Reagan county tx courthouse 2014, 2014
Big Lake’s story
114 years in pictures
Census counts: 832 in 1930, 2,965 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1920 on.
- 1912Big Lake is settled
Big LakeTX
A town of 2,783, settled in 1912.
Old Reagan County Courthouse · Photo: BlueSteel75 at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,783
2025 Census estimate · −7.5% since 2020
Typical home
$161K
−11.8% in a year
Household income
$71K
median
Median age
27.9
years
Jobs based here
1,008
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#168 of 640 in TX
Is Big Lake a good place to live?
Big Lake gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $161K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the county’s $58K median household income. It grades B− overall, 168th of 640 graded towns in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $71K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. 35% of residents are under 18 in Big Lake, above both Texas’ towns (26%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 89 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score higher on the outdoors. Big Lake has 1 place on the National Register.
What makes Big Lake stand out
Where Big Lake beats most towns.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 92% of U.S. towns
8.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Typical home value
Big Lake$161K
Texas$296K
Cost of livingA−
More affordable than 83% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Natural hazardsA−
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
How Big Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Big Lake is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.9 of 20; 2.1% of households have no carAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →Jobs & incomeC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 24% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listA−Open →HealthReagan Memorial Hospital 0.7 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 10% conserved landA−Open →History1 notable person born hereDOpen →Civic life4.1 library visits per resident; 5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 94° summer afternoons, 2″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 27.9; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Big Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Big Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerOncorEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Big Lake water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers94% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Big Lake’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 hereReagan County Early Voting ClerkReagan County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026
ZIP code7693276932 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 Big Lake.
Big Lake trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has commutes shorter than most of Texas.
OutdoorsA−
10.4% of Big Lake is conserved land
2.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Big Lake is 1.2 miles per square mile.
#52for trails in TX
10.4%
conserved · 158 of 1,523 acres
2.8 mi
of trails · 1.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reagan County Park | 0.2 mi | 8 |
| 2. Josh Mitchell Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Bertrand Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Big Lake’s schools trail 60% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Reagan County ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
40%of TX districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reagan County ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 448 | B |
| Reagan County H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 229 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A−
Big Lake’s grade for cost of living is an A−
Homes are within reach (about $161K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 65 miles. At 2.8 years of the county’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $161K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
The typical Big Lake home is worth about $161,000, down 11.8% in a year, 46% below the Texas typical home.
$161KZillow home value
Typical home value
Big Lake$161K
Texas$296K
−11.8%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Big Lake has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The average commute for its 1,368 working residents takes 18.9 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
About one in 4 of Big Lake’s working residents works in town. Big Lake’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Big Lake has added 89 jobs, to 1,008 in 2023.
28%work in town
| Big Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Big Lake28%
Midland10%
Odessa8%
San Angelo4%
Big Spring2%
65 mi
median commute distance
1,008
jobs based in Big Lake
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
Drought leads a low hazard risk in Big Lake
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
24risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC
Big Lake is less healthy than 70% of U.S. towns
Big Lake beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 72% of Big Lake adults had a checkup this year.
30%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Big Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 74% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 19% |
31 measures vs. Texas
1 better24 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Big Lake | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 25.7% | 19.1% |
Reagan Memorial Hospital
0.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
44th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Big Lake, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Big Lake 2 weather station records that about 104 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 94.1°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.6°.
Big Lake has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
2″snow a winter
| Big Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 33°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–61°
Spring52–80°
Summer69–93°
Fall52–77°
Nov 14
typical first frost
Mar 20
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Big Lake
17pages on Big Lake
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Big Lake; the nearest are
Angelo State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · San Angelo60.8 mi$8,460 in-state tuitionSouthwest College for the DeafCommunity college · Public · Big Spring71.4 mi$2,766 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Big Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Big Lake
City in Reagan County, Texas, United States
Big Lake is a small rural city in and the county seat of Reagan County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Big Lake had a population of 2,965. It is the county seat of Reagan County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,690 ft
- ZIP code
- 76932
- Area code
- 325
Questions about Big Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Big Lake, TX a good place to live?
Big Lake grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #168 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health and C+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Big Lake, 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 A−.