Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety30#651/924
Economy44#519/925
Housing50#459/925
Health29#653/925
Healthcare9#836/923
Environment19#741/917
Education27#673/925
Infrastructure10#831/925
Community20#740/925
Leisure & amenities13#807/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Longview, TX metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low21.3%
91/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low9.8 /100k
84/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · low36
79/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Distance to an Amtrak station · low11 mi
79/100Texas 43 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low27.0%
78/100Texas 30.7%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Comfortable days · high29.6%
77/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.5 µg/m³
3/100Texas 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high127 mi
8/100Texas 33 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high17.9%
9/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Traffic deaths · high27.0 /100k
10/100Texas 14.1 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · low5.6 /10k
11/100Texas 7.8 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Hot days · high86 days
13/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
21% (2021) → 66% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+45 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.6% (2015-2019) → 85.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Homicide rateImproving
10.9 /100k (2021) → 5.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New homes permittedWorsening
2.0 /1k (2021) → 1.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Property crime rateImproving
2,055 /100k (2020) → 1,324 /100k (2025)
−36%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k
Mental health providersImproving
101 /100k (2021) → 136 /100k (2025)
+34%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k

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, Longview, TX metro area improved on 14 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 5 moved within the margin of error and 10 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Uninsured−2.6 points20.5% → 17.9%
High school++3.2 points83.9% → 87.1%
Firearm deaths−30%24.0 /100k → 16.8 /100k
Pharmacies+7.5%1.5 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Broadband+12 points73.6% → 85.9%

Declined1

Price / income+0.2×2.6× → 2.8×

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Longview, TX metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.5 /10k2020	2.5 /10k2025	+0.4%	Little change	29%
Average commute time	23.0 min2015-2019	23.6 min2020-2024	+0.7 min	Within the margin of error	41%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.0%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Improved	34%
Broadband subscriptions	73.6%2015-2019	85.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	23.1%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Improved	52%
Distance to an airport	127 mi2020	127 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	83%
Drug overdose deaths	9.9 /100k2020	9.8 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−1%	Little change	29%
Effective property tax rate	1.20%2015-2019	1.05%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	60%
Firearm deaths	24.0 /100k2020	16.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−30%	Improved	92%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−1.1%	Little change	46%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−3.7%	Little change	31%
High school diploma or higher	83.9%2015-2019	87.1%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Improved	84%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.2×	Declined	83%
Homicide rate	9.3 /100k2020	5.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−41%	Improved	69%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,5452019	$61,7062024	+30%	Improved	35%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4652015-2019	0.4612020-2024	−0.004	Within the margin of error	67%
Median household income	$51,5802015-2019	$66,6472020-2024	+29%	Improved	61%
New business applications	9.5 /1k2020	12.5 /1k2025	+32%	Improved	29%
Pharmacies	1.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+7.5%	Improved	86%
Poverty rate	16.5%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Property crime rate	2,055 /100k2020	1,324 /100k2025	−36%	Improved	54%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−3.3%	Little change	35%
Rent as share of income	28.4%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent-burdened households	46.7%2015-2019	47.9%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Restaurants and bars	5.7 /10k2020	5.6 /10k2025	−1.9%	Little change	36%
Suicide rate	18.9 /100k2020	18.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+0.1%	Little change	61%
Traffic deaths	25.8 /100k2015-2019	27.0 /100k2020-2024	+4.4%	Little change	54%
Unemployment rate	8.0%2020	4.6%2025	−3.4 points	Improved	63%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.5%2015-2019	17.9%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Improved	91%
Violent crime rate	315 /100k2020	272 /100k2025	−14%	Improved	46%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Longview, TX metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Longview, TX metro area 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, Longview, TX metro area itself moved +1.5 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

291,044 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

108,174 households (±894)

Longview, TX metro area
United States share

Under $25k18%18,942
$25k–50k21%22,303
$50k–75k17%18,836

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

108,174 households (±894)

Longview, TX metro area
United States share

Own70%76,114
Rent30%32,060

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

126,269 workers (±1,686)

Longview, TX metro area
United States share

Drive alone81%102,072
Carpool10%12,692
Public transit0.1%†152

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Longview, TX employ 27,670 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Longview, TX by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers4,220 jobs	4,220	$26,730US $31,200	−14%	1.44×
General and Operations Managers3,590 jobs	3,590

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.

