TXMap-doton-Booker, 2004
Booker’s story
117 years in pictures
Census counts: 495 in 1930, 1,437 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
- 1909Booker is founded
Population
1,379
2025 Census estimate · −3.8% since 2020
Typical home
$159K
+7.5% in a year
Household income
$69K
median
Median age
33.4
years
Jobs based here
551
Balanced
Is Booker a good place to live?
Booker’s best subject grades are an A for schools and an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D for walkability. Booker’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, below both Texas’ towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 3 of the 643 Texas towns we compare have a lower January low than Booker. The median household income is $69K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. Booker's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Only 64 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on the outdoors. Booker has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Booker stand out
Where Booker beats most towns.
Small town
1,379 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Booker grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Booker is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 94% of Texas districts on tests and graduationAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.8 of 20; 1.5% of households have no car; 0.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Jobs & incomeC−Open →Hazard riskdrought tops the listC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →HealthOchiltree General Hospital 15.6 miles awayCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →History1 notable person born hereDOpen →Civic life1.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
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 33.4; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Booker: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Booker, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Booker water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown 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 hereLipscomb County Early Voting ClerkLipscomb County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7900579005 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 Booker.
HousingCost of living grade A−
The typical home in Booker is valued at about $159K
The typical Booker home is worth about $159,000, up 7.5% in a year, 46% below the Texas typical home. Booker’s median rent is $946 a month, where Texas’ towns sit at $1,208 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 80% of households own their home in Booker.
$159KZillow home value
| Booker | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $946 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Booker$159K
Texas$296K
+7.5%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC
Health in Booker trails 72% of U.S. towns
Booker beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 26% of Booker adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
28%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Booker | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 20% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better19 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Booker | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 26.1% | 19.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 24.7% | 19.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.1% | 5.6% |
Ochiltree General Hospital
15.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
High risk in Booker, with drought at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Booker since 1997.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 1997
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Booker
Booker has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. Booker’s July high is 93°F.
12″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–50°
Spring43–71°
Summer65–91°
Fall45–72°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 14
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Booker has 1.4 jobs for every working resident, and 466 people commute in
About one in 5 of Booker’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Booker has lost 149 jobs, to 551 in 2023. The top destinations are Perryton (18%), Shamrock (8%) and Amarillo (4%).
22%work in town
| Booker | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Booker22%
Perryton18%
Shamrock8%
Amarillo4%
Darrouzett3%
16 mi
median commute distance
551
jobs based in Booker
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Booker
17pages on Booker
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Booker; the nearest are
Seward County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Liberal, KS46.7 mi$4,032 in-state tuitionOklahoma Panhandle State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Goodwell, OK61.7 mi$8,092 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Booker residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Booker
Town in Lipscomb and Ochiltree counties in Texas, United States
Booker is a town in Lipscomb and Ochiltree Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 1,437 as of the 2020 Census. It was named for B.F. Booker, a civil engineer for the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,831 ft
- ZIP code
- 79005
- Area code
- 806
Questions about Booker
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Booker, 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−.