The 10 Dumbest Places In Texas For 2025


The dumbest places in Texas are Pearsall and Penitas for 2025 based on Saturday Night Science.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Lone Star State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.

While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.

We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Texas have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.

A recent study we published found that Texas is the 42nd smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 97.

But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Texas are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.


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


Dumbest Cities In Texas Map

Don’t freak out.

Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.

For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 348 cities in Texas to rank. You can take a look at the data below.

For more Texas reading, check out:

The 10 Dumbest Places In Texas For 2025

Pearsall, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 8,841
% Adult High School Dropout: 34.0%
% Highly Educated: 7.0%
More on Pearsall: Data

2. Penitas

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10
Population: 6,355
% Adult High School Dropout: 44.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on Penitas:

South Houston, TX

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 16,017
% Adult High School Dropout: 41.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on South Houston: Data

Galena Park, TX

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10
Population: 10,527
% Adult High School Dropout: 33.0%
% Highly Educated: 8.0%
More on Galena Park: Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 5,332
% Adult High School Dropout: 32.0%
% Highly Educated: 8.0%
More on Rusk: Data

Robstown, TX

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

1
/10
Population: 10,222
% Adult High School Dropout: 32.0%
% Highly Educated: 8.0%
More on Robstown: Data

Raymondville, TX

Source: Wikipedia User | None
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10
Population: 10,243
% Adult High School Dropout: 31.0%
% Highly Educated: 8.0%
More on Raymondville: Data

8. Wilmer

Wilmer, TX

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10
Population: 5,876
% Adult High School Dropout: 34.0%
% Highly Educated: 10.0%
More on Wilmer:

Hutchins, TX

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10
Population: 5,713
% Adult High School Dropout: 28.0%
% Highly Educated: 6.0%
More on Hutchins: Data

Kermit, TX

Source: Flickr User TexasExplorer98 | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10
Population: 5,681
% Adult High School Dropout: 31.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on Kermit: Data

Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Lone Star State

We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.

So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.

In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Texas:

  • % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
  • % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)

We got the data from the U.S. Census 2019-2023 American Community Survey.

Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Texas from dumbest to brightest.

For this ranking, we used every Texas city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2025, and it’s our tenth time ranking the dumbest cities in Texas.

There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep

If you’re measuring the locations in Texas where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.

The dumbest cities in Texas are Pearsall, Penitas, South Houston, Galena Park, Rusk, Robstown, Raymondville, Wilmer, Hutchins, and Kermit.

If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Texas, according to science:

  1. West University Place
  2. Bellaire
  3. University Park

For more Texas reading, check out:

