Scores by category

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

Safety60#6,218/15,637
Economy17#12,958/15,631
Housing13#12,959/14,977
Health39#9,459/15,609
Healthcare20#12,576/15,650
Environment55#7,008/15,453
Education71#4,583/15,649
Infrastructure52#7,538/15,650
Community16#13,094/15,651
Leisure & amenities48#8,209/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Math scores · high3.52
97/100Texas 3.15United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteErath County value
Average commute time · low16.0 min
95/100Texas 26.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Job growth · high2.7%
92/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataErath County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low124 min
85/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesErath County value
Drug overdose deaths · low9.0 /100k
85/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataErath County value
Violent crime rate · low106 /100k
84/100Texas 345 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationErath County value

Weaknesses

Food environment index · low6.0
4/100Texas 5.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteErath County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100Texas 5.8United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationErath County value
Traffic deaths · high29.8 /100k
7/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataErath County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100Texas 5.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationErath County value
Hot days · high101 days
9/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationErath County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
10/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsErath County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
20,603 (2015-2019) → 21,682 (2020-2024)
+5.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.0× (2015-2019) → 4.6× (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.1% (2015-2019) → 58.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
2.4 /1k (2021) → 1.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−38%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
29.0% (2015-2019) → 35.5% (2020-2024)
+6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.2% (2015-2019) → 91.2% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Stephenville, Texas improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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

Property tax−0.5 points1.75% → 1.26%
Broadband+6 points85.2% → 91.2%

Declined2

Price / income+1.6×3.0× → 4.6×
Rent burden+10 points48.1% → 58.2%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Stephenville, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.6 min2015-2019	16.0 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Within the margin of error	32%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.8%2015-2019	33.3%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Broadband subscriptions	85.2%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+6 points	Improved	38%
Child poverty rate	9.9%2015-2019	8.5%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Effective property tax rate	1.75%2015-2019	1.26%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	90.5%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	4.6×2020-2024	+1.6×	Declined	8%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4742015-2019	0.4782020-2024	+0.004	Within the margin of error	47%
Median household income	$47,1612015-2019	$53,0152020-2024	+12%	Within the margin of error	20%
Poverty rate	22.7%2015-2019	20.0%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Rent as share of income	29.0%2015-2019	35.5%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Rent-burdened households	48.1%2015-2019	58.2%2020-2024	+10 points	Declined	24%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.7%2015-2019	15.6%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	70%

“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 Stephenville, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Stephenville, 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, Stephenville, Texas itself moved −10.9 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

21,682 residents (±30)

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 (+3.1 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

21,682 residents (±30)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

White71%15,487
Black2.9%†628
Hispanic or Latino21%4,523
Asian1.7%†369
American Indian and Alaska Native0.5%†109
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races2.6%†566

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+1.8 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

10,862 residents (±394)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma10%†1,106
High school or GED28%3,008
Some college22%2,350
Associate degree7.2%†783
Bachelor's degree20%2,180
Graduate degree13%1,435

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

8,247 households (±365)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k26%2,142
$25k–50k23%1,896
$50k–75k14%1,144
$75k–100k13%1,045
$100k–150k17%1,368
$150k–200k2.9%†236
$200k or more5.0%†416

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 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

8,247 households (±365)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Own44%3,656
Rent56%4,591

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

4,515 households (±451)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Under $75020%†893
$750–1,00022%997
$1,000–1,50032%1,465

Home values

3,656 homes (±357)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k24%†877
$150k–250k28%1,033
$250k–400k36%1,307

Age of homes

9,095 homes (±351)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later21%1,933
2000–200911%976
1980–199923%2,103

Size of homes

9,095 homes (±351)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Studio2.6%†232
1 bedroom18%1,623
2 bedrooms29%2,601

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

10,951 workers (±456)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone76%8,279
Carpool10%1,100
Public transit0.0%†5
Walk7.0%765
Bike2.1%†230
Work from home4.0%†442
Other1.2%†130

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−6.4 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

10,509 workers (±443)

Stephenville, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min71%7,439
15–29 min14%1,419
30–44 min7.7%804

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 Stephenville, 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 Erath County, the county holding most of Stephenville's residents.

Erath County has 1,116 employer establishments, 252 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 1.15× Texas's), with 13,376 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,556. The Census Bureau also counts 4,189 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,116; 4,189 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 252; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 13,376
Average annual pay: $45,556; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	95	21.4	1.39×More than typical	557	$47,262	430
Restaurants and other eating places	88	19.9	1.08×About typical	1,833	$17,570	21
Ambulatory health care services	65	14.7	0.70×Fewer than typical	521	$54,747	120
Lessors of real estate	47	10.6	0.86×About typical	141	$35,085	418
Religious organizations	45	10.2	1.83×More than typical	358	$19,215	—
Building equipment contractors	40	9	1.50×More than typical	219	$45,324	59
Construction of buildings	40	9	1.19×About typical	161	$45,578	217
Limited-service restaurants	37	8.4	1.04×About typical	940	$17,484	8
Full-service restaurants	34	7.7	1.00×About typical	606	$19,330	12
Management, scientific and technical consulting	34	7.7	1.14×About typical	138	$51,768	84
Automotive repair and maintenance	31	7	1.39×More than typical	201	$46,169	80
Services to buildings and dwellings	27	6.1	0.90×About typical	330	$30,836	207

Rank places for an industry Open Erath County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 44,304 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Stephenville, Texas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

390.9FY2017
7.7FY2018
165.4KFY2019
81.8KFY2020
64.6KFY2021
58.8KFY2022
32.2KFY2023
0FY2024

What was bought

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

Stephenville, Texas's figures are part of those of Erath County, TX ($34.9K 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: Stephenville is mostly in Erath County.

See federal money in Erath 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.

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

House

Roger WilliamsR-TX-25 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 3.7%

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.

Erath County48100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Stephenville, TX37

Other cities and towns in Erath 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/4870208