Amherst Texas Grain Elevators 2010, 2010
Amherst’s story
103 years in pictures
Census counts: 964 in 1930, 678 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2010 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
- 1923Amherst is settled
AmherstTX
A town of 640, settled in 1923.
Photo: Leaflet · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
640
2025 Census estimate · −4% since 2020
Typical home
$87K
+7.6% in a year
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
37.3
years
Jobs based here
98
A commuter town
Is Amherst a good place to live?
48% of residents live below the poverty line in Amherst, where Texas’ towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Among 550 Texas towns, just 3 have a lower typical home value than Amherst. Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
640 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Amherst: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Amherst, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Amherst water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers92% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Amherst’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLamb County Early Voting ClerkLamb County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2024
ZIP code7931279312 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Amherst.
Housing
Amherst’s typical home value is about $87K
The typical Amherst home is worth about $87,000, up 7.6% in a year, 71% below the Texas typical home.
$87KZillow home value
Typical home value
Amherst$87K
Texas$296K
+7.6%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Amherst’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by Amherst ISD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 102 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Most of Amherst’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Amherst for work: only 4% work in town. At 19 minutes, Amherst’s average trip to work is against 25 minutes in Texas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Lubbock (17%), Amarillo (8%) and Littlefield (6%).
4%work in town
| Amherst | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Amherst4%
Lubbock17%
Amarillo8%
Littlefield6%
Sudan5%
42 mi
median commute distance
98
jobs based in Amherst
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Amherst has four seasons and hot summers
Amherst has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Amherst’s July high is 92°F.
7″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–55°
Spring43–75°
Summer64–91°
Fall45–74°
Oct 26
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Amherst is
Amherst beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 19% of Amherst adults have diabetes.
| Amherst | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 30% | 25% |
31 measures vs. Texas
1 better15 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Amherst | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.9% | 74.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.1% | 5.6% |
Lamb Healthcare Center
7.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Moderate risk in Amherst, with hail at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities.
53risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HailDroughtCold waves
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Amherst
17pages on Amherst
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Amherst; the nearest are
South Plains CollegeCommunity college · Public · Levelland30.3 mi$2,731 in-state tuitionTexas Tech University Health Sciences CenterUniversity or college · Public · Lubbock41.9 mi
About 2 of every 100 Amherst residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave Amherst for work
Where Amherst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
98jobs based in Amherst
4%of working residents work in town
42 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Amherst
City in Texas, United States
Amherst is a city in Lamb County, Texas, United States. The population was 678 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,652 ft
- ZIP code
- 79312
- Area code
- 806
Questions about Amherst
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Amherst, TX a good place to live?
Amherst has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.