Dumbest Cities In Texas For 2025

Rank City Population % Adult High School Dropout % Highly Educated
1 Pearsall, TX 8,841 34.0% 7.0%
2 Penitas, TX 6,355 44.0% 9.0%
3 South Houston, TX 16,017 41.0% 9.0%
4 Galena Park, TX 10,527 33.0% 8.0%
5 Rusk, TX 5,332 32.0% 8.0%
6 Robstown, TX 10,222 32.0% 8.0%
7 Raymondville, TX 10,243 31.0% 8.0%
8 Wilmer, TX 5,876 34.0% 10.0%
9 Hutchins, TX 5,713 28.0% 6.0%
10 Kermit, TX 5,681 31.0% 9.0%
11 Sinton, TX 5,513 27.0% 7.0%
12 Donna, TX 16,774 38.0% 11.0%
13 Socorro, TX 36,237 31.0% 10.0%
14 Gonzales, TX 7,180 29.0% 10.0%
15 Hereford, TX 14,874 28.0% 10.0%
16 Alton, TX 19,205 37.0% 13.0%
17 Luling, TX 5,486 30.0% 11.0%
18 Brownfield, TX 8,803 24.0% 8.0%
19 Palmview, TX 15,650 34.0% 13.0%
20 Balch Springs, TX 27,181 29.0% 12.0%
21 San Juan, TX 35,674 36.0% 14.0%
22 San Benito, TX 24,677 30.0% 13.0%
23 Hempstead, TX 5,899 22.0% 7.0%
24 Freeport, TX 10,639 21.0% 6.0%
25 Mercedes, TX 16,449 32.0% 14.0%
26 Seagoville, TX 18,968 25.0% 11.0%
27 Alvarado, TX 5,424 23.0% 10.0%
28 Forest Hill, TX 13,923 28.0% 13.0%
29 Sansom Park, TX 5,387 22.0% 9.0%
30 Bellmead, TX 10,550 28.0% 13.0%
31 Hondo, TX 8,508 22.0% 9.0%
32 Alamo, TX 20,008 32.0% 15.0%
33 Roma, TX 11,543 42.0% 16.0%
34 Dumas, TX 14,362 23.0% 12.0%
35 Mount Pleasant, TX 16,061 25.0% 13.0%
36 Port Lavaca, TX 11,410 24.0% 13.0%
37 Yoakum, TX 5,649 22.0% 11.0%
38 Alice, TX 17,797 22.0% 12.0%
39 Muleshoe, TX 5,328 33.0% 16.0%
40 Port Arthur, TX 55,779 21.0% 12.0%
41 Kaufman, TX 8,010 25.0% 15.0%
42 Giddings, TX 5,085 23.0% 14.0%
43 Brookshire, TX 5,330 29.0% 16.0%
44 Monahans, TX 7,536 19.0% 10.0%
45 Cleveland, TX 8,137 19.0% 10.0%
46 Pharr, TX 79,809 31.0% 17.0%
47 River Oaks, TX 7,516 27.0% 16.0%
48 Sweetwater, TX 10,484 19.0% 11.0%
49 Kirby, TX 8,100 22.0% 14.0%
50 Uvalde, TX 15,344 26.0% 16.0%
51 Gatesville, TX 16,058 18.0% 9.0%
52 Plainview, TX 19,893 26.0% 16.0%
53 Cuero, TX 8,147 20.0% 13.0%
54 Navasota, TX 8,170 25.0% 16.0%
55 Liberty, TX 8,491 21.0% 14.0%
56 Corsicana, TX 25,344 24.0% 16.0%
57 Wharton, TX 8,671 21.0% 14.0%
58 Marlin, TX 5,500 19.0% 11.0%
59 La Feria, TX 6,821 28.0% 17.0%
60 Lamesa, TX 8,527 24.0% 16.0%
61 El Campo, TX 12,220 20.0% 14.0%
62 Mineral Wells, TX 15,130 19.0% 13.0%
63 Humble, TX 16,489 19.0% 13.0%
64 Big Spring, TX 24,769 20.0% 14.0%
65 Littlefield, TX 5,886 23.0% 16.0%
66 Edna, TX 5,994 23.0% 16.0%
67 Seminole, TX 7,097 23.0% 16.0%
68 Baytown, TX 84,538 21.0% 15.0%
69 Childress, TX 5,964 17.0% 9.0%
70 Pasadena, TX 149,345 26.0% 17.0%
71 Levelland, TX 12,565 23.0% 16.0%
72 Breckenridge, TX 5,182 23.0% 16.0%
73 Rockdale, TX 5,455 21.0% 15.0%
74 Center, TX 5,198 19.0% 14.0%
75 Slaton, TX 5,811 17.0% 11.0%
76 Laredo, TX 255,949 30.0% 21.0%
77 Los Fresnos, TX 8,174 26.0% 20.0%
78 Mexia, TX 6,867 16.0% 11.0%
79 Port Isabel, TX 5,098 20.0% 16.0%
80 Crockett, TX 6,318 20.0% 16.0%
81 Everman, TX 6,060 18.0% 14.0%
82 Terrell, TX 19,019 21.0% 17.0%
83 Del Rio, TX 34,638 26.0% 21.0%
84 Brownsville, TX 188,023 30.0% 22.0%
85 Cameron, TX 5,385 21.0% 17.0%
86 Hidalgo, TX 14,250 30.0% 23.0%
87 Gladewater, TX 6,297 18.0% 15.0%
88 Vernon, TX 9,947 18.0% 15.0%
89 Pampa, TX 16,735 16.0% 14.0%
90 Livingston, TX 5,728 17.0% 15.0%
91 Groves, TX 17,021 14.0% 12.0%
92 Granite Shoals, TX 5,247 23.0% 21.0%
93 Primera, TX 5,282 24.0% 22.0%
94 Clute, TX 10,650 18.0% 16.0%
95 Jacksonville, TX 14,186 25.0% 23.0%
96 Ennis, TX 21,546 21.0% 20.0%
97 Lacy-Lakeview, TX 7,247 16.0% 15.0%
98 Perryton, TX 8,625 20.0% 19.0%
99 Brady, TX 5,215 19.0% 17.0%
100 Dayton, TX 9,121 17.0% 16.0%
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

