Restaurant, 1939
Balmorhea’s story
120 years in pictures
Census counts: 604 in 1960, a peak of 765 in 1990, 408 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and a map from 1985 on.
- 1906Balmorhea is platted
BalmorheaTX
A town of 399, platted in 1906.
Population
399
2025 Census estimate · −1.7% since 2020
Median home value
$54K
Census ACS
Median age
38.1
years
Jobs based here
37
A commuter town
Is Balmorhea a good place to live?
39% of residents live below the poverty line in Balmorhea, against 12% in Texas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of the 643 Texas towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Balmorhea. Balmorhea has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
399 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 Balmorhea: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Balmorhea, and how to reach them.
PowerRio Grande Electric Coop18.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Balmorhea water system3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Balmorhea’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 hereReeves County Early Voting ClerkReeves County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7971879718 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 Balmorhea.
Schools
The schools Balmorhea’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by Balmorhea ISD. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balmorhea Isd Educational CommunityLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 146 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
The average trip to work in Balmorhea is shorter than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
Balmorhea’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, where Texas’ towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Most working residents leave Balmorhea for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Town of Pecos (13%), Midland (8%) and El Paso (6%).
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Balmorhea0%
Town of Pecos13%
Midland8%
El Paso6%
Odessa6%
150 mi
median commute distance
37
jobs based in Balmorhea
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Balmorhea faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Balmorhea since 2016.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtStrong wind
1
paid flood claims since 2016
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Balmorhea, expect mild winters and hot summers
Balmorhea has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Balmorhea’s July high is 95°F.
96°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter33–64°
Spring49–83°
Summer67–95°
Fall50–80°
Nov 9
typical first frost
Mar 29
typical last frost
+1.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
96°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Balmorhea stands out in Texas and nationally: a larger share of its adults have diabetes
23% of Balmorhea adults have diabetes. Balmorhea beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 43% of Balmorhea adults have high blood pressure.
| Balmorhea | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 20% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better10 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Balmorhea | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.7% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.3% | 74.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 37.5% | 19.1% |
Reeves Regional Health
32 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.2%conserved
| Balmorhea | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.2%
conserved · 1 of 323 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. C.T. Gray Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Balmorhea
18pages on Balmorhea
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Balmorhea; the nearest are
Sul Ross State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Alpine43.1 mi$7,592 in-state tuitionSoutheast New Mexico CollegeCommunity college · Public · Carlsbad, NM105.4 mi$1,176 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Balmorhea residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Balmorhea for work
Where Balmorhea’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
37jobs based in Balmorhea
0%of working residents work in town
150 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Balmorhea
City in the United States
Balmorhea ( BAL-mər-AY) is a city in Reeves County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 408 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,196 ft
- ZIP code
- 79718
- Area code
- 432
Questions about Balmorhea
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Balmorhea, TX a good place to live?
Balmorhea has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.