City · Oldham County, Texas

Vega, Texas

Vega is a city in Oldham County, Texas, part of the Amarillo, TX metro area. It has 1,086 residents. Vega, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 38 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,656 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #225 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), job growth (high) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on traffic deaths (high), primary care physicians (low) and dentists (low).

38Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,656 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #225 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 1,086 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 811.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 4875188

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 68 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.

Safety—
Economy56#6,928/15,631
Housing40#8,982/14,977
Health56#6,804/15,609
Healthcare7#14,530/15,650
Environment69#4,737/15,453
Education38#9,743/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,128/15,650
Community61#6,027/15,651
Leisure & amenities50#7,822/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Students per teacher · low7.7×
100/100Texas 15.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsOldham County value
Job growth · high10.3%
100/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataOldham County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Texas 14.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionOldham County value
Grocery stores · high5.6 /10k
99/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOldham County value
Public libraries · high5.6 /10k
99/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesOldham County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Texas 13.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionOldham County value

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high339.8 /100k
0/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataOldham County value
Primary care physicians · low0 /100k
0/100Texas 61 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOldham County value
Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100Texas 63 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOldham County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Texas 3.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOldham County value
Food environment index · low4.6
1/100Texas 5.7United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOldham County value
Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Texas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOldham County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,024 (2015-2019) → 1,086 (2020-2024)
+6.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
5.2% (2015-2019) → 43.7% (2020-2024)
+39 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
15.4% (2015-2019) → 47.7% (2020-2024)
+32 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
12.4% (2015-2019) → 25.7% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Poverty rateWorsening
8.0% (2015-2019) → 21.0% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
17.7% (2015-2019) → 28.0% (2020-2024)
+10 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, Vega, Texas improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 8 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+9.2 points81.1% → 90.3%

Declined2

Uninsured+13 points12.4% → 25.7%
High school+−9.4 points88.3% → 78.9%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Vega, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.5 min2015-2019	33.4 min2020-2024	+10.9 min	Within the margin of error	2%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.7%2015-2019	12.7%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	90.3%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Improved	55%
Effective property tax rate	1.58%2015-2019	1.28%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	75%
High school diploma or higher	88.3%2015-2019	78.9%2020-2024	−9.4 points	Declined	2%
Home price to income ratio	1.4×2015-2019	1.7×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3862015-2019	0.3982020-2024	+0.012	Within the margin of error	40%
Median household income	$65,2782015-2019	$78,1252020-2024	+20%	Within the margin of error	32%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	17.7%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.4%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+13 points	Declined	1%

“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 Vega, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Vega, 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, Vega, Texas itself moved −15.8 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

1,086 residents (±209)

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: Under 10 women (+9.4 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,086 residents (±209)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

White58%627
Black0.6%†7
Hispanic or Latino40%†439

Education

753 residents (±134)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma21%†159
High school or GED24%†181
Some college32%242

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

360 households (±69)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k11%†38
$25k–50k19%†67
$50k–75k20%†73
$75k–100k18%†63
$100k–150k17%†62
$150k–200k8.1%†29
$200k or more7.8%†28

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

360 households (±69)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Own75%270
Rent25%†90

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−13.3 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

86 households (±33)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Under $75026%†22
$750–1,00014%†12
$1,000–1,50059%†51

Home values

270 homes (±61)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k56%†151
$150k–250k26%†70
$250k–400k10%†27

Age of homes

431 homes (±65)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later1.6%†7
2000–20096.5%†28
1980–199913%†57

Size of homes

431 homes (±65)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom0.5%†2
2 bedrooms14%†59

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

512 workers (±97)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone77%395
Carpool14%†71
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.1%†16
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.3%†22
Other1.6%†8

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

490 workers (±96)

Vega, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min28%136
15–29 min13%†62
30–44 min35%†172

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 Amarillo, 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 Oldham County, the county holding most of Vega's residents.

Oldham County has 44 employer establishments, 248 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 1.14× Texas's), with 527 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,150. The Census Bureau also counts 191 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 44; 191 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 248; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 527
Average annual pay: $46,150; US $68,342

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

Gasoline stations	5	28.2	8.70×Too few to compare	61	$40,656	—
Religious organizations	4	22.6	4.07×Too few to compare	10	$31,700	—
Full-service restaurants	3	16.9	2.20×Too few to compare	26	$22,346	—
Restaurants and other eating places	3	16.9	0.92×Too few to compare	26	$22,346	—
Traveler accommodation	3	16.9	9.38×Too few to compare	9	$15,889	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	9
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Architectural, engineering and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Oldham County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,773 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: Vega is mostly in Oldham County.

See federal money in Oldham 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.

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

House

Ronny JacksonR-TX-13 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.7%

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.

Oldham County56100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Amarillo, TX41

Other cities and towns in Oldham 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

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