Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Breckenridge gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $138K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the county’s $58K median household income. It grades C− overall, 358th of 640 graded towns in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $48K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 88% of the country. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. 33% of working residents work locally in Breckenridge, against 8.3% in Texas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Fort Belknap and Stephens County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Breckenridge beats most towns.
5,780 counted in 2010 and 5,187 in 2020; an estimated 5,123 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Breckenridge is from typical.
Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 86% of comparable towns) to D− for jobs and income (better than 3%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 497 in 1880, a peak of 7,569 in 1930, 5,187 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Breckenridge, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Breckenridge.
Breckenridge trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Homes are within reach (about $138K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. At 2.4 years of the county’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $138K) costs less against local pay than in 84% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The typical Breckenridge home is worth about $138,000, about the same as a year ago, 54% below the Texas typical home. In Breckenridge, the midpoint rent is $839 a month. 65% of Breckenridge households are owner-occupiers.
| Breckenridge | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $839 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Breckenridge ISD. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Breckenridge H S, with 379 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 377 | – |
| Breckenridge H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 379 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,025 U.S. towns with household incomes like Breckenridge’s, it is less healthy than 66%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Breckenridge, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 28%. Two figures for adults here: 17% report frequent physical distress, 34% get no exercise outside work.
| Breckenridge | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Breckenridge | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 5.7% |
| More smokers | 17.6% | 12.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 5.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For Breckenridge, the level of violent crime is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. The level of property crime here is 12.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Breckenridge | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.9 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Breckenridge weather station records that about 109 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.4°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 31.4°.
Breckenridge’s peak summer temperature is 96°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Breckenridge | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 31°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one worker in three stays in Breckenridge for work. The average commute for Breckenridge comes to 23 minutes. This Texas town had 1,770 jobs in 2023, up 92 from 2013. The top destinations are Abilene (6%), Fort Worth (2%) and Weatherford (2%).
| Breckenridge | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Federal aid has come to Breckenridge households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage here than in 62% of U.S. communities. Also worth knowing: since 1978, 41 flood insurance claims have been paid out here. Expected losses in Breckenridge break down as 39% from inland flooding and 20% from tornadoes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 9 of its 2,677 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Breckenridge itself; its outdoors grade is D.
Trails total 0.3 miles in 1 park or preserve. Breckenridge’s trail density comes in at 0.1 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: one, of 11 acres.
| Breckenridge | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Miller Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Breckenridge; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Breckenridge residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
8 notable people were born in Breckenridge.
City in Texas, United States
Breckenridge is a city and county seat of Stephens County, Texas, Texas, United States. The estimated population was 5,349 as of February 2021. Breckenridge was a stop on the since defunct Wichita Falls and Southern Railroad, one of the properties of Frank Kell and Joseph A. Kemp of Wichita Falls, Texas. The line was thereafter operated until 1969 by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Breckenridge grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #358 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
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+.
8 notable people were born here, including Dean Smith and Byron Katie.