12 thoughts on “The 10 Dumbest Places In Texas For 2025

  1. WOW this is embarrassingly inaccurate for the people who live in these towns. Not to mention really really inconsiderate.

  2. I would like to invite whoever wrote this article to come to South Texas to our University of Texas RVG and take a refresher course in research journalism. I have lived in South Texas for 39 years. Although I am not Hispanic, I am a semi-retired bilingual teacher who has worked at the elementary school in Sullivan City. It is active and vital; a school going places. Sullivan City is located in LaJoya ISD, where I often work as a substitute. LaJoya places a lot of emphasis on the arts and music as well as academics and sports.

    This article doesn’t even mention that a lot of these students don’t speak English and come from poor families. Due to its location, the community may always have a lot of newly arrived immigrants who are from disadvantaged backgrounds. It might mean fewer high school diplomas among them to begin with, but so help me, it doesn’t mean that these people or the city is “dumb.” Many of even the poorest people still support their kids in their education and that is SMART.

    1. It is pretty clear this “writer” is not well educated by any means. It’s interesting they would choose to write an article calling out supposed “dumb” people in such a hypocritical fashion. I get that he’s an un-educated troll-type writer who relies on click bait, nonsensical journalism to make a living, but this article just makes him look really foolish.

  3. I think you need to change your assertion on the city of Haskell! It is one of the finest places in the state of Texas to live!

  4. I agree with Linda Teuling. The authors of this article are pretty dumb and uneducated on how to do research. It should be pretty obvious that the so-called dumbest cities are also those likely to have the highest ratios of uneducated illegal alien agricultural workers.

  5. Speaking of dumb; this so-called “article” is as ignorant as it is racist. Some of the adults who do not have degrees were explicitly swatted with wooden boards for practicing elements of Hispanic culture in at least one of these towns. In addition, as immigrants they were assigned to a 1st grade class even if they were 15 and well educated. They were denied the opportunity to advance more than one grade per year, and many students were required to repeat grades; not to mention separate (and unequal) facilities. If you create a hellish, racist schooling environment, and then call people “stupid” for choosing not to subject themselves to that level of degradation, that’s simply adding insult to injury. While practices today are less explicitly racially biased, there is a vast inequity that is not statistically randomized, as one would expect in a meritorious society. And just because you tried to write a “clever” article to score a check and make a living doesn’t absolve you of responsibility for perpetuating racist notions of dumbness.

  6. It seems a bit hypocritical to judge so called ‘dumb’ people when you struggle considerably with proper grammar. If you plan on throwing rocks at your neighbors house, you better live in a house made of steel.

  7. This article is light on facts for example according to the census bureau, Yoakum had a population of over 5800, and a rate of people under 25 without a high school diploma if 22% Go to the census bureau American factfinder, so it appears your info is in error

  8. Talk about dumb, look at what the author wrote: “In the categories of SAT scores and college graduation rate, Texas ranked as the 39th dumbest state in America, a little smarter than New Mexico, but dumber than Georgia.” If you are the first dumbest state that is bad. If you are the 50th dumbest state, you are the smartest. So the 39th dumbest state is actually pretty good!

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