Big sandy street scene 02, 2006
Big Sandy’s story
151 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006.
- 1875Big Sandy is settled
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,339
2025 Census estimate · +8.8% since 2020
Typical home
$221K
+0.6% in a year
Household income
$41K
median
Median age
32.4
years
Jobs based here
610
Balanced
Is Big Sandy a good place to live?
Big Sandy’s best subject grade is a B for schools; its weakest is a D for incomes. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Big Sandy, against 12% in Texas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Big Sandy has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,339 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Big Sandy grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Big Sandy is from typical.
Jobs & income$41K median household incomeDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 83% of U.S. towns; University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler 13 miles awayC−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 31% of U.S. communities; tornadoes tops the listB+Open →SchoolsBOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →SafetyB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.6 of 20; 3.8% of households have no car; 2.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsDOpen →History3 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life3.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsCOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.4; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Big Sandy: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Big Sandy, and how to reach them.
PowerSWEPCO12.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Big Sandy water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTown’s haulerAllied Waste picks up at the curb for every homeTown site
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 hereUpshur County Early Voting ClerkUpshur County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7575575755 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 Sandy.
HealthC−
Big Sandy stands out in Texas and nationally: a larger share of its adults have been diagnosed with depression
26% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Big Sandy, above both Texas’ towns (22%) and U.S. towns (23%). 38% of adults have high blood pressure in Big Sandy. Big Sandy beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
17%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Big Sandy | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better15 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Big Sandy | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 14% | 19.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.9% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 5.7% |
University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
13 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB
Big Sandy’s schools rank ahead of 62% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Big Sandy ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
62%of TX districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sandy ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 320 | B+ |
| Big Sandy H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 191 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade B
Big Sandy’s typical home value is about $221K
The typical Big Sandy home is worth about $221,000, up 0.6% in a year, 26% below the Texas typical home. The median rent in Big Sandy is $722 a month.
$221KZillow home value
| Big Sandy | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $722 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Big Sandy$221K
Texas$296K
+0.6%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Big Sandy faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by tornadoes
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
31risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
TornadoesInland floodingIce storms
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Big Sandy
Big Sandy has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Big Sandy’s July high is 94°F.
94°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter38–59°
Spring54–76°
Summer71–93°
Fall54–78°
Nov 8
typical first frost
Mar 26
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
94°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
A job hub: Big Sandy has 1.2 jobs for every working resident and draws in 572 commuters
Most working residents leave Big Sandy for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Big Sandy fell to 610 in 2023, 55 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Longview (11%), Tyler (11%) and Gilmer (4%).
7%work in town
| Big Sandy | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Big Sandy7%
Longview11%
Tyler11%
Gilmer4%
Kilgore3%
22 mi
median commute distance
610
jobs based in Big Sandy
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
45%of U.S. towns report more crimeB−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Big Sandy0.7
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Big Sandy11.8
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
45th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
1
violent crimes reported in 2025
16
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
OutdoorsD
Big Sandy has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,062 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Big Sandy Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Big Sandy
20pages on Big Sandy
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 62% of TX districts · 3 schoolsSafetyB−0.7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than TX on 2 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingB$221K typical home · up 0.6% in a yearWork & commuteD$41K median household income · 610 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 31% of U.S. communities · tornadoes
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Big Sandy
About 7 of every 100 Big Sandy residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Famous people from Big Sandy
3 notable people were born in Big Sandy.
About Big Sandy
Town in Texas, United States
Big Sandy is a town in Upshur County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 1,231. A lake of the same name is cut nearly in half by U.S. Highway 80, the main thoroughfare of Big Sandy. It lies directly west of the larger cities of Gladewater and Longview. The Sabine River flows just south of Big Sandy. In the 19th century, Walters' Bluff Ferry operated on the Sabine, with passage across costing 40 cents per person and up to 75 cents for wagons.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 367 ft
- ZIP code
- 75755, 75797
- Area code
- 903
Questions about Big Sandy
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Big Sandy, TX expensive?
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($66,647 across the Longview, TX metro 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.
What is Big Sandy, TX known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Henry Thomas and David Overstreet.