STOREFRONT IN BEN WHEELER, ON STATE HIGHWAY 64 BETWEEN DALLAS AND TYLER, 1972
Ben Wheeler’s story
150 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1972.
- 1876Ben Wheeler is settled
Ben WheelerTX
The town, settled in 1876, counts 1,792 residents.
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,792
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$268K
Census ACS
Household income
$121K
median
Median age
29.7
years
Jobs based here
437
A job hub
Is Ben Wheeler a good place to live?
The best of Ben Wheeler’s subject grades is an A− for incomes; the weakest is a D− for walkability. Ben Wheeler’s average trip to work is 61 minutes, where Texas’ towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 42 of Texas’ 999 towns score lower on walkability. Ben Wheeler's public schools beat 70% of Texas towns on state tests and graduation. Only 98 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on the outdoors. Ben Wheeler has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ben Wheeler stand out
Where Ben Wheeler beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 434 people come to Ben Wheeler for work
Where Ben Wheeler’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
437jobs based in Ben Wheeler
2%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ben Wheeler grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Ben Wheeler is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.9 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Jobs & incomeIncomes and work are among the strongest comparedA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 27% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listA−Open →SchoolsAhead of most towns comparedB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $268K, 3.9 years of the county’s $69K median household incomeB+Open →HealthUT Health East Texas Athens Hospital 20.7 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Ben Wheeler: who provides what
Ben Wheeler is unincorporated, so Van Zandt County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerOncorEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterBen Wheeler WSCNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers89% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesVan Zandt CountyVan Zandt County provides services here
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 hereVan Zandt County Early Voting ClerkVan Zandt County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7575475754 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 Ben Wheeler.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A−
A job hub: Ben Wheeler has 2.4 jobs for every working resident and draws in 434 commuters
In Ben Wheeler, the middle household income is $121,000. Only 2% of working residents stay in Ben Wheeler for work; the rest commute out. Ben Wheeler: 3.6% of residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Ben Wheeler grew to 437 in 2023, 360 more than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Ben Wheeler | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $121,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ben Wheeler2%
Tyler16%
Van7%
Athens7%
Houston5%
26 mi
median commute distance
437
jobs based in Ben Wheeler
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Low risk in Ben Wheeler, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Ben Wheeler than in 73% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Ben Wheeler households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 37% come from inland flooding and 18% from tornadoes.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect mild winters and hot summers in Ben Wheeler
Ben Wheeler’s peak summer temperature comes in at 94°F.
94°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter38–59°
Spring54–75°
Summer71–92°
Fall55–78°
Nov 12
typical first frost
Mar 18
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
94°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Ben Wheeler is healthier than 56% of U.S. towns
For adults in Ben Wheeler, the share who have obesity is 34%. Of 31 CDC measures, Ben Wheeler beats the Texas average on 10 and trails it on 5. In Ben Wheeler, 13% of adults worry about having enough food, and 76% had a checkup this year.
56%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Ben Wheeler | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 39% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 20% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 74% | 79% |
31 measures vs. Texas
10 better16 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Ben Wheeler | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.7% | 19.3% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11% | 16.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 6.1% |
UT Health East Texas Athens Hospital
20.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,926 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goonie Squad HQ | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ben Wheeler
18pages on Ben Wheeler
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ben Wheeler; the nearest are
Trinity Valley Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Athens19.5 mi$2,640 in-state tuitionThe University of Texas at TylerUniversity or college · Public · Tyler27.6 mi$9,736 in-state tuitionKilgore CollegeCommunity college · Public · Kilgore48.7 mi$2,160 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Ben Wheeler residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Ben Wheeler
Place in Texas, United States
Ben Wheeler is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ben Wheeler had a population of 456. It lies twelve miles southeast of Canton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 518 ft
- ZIP code
- 75754
- Area code
- 903
Questions about Ben Wheeler
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ben Wheeler, TX expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.