State Highway 29 Bridge at the Colorado River · National Register of Historic Places
Buchanan Dam’s story
91 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1935Buchanan Dam is settled
Buchanan DamTX
Today 1,513 people live in this town, first settled in 1935.
State Highway 29 Bridge at the Colorado River · Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,513
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$339K
−3% in a year
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
59.9
years
Jobs based here
120
A commuter town
Is Buchanan Dam a good place to live?
Buchanan Dam’s weakest subject grade is a D− for incomes. 38% of residents are 65 or older in Buchanan Dam, above both the Texas town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Only 46 of Texas’ 990 towns score lower on incomes. The biggest park or preserve is Black Rock Park, at 25 acres. Buchanan Dam has 1 place on the National Register. Buchanan Dam has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Buchanan Dam for work
Where Buchanan Dam’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
120jobs based in Buchanan Dam
3%of working residents work in town
52 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Buchanan Dam grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Buchanan Dam is from typical.
Jobs & income$56K median household incomeD−Open →HealthLess healthy than 74% of U.S. towns; Ascension Seton Highland Lakes 10.1 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskInland flooding tops the listCOpen →SchoolsBehind 59% of Texas districts on tests and graduationC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 11% of households have no car; 6.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesBOpen →
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 Buchanan Dam: who provides what
Buchanan Dam is unincorporated, so Llano County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPedernales Electric Coop12.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Buchanan water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesLlano CountyLlano 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 hereLlano County Early Voting ClerkLlano County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes78609, 7861178609 94% · 78611 5%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 Buchanan Dam.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Buchanan Dam has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Half commute less than 52 miles. Employers in Buchanan Dam shed 135 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 120. For residents locally, the share who live below the poverty line is 23%. The top destinations are Austin (22%), Marble Falls (6%) and Burnet (4%).
3%work in town
| Buchanan Dam | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.1% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Buchanan Dam3%
Austin22%
Marble Falls6%
Burnet4%
San Antonio4%
52 mi
median commute distance
120
jobs based in Buchanan Dam
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Buchanan Dam stands out in Texas and nationally: a larger share of its adults have high blood pressure
The share of adults in Buchanan Dam who report frequent mental distress: 15%. Only 6 of the 642 Texas towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Buchanan Dam. Against the Texas average, Buchanan Dam comes out ahead on 12 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 9.
26%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Buchanan Dam | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 74% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
12 better10 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Buchanan Dam | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 16.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 19.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.7% | 6.1% |
Ascension Seton Highland Lakes
10.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Buchanan Dam
July afternoons reach 96°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter37–63°
Spring55–80°
Summer72–95°
Fall55–80°
Nov 10
typical first frost
Mar 20
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B
Buchanan Dam’s typical home value is about $339K
78% of households are owner-occupiers in Buchanan Dam. Values fell 3% in the year to September 2026. Also worth knowing: the town’s typical rent comes in at $1,030 a month.
$339KZillow home value
| Buchanan Dam | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,030 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Buchanan Dam$339K
Texas$296K
−3%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Natural hazards: high risk in Buchanan Dam, mostly inland flooding
Federal aid has come to Buchanan Dam households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 72% come from inland flooding and 10% from tornadoes.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoes
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB−
In Buchanan Dam, 0.3% of the land is conserved
Trails run 7.6 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Buchanan Dam: 2, covering 35 acres. The town’s density of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile.
0.3%conserved
| Buchanan Dam | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.3%
conserved · 33 of 12,897 acres
7.6 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Black Rock Park | — | 25 |
| 2. Llano County Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Buchanan Dam
17pages on Buchanan Dam
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Buchanan Dam; the nearest are
Texas A&M University-Central TexasUniversity or college · Public · Killeen43.4 mi$7,363 in-state tuitionCentral Texas CollegeCommunity college · Public · Killeen43.5 mi$3,750 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Buchanan Dam residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Buchanan Dam
Census-designated place in Texas, United States
Buchanan Dam ( bək-HAN-ən) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Llano County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Buchanan Dam had a population of 1,508.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 20 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,043 ft
- ZIP code
- 78609
- Area code
- 512
Questions about Buchanan Dam
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Buchanan Dam, TX expensive?
That is 5 years of the area's median household income ($67,530 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.