Scores by category

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

Safety21#12,330/15,637
Economy19#12,617/15,631
Housing69#4,626/14,977
Health19#12,625/15,609
Healthcare7#14,565/15,650
Environment9#13,996/15,453
Education12#13,827/15,649
Infrastructure4#14,994/15,650
Community26#11,578/15,651
Leisure & amenities13#13,643/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Social associations · high14.9 /10k
91/100Texas 7.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWharton County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low124 min
85/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWharton County value
Comfortable days · high30.5%
80/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWharton County value
Public EV charging ports · high9.5 /10k
80/100Texas 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWharton County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.6×
76/100Texas 3.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public libraries · high0.9 /10k
75/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWharton County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.9%
2/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataWharton County value
Traffic deaths · high41.1 /100k
3/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataWharton County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high23.0%
4/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Preventable hospital stays · high4,509 /100k
4/100Texas 2,991 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWharton County value
Hot days · high122 days
4/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWharton County value
Broadband subscriptions · low81.2%
5/100Texas 91.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
57.5% (2015-2019) → 81.2% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
56.2% (2015-2019) → 36.8% (2020-2024)
−19 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
26.3% (2015-2019) → 10.4% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
High school diploma or higherImproving
72.7% (2015-2019) → 85.0% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
New homes permittedWorsening
9.2 /1k (2021) → 3.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−58%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$39,079 (2015-2019) → $58,212 (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $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.

Over about five years, Wharton, Texas improved on 7 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 7 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.

Improved7

High school++12 points72.7% → 85.0%
Broadband+24 points57.5% → 81.2%
Child poverty−16 points26.3% → 10.4%
Rent burden−19 points56.2% → 36.8%
Rent / income−8.9 points31.7% → 22.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Wharton, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.2 min2015-2019	24.9 min2020-2024	+2.7 min	Within the margin of error	21%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.5%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	57.5%2015-2019	81.2%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	94%
Child poverty rate	26.3%2015-2019	10.4%2020-2024	−16 points	Improved	90%
Effective property tax rate	1.56%2015-2019	1.56%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	16%
High school diploma or higher	72.7%2015-2019	85.0%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	97%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4222015-2019	0.4012020-2024	−0.021	Within the margin of error	69%
Median household income	$39,0792015-2019	$58,2122020-2024	+49%	Improved	84%
Poverty rate	20.1%2015-2019	11.9%2020-2024	−8.2 points	Improved	89%
Rent as share of income	31.7%2015-2019	22.8%2020-2024	−8.9 points	Improved	92%
Rent-burdened households	56.2%2015-2019	36.8%2020-2024	−19 points	Improved	93%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2015-2019	6.2%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	31.6%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Within the margin of error	95%

“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 Wharton, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wharton, 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, Wharton, Texas itself moved +14.6 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

8,724 residents (±23)

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

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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,724 residents (±23)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

White26%2,285
Black22%1,915
Hispanic or Latino44%3,839
Asian1.3%†113
American Indian and Alaska Native0.9%†80
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races5.6%†492

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−7.1 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

5,460 residents (±395)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma15%819
High school or GED38%2,050
Some college22%1,196
Associate degree10%†560
Bachelor's degree11%†575
Graduate degree4.8%†260

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−12.3 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 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

3,403 households (±338)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k18%603
$25k–50k26%†881
$50k–75k22%†740
$75k–100k12%†412
$100k–150k13%†429
$150k–200k5.7%†194
$200k or more4.2%†144

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−18.3 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

3,403 households (±338)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Own54%1,848
Rent46%1,555

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

1,449 households (±309)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Under $75014%†207
$750–1,00033%†476
$1,000–1,50034%†486

Home values

1,848 homes (±330)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k50%†927
$150k–250k28%†516
$250k–400k16%†287

Age of homes

3,885 homes (±338)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later10%†391
2000–20098.6%†333
1980–199923%†877

Size of homes

3,885 homes (±338)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Studio1.6%†62
1 bedroom21%†802
2 bedrooms28%†1,099

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

3,971 workers (±470)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone78%3,110
Carpool8.3%†329
Public transit0.1%†2
Walk3.3%†133
Bike4.8%†191
Work from home5.0%†197
Other0.2%†9

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bike (+4.8 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

3,774 workers (±451)

Wharton, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min38%1,423
15–29 min29%†1,083
30–44 min15%†556

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 El Campo, 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 Wharton County, the county holding most of Wharton's residents.

Wharton County has 997 employer establishments, 238 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248; 1.09× Texas's), with 11,159 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,091. The Census Bureau also counts 4,305 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 997; 4,305 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 238; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 11,159
Average annual pay: $47,091; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	66	15.8	0.86×About typical	1,097	$18,656	31
Ambulatory health care services	65	15.5	0.74×Fewer than typical	737	$58,795	237
Specialty trade contractors	52	12.4	0.80×About typical	300	$61,313	383
Religious organizations	50	11.9	2.15×More than typical	243	$20,988	—
Truck transportation	42	10	1.98×More than typical	248	$57,169	255
Lessors of real estate	38	9.1	0.74×Fewer than typical	68	$45,632	240
Limited-service restaurants	31	7.4	0.92×About typical	647	$18,250	7
Full-service restaurants	30	7.2	0.93×About typical	404	$19,552	17
Building equipment contractors	27	6.4	1.07×About typical	191	$63,785	70
Insurance agencies and brokerages	26	6.2	1.41×More than typical	78	$52,962	63
Gasoline stations	25	6	1.84×More than typical	471	$39,393	—
Construction of buildings	24	5.7	0.76×Fewer than typical	133	$45,301	151

Rank places for an industry Open Wharton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 41,875 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 Wharton, Texas: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

ON-DEMAND SERVICES LLC$00.0%
INTEGRATED FEDERAL SERVICES JV$00.0%
KENALL-FREESE AND NICHOLS 8A MENTOR-PROTEGE JOINT VENTURE$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

4.9KFY2017
20.5KFY2018
50KFY2019
163.6KFY2020
8.5KFY2021
2MFY2022
-32.3KFY2023
24.1KFY2024

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

Wharton, Texas's figures are part of those of Wharton County, TX ($29.3K 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: Wharton is mostly in Wharton County.

See federal money in Wharton 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.

Wharton, 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.

Wharton County11100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

El Campo, TX9

Other cities and towns in Wharton 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/4878136

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends