The 10 Worst Small Towns In Texas For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in TX are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 87,092 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Texas.

Most Americans have never been to Texas. However, as the people who live there know, Texas is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Texas has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Lone Star State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 594 of Texas's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Texas where you'd never want to live:

These are the worst small towns in Texas for 2022:

  1. Heidelberg
  2. Escobares
  3. Hargill
  4. Citrus City
  5. Groveton
  6. Tenaha
  7. Trinity
  8. Agua Dulce
  9. Van Horn
  10. Uvalde Estates

So what is the worst small town to call home in Texas for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Heidelberg is the worst small town to live in Texas.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Texas has its stuff figured out.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Texas or the worst places to live in Texas.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Texas For 2022

1. Heidelberg

Heidelberg, TX

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,724
Rank Last Year: 96 (Up 95)
Median Home Value: $44,500 (18th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 35.5% (2nd worst)
More on Heidelberg:  Data | Photos

2. Escobares

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,634
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $55,900 (52nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (165th worst)
More on Escobares:  Data

3. Hargill

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 1,083
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $47,700 (25th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.1% (18th worst)
More on Hargill:

4. Citrus City

Citrus City, TX

Source: Wikipedia
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,957
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $69,100 (122nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 27.2% (3rd worst)
More on Citrus City:  Data | Photos

5. Groveton

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,150
Rank Last Year: 31 (Up 26)
Median Home Value: $66,500 (108th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 14.2% (30th worst)
More on Groveton:  Data

6. Tenaha

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,595
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $55,500 (5worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4% (195th worst)
More on Tenaha:  Data

7. Trinity

Trinity, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Tgarcia1950 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,764
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $50,500 (36th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.6% (37th worst)
More on Trinity:  Data | Photos

8. Agua Dulce

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,549
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $66,100 (107th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (225th worst)
More on Agua Dulce:  Data

9. Van Horn

Van Horn, TX

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,893
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 10)
Median Home Value: $62,900 (90th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.3% (56th worst)
More on Van Horn:  Data | Photos

10. Uvalde Estates

Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,033
Rank Last Year: 50 (Up 40)
Median Home Value: $58,300 (64th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 20.1% (11th worst)
More on Uvalde Estates:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Texas, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Texas for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 594 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Texas

If you're analyzing teeny places in the Lone Star State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Texas, according to science:

