The 10 Poorest Cities In Texas For 2024


The poorest places in Texas are Prairie View and Donna for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Like all states, Texas has certain places that are going on hard times. These Texas places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.

Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Texas.

To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 360 cities in Texas with more than 5,000 people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Poorest Places In Texas Map

What’s the poorest city in Texas? According to the facts, Prairie View is the poorest place in Texas for 2024.

This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.

For more Texas reading, check out:

The 10 Poorest Cities In Texas For 2024

1. Prairie View

Prairie View, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Maureen.allen | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,039
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $19,238 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 44.7% (highest)
People In Poverty: 3,590
More on Prairie View: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Prairie View, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Texas thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.

The city of 8,039 people averages the lowest median household income in Texas and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.

2. Donna

Donna, TX

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 16,742
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Income: $34,049 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 38.0% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 6,366
More on Donna: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The second poorest city in Texas is Donna.

The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 5th lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 205th highest in the Lone Star State.

3. Mexia

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 6,907
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 3)
Median Income: $33,239 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 36.6% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,527
More on Mexia: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Placing as the third poorest city, Mexia’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.

And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 36.59% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.

But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Lone Star State.

4. Roma

Roma, TX

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

3
/10

Population: 11,531
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Income: $26,951 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.7% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,882
More on Roma: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Roma ranks as the fourth poorest place in Texas.

The town ranks as having the 2nd lowest median household income and the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state.

That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.

5. Los Fresnos

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 8,081
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 7)
Median Income: $39,536 (16th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.6% (5th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,796
More on Los Fresnos: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

The fifth poorest city in Texas is Los Fresnos.

The city ranks as having the 16th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 5th highest in Texas.

Still not the best news for Los Fresnos.

6. Robstown

Robstown, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Larry D. Moore | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 10,246
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 13)
Median Income: $35,417 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.4% (16th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,115
More on Robstown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Robstown ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Lone Star State.

It ranks as having the 16th highest incidence of poverty and the 13th highest unemployment rate.

7. Nacogdoches

Nacogdoches, TX

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

3
/10

Population: 32,148
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 6)
Median Income: $37,612 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.9% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 9,930
More on Nacogdoches: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Nacogdoches places as the seventh poorest city in Texas.

The city of over 32,148 ranks as having the 13th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.

8. La Feria

La Feria, TX

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,848
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Income: $38,656 (13th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.5% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,159
More on La Feria: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

La Feria ranks as the eighth poorest city in Texas.

The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.

9. Jasper

Jasper, TX

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

5
/10

Population: 7,131
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 2)
Median Income: $38,796 (14th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 31.1% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,217
More on Jasper: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Jasper couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Texas; it ranks number 9.

While the median income is the 14th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Jasper ranks as having the 12th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Texas.

10. San Benito

San Benito, TX

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 24,766
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 2)
Median Income: $38,100 (11th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 29.8% (19th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,380
More on San Benito: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Texas is San Benito.

The city of 24,766 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Lone Star State.

Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Texas for 2024

The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.

However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey:

  • Poverty Level
  • Median Household Income

After we collected the data for all 360 places with more than 5,000 people in Texas, we ranked each place from 1 to 360 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.

We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Prairie View, crowned the “Poorest Place In Texas For 2024”.

This report has been updated for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the poorest places in Texas.

Summary: The Poorest Cities In Texas For 2024

Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Texas, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Texas.

When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.

If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Texas, according to data:

    Richest: West University Place
    2nd Richest: Southlake
    3rd Richest: Lucas

For more Texas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Texas

Rank City Population Poverty Rate Median Income People In Poverty
1 Prairie View 8,039 44.7% $19,238 3,590
2 Donna 16,742 38.0% $34,049 6,366
3 Mexia 6,907 36.6% $33,239 2,527
4 Roma 11,531 33.7% $26,951 3,882
5 Los Fresnos 8,081 34.6% $39,536 2,796
6 Robstown 10,246 30.4% $35,417 3,115
7 Nacogdoches 32,148 30.9% $37,612 9,930
8 La Feria 6,848 31.5% $38,656 2,159
9 Jasper 7,131 31.1% $38,796 2,217
10 San Benito 24,766 29.8% $38,100 7,380
11 Raymondville 10,301 33.1% $42,109 3,411
12 Crockett 6,365 27.2% $37,500 1,734
13 Huntsville 46,202 27.1% $37,419 12,516
14 Lamesa 8,571 28.4% $39,434 2,429
15 Sinton 5,505 34.6% $46,411 1,906
16 Mercedes 16,361 29.2% $43,243 4,782
17 Pearsall 8,870 28.0% $41,761 2,482
18 Rio Grande City 15,256 30.0% $44,307 4,581
19 Galena Park 10,641 30.4% $45,614 3,238
20 Pharr 79,434 30.4% $45,016 24,155
21 Alice 17,916 27.7% $43,017 4,966
22 Palmview 15,245 26.4% $41,483 4,029
23 Alton 18,493 28.1% $44,317 5,198
24 Brownfield 8,912 25.6% $41,228 2,281
25 Hutchins 5,633 25.5% $39,929 1,434
26 Port Isabel 5,137 26.2% $42,601 1,345
27 Gladewater 6,166 31.7% $47,749 1,952
28 Commerce 9,078 24.9% $41,382 2,264
29 Uvalde 15,342 28.8% $47,289 4,410
30 Marlin 5,478 21.7% $31,240 1,188
31 Port Arthur 55,897 26.7% $45,357 14,924
32 Hidalgo 14,075 26.9% $45,919 3,787
33 San Marcos 67,143 27.6% $47,394 18,565
34 Crystal City 6,332 30.4% $49,211 1,926
35 Wharton 8,669 21.1% $37,722 1,829
36 Kingsville 25,265 33.1% $50,963 8,370
37 Brownsville 186,999 26.1% $46,735 48,769
38 Breckenridge 5,230 20.9% $38,500 1,093
39 Bay City 17,869 28.6% $50,212 5,106
40 Paris 24,574 22.0% $44,022 5,408
41 Beeville 13,637 26.7% $47,815 3,645
42 Waco 140,545 24.8% $47,421 34,812
43 Penitas 6,313 27.1% $50,110 1,710
44 Alamo 19,811 24.1% $47,398 4,780
45 College Station 120,451 28.5% $52,397 34,280
46 Carthage 6,549 20.0% $42,788 1,311
47 Socorro 35,429 23.5% $47,649 8,311
48 Harlingen 71,497 26.0% $50,367 18,560
49 Plainview 20,113 21.6% $46,274 4,346
50 Jacksonville 14,104 23.7% $49,750 3,338
51 Alpine 5,997 20.3% $46,619 1,218
52 Sweetwater 10,546 18.3% $44,306 1,930
53 Texarkana 36,156 22.0% $48,054 7,957
54 Marshall 23,509 22.8% $49,162 5,362
55 Palestine 18,741 18.1% $43,759 3,388
56 Elsa 5,721 18.2% $44,505 1,042
57 Livingston 5,672 21.7% $47,952 1,230
58 Gainesville 17,459 21.8% $49,170 3,799
59 San Juan 35,463 23.7% $51,497 8,390
60 South Houston 16,169 23.0% $51,006 3,717
61 Center 5,221 31.2% $57,875 1,631
62 Edinburg 100,964 25.7% $54,139 25,988
63 Weslaco 40,858 24.7% $53,517 10,079
64 Eagle Pass 28,166 23.3% $52,254 6,562
65 Navasota 7,843 19.5% $47,793 1,532
66 Stephenville 21,020 19.6% $48,088 4,119
67 Bellmead 10,480 21.9% $51,474 2,297
68 Sansom Park 5,387 24.9% $54,909 1,343
69 Cuero 8,138 22.5% $53,386 1,834
70 Bryan 84,820 24.6% $55,234 20,874
71 Brownwood 18,820 17.6% $45,412 3,319
72 Beaumont 114,573 20.4% $53,745 23,361
73 Cameron 5,356 24.3% $57,076 1,303
74 Freeport 10,738 18.1% $50,704 1,945
75 Everman 6,102 23.0% $56,420 1,402
76 Vernon 10,018 17.4% $47,528 1,745
77 Littlefield 5,939 17.6% $48,962 1,045
78 Lacy-Lakeview 7,190 16.7% $46,311 1,199
79 Corsicana 25,107 17.7% $49,353 4,438
80 Brenham 17,655 18.2% $52,664 3,206
81 McAllen 142,722 21.0% $56,326 29,943
82 Pampa 16,861 18.0% $52,966 3,038
83 Rockdale 5,424 13.9% $39,911 756
84 Mission 85,755 20.3% $56,421 17,391
85 Levelland 12,607 17.5% $50,707 2,210
86 El Paso 677,181 18.9% $55,710 128,258
87 Yoakum 5,841 14.2% $44,627 827
88 Kaufman 7,520 18.1% $55,349 1,357
89 Del Rio 34,722 18.8% $57,072 6,524
90 Galveston 53,265 19.2% $57,453 10,253
91 Richmond 11,931 17.1% $51,832 2,040
92 Brookshire 5,187 20.9% $58,712 1,086
93 Hondo 8,424 18.5% $57,819 1,557
94 Wichita Falls 102,482 17.8% $55,584 18,211
95 Atlanta 5,453 25.5% $62,215 1,389
96 Primera 5,219 23.9% $61,108 1,245
97 Cleveland 7,756 13.9% $46,875 1,081
98 Belton 23,137 17.9% $57,025 4,148
99 Fort Stockton 8,404 28.4% $65,657 2,387
100 Lubbock 258,190 19.3% $58,734 49,727
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

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