Longview, TX has 6,852 employer establishments, 233 for every 10,000 residents (0.94× the US rate of 248), with 104,447 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,967. The Census Bureau also counts 27,002 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 6,852; 27,002 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 233; US 248
Paid employees: 104,447
Average annual pay: $52,967; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	480	16.3	0.89×About typical	10,071	$20,241	177
Ambulatory health care services	479	16.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	6,464	$66,181	1,166
Specialty trade contractors	378	12.9	0.83×About typical	4,427	$62,933	2,179
Religious organizations	264	9	1.62×More than typical	2,288	$20,876	—
Limited-service restaurants	240	8.2	1.02×About typical	5,431	$18,605	54
Lessors of real estate	208	7.1	0.57×Fewer than typical	592	$43,647	2,066
Legal services	169	5.7	1.07×About typical	562	$89,770	172
Management, scientific and technical consulting	169	5.7	0.86×About typical	1,499	$67,695	567
Full-service restaurants	168	5.7	0.74×Fewer than typical	4,012	$22,558	71
Automotive repair and maintenance	167	5.7	1.13×About typical	982	$47,980	648
Building equipment contractors	167	5.7	0.94×About typical	2,158	$58,022	360
Truck transportation	160	5.4	1.08×About typical	1,912	$74,628	880

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 294,161 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $4.5M on contracts performed in Longview, TX metro area: $15.09 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4.5M; +34% vs FY2025
Per resident: $15.09; US $1,994
Sole-source: 12%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.2%; 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$2.7M60%
Public Buildings Service$888.4K20%
Defense Logistics Agency$467.7K10%
Department of Veterans Affairs$277.6K6.2%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$116.2K2.6%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$33.9K0.8%
Federal Aviation Administration$3,2380.1%
Department of the Navy$2,1400.0%

Top recipients

UDC USA, INC$2.1M47%
A.R.E. DESIGN & BUILD, LLC$786.6K18%
CPI SATCOM & ANTENNA TECHNOLOGIES INC$405.2K9.0%
DARR EQUIPMENT LP$315.5K7.0%
ARCHITECHTURE SOLUTIONS LLC$277.6K6.2%

Spending by fiscal year

7.7MFY2017
13.3MFY2018
9MFY2019
11.2MFY2020
9.8MFY2021
8.9MFY2022
9.8MFY2023
6.9M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing · 3259$2.1M47%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$786.6K18%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$335.3K7.5%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$315.5K7.0%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$277.6K6.2%
Scientific research and development services · 5417

Largest awards

THIS REQUIREMENT IS FOR WINDOWS UPDATES, OPTIONS FOR EXTERIOR CLEANING AND RESTORATION, ROOFING, AND SETTLEMENT REPAIRS AT THE SAM B HALL FEDERAL BUILDING IN MARSHALL, TEXAS$3.2M
A.R.E. DESIGN & BUILD, LLC· Harrison County, TX· Construction & real property· Jun 28, 2024 – Sep 24, 2026· 47PH0524F0096
DO 03 FOR BES ID/IQ CONTRACT W15QKN-25-D-0005$2.1M
UDC USA, INC· Harrison County, TX· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jun 4, 2026 – Jun 4, 2026· W15QKN26F0186
EWR ROOF - NEWARK, NJ$1.8M
A & P REMODELING CO INC· Gregg County, TX· Construction & real property· Jul 14, 2023 – Sep 23, 2026· 697DCK23C00231
REMEDIAL DESIGN FOR SITE LHAAP-47 LONGHORN ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT KARNACK, TEXAS. NEW TASK ORDER, W912BV22F0113.

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1.9B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Longview, TX metro area: $6,268 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1.9B; −18% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,268; US $12,955
Loan face value: $108M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.1B58%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$197M11%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$153.1M8.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$139.7M7.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$63.3M3.4%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$55.6M3.0%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$47.9M2.6%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$22.4M1.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$111.9M6.0%
AUSTIN, TX
KILGORE JUNIOUR COLLEGE DISTRICT$11.9M0.6%
KILGORE, TX
WILEY UNIVERSITY$9.1M0.5%
MARSHALL, TX
CITY OF LONGVIEW$8.6M0.5%
LONGVIEW, TX
REGION VII EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER$7.4M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$1.4B77%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$226.3M12%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$112.7M6.0%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$27.7M1.5%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$15.9M

Assistance by fiscal year

1.6BFY2021
1.5BFY2022
1.7BFY2023
1.7BFY2024
2.3BFY2025
1.9BFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Longview, TX

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

LongviewPrincipal city82,923

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Areas based in Texas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M30980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined1

Metro and micro areas like Longview, TX metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Longview, TX

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined1

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type