v1/places/4865864

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Sargent, Texas five years ago that improved