Scores by category

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

Safety62#5,934/15,637
Economy29#11,143/15,631
Housing41#8,910/14,977
Health21#12,328/15,609
Healthcare11#13,871/15,650
Environment48#8,104/15,453
Education32#10,603/15,649
Infrastructure38#9,665/15,650
Community54#7,213/15,651
Leisure & amenities82#2,888/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Wheeler, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Wheeler 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 · high22.9 /10k
99/100Texas 7.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWheeler County value
Students per teacher · low9.8×
99/100Texas 15.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsWheeler County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWheeler County value
Grocery stores · high4.2 /10k
98/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWheeler County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low90 min
98/100Texas 149 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWheeler County value
Distance to an emergency room · low2.5 mi
98/100Texas 5.5 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWheeler County value

Weaknesses

Traffic deaths · high74.0 /100k
1/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataWheeler County value
Mammography screening · low30.0%
2/100Texas 42.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWheeler County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high27.3%
3/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Distance to an airport · high145 mi
3/100Texas 33 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWheeler County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high155 mi
4/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWheeler County value
Flu vaccinations · low27.0%
4/100Texas 40.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWheeler County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.8% (2015-2019) → 92.0% (2020-2024)
+28 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
72.5% (2015-2019) → 84.6% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.9× (2015-2019) → 2.8× (2020-2024)
+51%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$45,769 (2015-2019) → $56,346 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
26.2% (2015-2019) → 21.7% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
26.4% (2015-2019) → 23.4% (2020-2024)
−3 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, Wheeler, Texas improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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+28 points63.8% → 92.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Wheeler, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.7 min2015-2019	17.1 min2020-2024	−0.7 min	Within the margin of error	56%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.2%2015-2019	18.4%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Broadband subscriptions	63.8%2015-2019	92.0%2020-2024	+28 points	Improved	97%
Effective property tax rate	1.36%2015-2019	1.71%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	1%
High school diploma or higher	72.5%2015-2019	84.6%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	24%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4012015-2019	0.3452020-2024	−0.057	Within the margin of error	86%
Median household income	$45,7692015-2019	$56,3462020-2024	+23%	Within the margin of error	40%
Poverty rate	20.5%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.4%2015-2019	23.4%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	26.1%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	32%

“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 Wheeler, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wheeler, 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, Wheeler, Texas itself moved +4.6 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

1,431 residents (±223)

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: 50–59 women (−5.0 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

1,431 residents (±223)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

White64%915
Black0.1%†1
Hispanic or Latino31%†444
Asian1.8%†26
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.1%†45

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (−13.1 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

923 residents (±135)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

No high school diploma15%†142
High school or GED29%†272
Some college36%333
Associate degree0.7%†6
Bachelor's degree13%†117
Graduate degree5.7%†53

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Some college (+16.9 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

490 households (±85)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k13%†65
$25k–50k20%†98
$50k–75k27%†134
$75k–100k17%†85
$100k–150k18%†89
$150k–200k1.0%†5
$200k or more2.9%†14

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

490 households (±85)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Own72%352
Rent28%†138

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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

106 households (±49)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00052%†55
$1,000–1,50031%†33

Home values

352 homes (±75)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Under $150k43%†150
$150k–250k43%†151
$250k–400k14%†51

Age of homes

615 homes (±97)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

2010 or later16%†101
2000–20092.4%†15
1980–199912%†75

Size of homes

615 homes (±97)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Studio1.5%†9
1 bedroom4.1%†25
2 bedrooms14%†86

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

617 workers (±152)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone81%502
Carpool9.7%†60
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.2%†1
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.8%†11
Other7.0%†43

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

606 workers (±150)

Wheeler, Texas
Texas share

Under 15 min52%†316
15–29 min17%†100
30–44 min25%†154

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Wheeler County, the county holding most of Wheeler's residents.

Wheeler County has 173 employer establishments, 359 for every 10,000 residents (1.44× the US rate of 248; 1.64× Texas's), with 1,087 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,195. The Census Bureau also counts 461 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 173; 461 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 359; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 1,087
Average annual pay: $40,195; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	14	29	1.58×More than typical	150	$14,113	5
Religious organizations	11	22.8	4.11×More than typical	23	$21,783	—
Full-service restaurants	8	16.6	2.16×Too few to compare	88	$11,648	—
Gasoline stations	7	14.5	4.48×Too few to compare	63	$18,857	—
Lessors of real estate	7	14.5	1.18×Too few to compare	10	$46,000	43
Traveler accommodation	7	14.5	8.04×Too few to compare	65	$16,292	—
Limited-service restaurants	6	12.4	1.55×Too few to compare	62	$17,613	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	4	8.3	2.04×Too few to compare	10	$21,000	4
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	4	8.3	4.75×Too few to compare	11	$39,273	—
Banks and credit unions	4	8.3	2.57×Too few to compare	21	$41,619	—
Commercial and industrial machinery repair	4	8.3	12.2×Too few to compare	18	$96,556	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	4	8.3	1.89×Too few to compare	10	$37,000	11

Rank places for an industry Open Wheeler County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 4,822 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: Wheeler is mostly in Wheeler County.

See federal money in Wheeler 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.

Wheeler, 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.

Wheeler County39100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Wheeler 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/4878208