  1. Hollywood Park (Pop. 3,343)
  2. Rollingwood (Pop. 1,331)
  3. Spring Valley Village (Pop. 4,294)

For more Texas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Texas

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Heidelberg 1,724 35.5% $44,500
2 Escobares 2,634 7.1% $55,900
3 Hargill 1,083 17.1% $47,700
4 Citrus City 2,957 27.2% $69,100
5 Groveton 1,150 14.2% $66,500
6 Tenaha 1,595 6.4% $55,500
7 Trinity 2,764 13.6% $50,500
8 Agua Dulce 2,549 5.8% $66,100
9 Van Horn 1,893 11.3% $62,900
10 Uvalde Estates 2,033 20.1% $58,300
11 Charlotte 1,381 8.7% $39,100
12 Presidio 3,928 21.0% $51,000
13 Stowell 1,855 13.2% $117,800
14 Sullivan City 4,187 8.6% $58,100
15 Sebastian 1,508 11.0% $47,900
16 San Carlos 3,945 20.8% $64,000
17 Laureles 4,046 7.9% $60,800
18 Las Lomas 1,963 13.3% $61,000
19 La Pryor 1,307 5.3% $28,100
20 Ranger 2,961 5.3% $45,100
21 Fort Hancock 1,842 0.0% $53,100
22 La Joya 4,374 9.7% $82,400
23 Monte Alto 1,667 4.9% $49,600
24 Lopezville 2,092 20.8% $65,700
25 Medina 4,599 14.0% $73,300
26 Scissors 3,511 5.3% $46,900
27 El Cenizo 3,164 8.6% $57,000
28 Chula Vista Cdp (Maverick County) 3,588 7.8% $74,700
29 Santa Rosa 2,745 10.6% $48,400
30 West Sharyland 1,608 19.3% $78,800
31 Doffing 4,864 6.1% $67,000
32 Ames 1,071 5.0% $71,100
33 Abram 1,566 1.4% $77,800
34 Milam 1,773 16.8% $97,600
35 Bloomington 1,510 10.4% $50,500
36 Siesta Shores 1,740 16.2% $58,500
37 Amherst 1,050 6.1% $53,500
38 Buffalo 1,880 6.0% $73,200
39 Tulia 4,663 10.1% $73,200
40 Corrigan 1,804 9.8% $78,500
41 Alto 1,099 9.1% $79,400
42 Pineland 1,089 10.8% $71,100
43 Fifth Street 2,179 5.1% $23,100
44 Brackettville 1,642 2.6% $62,500
45 South Alamo 2,532 6.5% $53,900
46 Rosita 3,483 11.6% $107,000
47 Rio Bravo 4,686 6.0% $65,700
48 Indian Hills 2,600 0.0% $50,100
49 Oyster Creek 1,328 10.7% $1,000
50 Hebbronville 4,730 9.3% $76,000
51 San Augustine 1,857 10.6% $67,700
52 Lyford 2,536 16.4% $55,100
53 Morton 1,888 10.5% $30,300
54 Point 1,087 4.8% $82,500
55 Mathis 4,759 8.5% $57,800
56 Kirbyville 2,519 24.5% $104,500
57 Fabrica 1,120 5.4% $80,400
58 Tatum 1,306 11.5% $111,700
59 Lorenzo 1,097 7.3% $65,200
60 Elmendorf 1,583 17.2% $98,200
61 West Tawakoni 1,985 10.8% $61,800
62 Skidmore 1,484 4.9% $48,300
63 Hemphill 1,341 8.3% $72,000
64 Fabens 4,462 4.5% $61,700
65 Ore City 1,034 9.2% $81,700
66 Taft Southwest 1,440 5.9% $42,400
67 Von Ormy 1,022 1.7% $61,500
68 Batesville 1,764 4.8% $38,800
69 Sparks 3,873 19.2% $68,900
70 Muniz 1,346 8.1% $81,200
71 Tornillo 1,091 4.8% $74,600
72 Wills Point 3,614 8.7% $89,300
73 Wellington 2,153 7.8% $53,200
74 Hubbard 1,558 9.0% $71,600
75 Shamrock 1,958 6.7% $65,200
76 Grape Creek 3,851 6.2% $97,100
77 San Diego 4,062 7.5% $49,300
78 Seth Ward 1,881 1.4% $42,000
79 Vinton 1,692 8.5% $84,100
80 Runge 1,192 4.7% $76,000
81 Palmview South 2,820 5.9% $82,100
82 Llano Grande 2,023 3.8% $49,700
83 Newton 2,249 9.9% $84,200
84 Paducah 1,255 10.8% $39,300
85 La Grulla 1,513 6.1% $46,300
86 Gorman 1,495 0.6% $60,200
87 Hart 1,161 4.4% $50,300
88 Memphis 2,267 12.2% $59,500
89 Timpson 1,207 8.1% $58,800
90 Midway North 3,967 8.9% $83,000
91 Roscoe 1,538 14.1% $70,300
92 Oak Trail Shores 2,698 8.1% $63,600
93 Laguna Heights 1,778 0.0% $42,900
94 Plains 1,329 11.7% $63,000
95 Eldorado 2,258 9.0% $73,000
96 Malakoff 2,558 6.9% $85,600
97 Nocona 2,982 13.9% $70,200
98 Midway South 2,293 6.6% $80,700
99 Daingerfield 2,679 16.5% $59,100
100 Mikes 1,105 4.5% $103,700
Download The Entire Texas Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

 Worst