Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 16,518, settled in 1889. Public schools that outperform most of Texas.
Canyon grades A− overall, 46th among Texas's 640 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 85% of Texas towns and it reports less crime per resident than 75% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 74% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $300K for a typical one and 4.3 times the Amarillo metro’s $70K median household income. 25% of working residents work locally in Canyon, against 8.3% in Texas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Canyon is home to West Texas A & M University. Among 642 Texas towns, just 8 have a lower January low than Canyon.
Where Canyon beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Reeves-Hinger El | PK–4 | 669 |
| Crestview El | PK–4 | 440 |
| Spring Canyon El | PK–4 | 405 |
| Widest gap | Canyon | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.2% | 12.7% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Canyon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,400 in 1910, 14,836 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Canyon, 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 Canyon.
Canyon is shaped by its college students, fares better on crime within Texas than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4.4 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Southeast Park, at 86 acres.
| Canyon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Canyon Trails at Buffalo Hill | 2.8 mi | 53 |
| 2. Southeast Park | 0.2 mi | 86 |
| 3. Brown Road Recreation Complex | 0.2 mi | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Canyon ISD. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Canyon H S, with 1,097 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reeves-Hinger ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 669 | A |
| Canyon H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,097 | A |
| Canyon J HTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 555 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
At 10 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 89% of Texas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 138 to 92 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Canyon’s property crime rate is 4.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Canyon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,498 U.S. towns with household incomes like Canyon’s, it is healthier than 91%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Texas is diabetes: 8.2% of its 11,811 adults have diabetes, against 12.7% statewide.
21% of adults binge drink in Canyon. Canyon beats the Texas average on 15 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 8.2% of adults have diabetes in Canyon.
| Canyon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 35% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 71% | 74% | 79% |
| What stands out | Canyon | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.2% | 12.7% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 13% | 19.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 21% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Canyon weather station records that about 84 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 89% of Texas places with climate records. July afternoons average 92.6°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 89% of Texas places with climate records; January nights average 23.4°.
Canyon has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Canyon is 93°F. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Canyon has about as many jobs (7,140) as working residents, but only 1,573 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Canyon’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Canyon grew to 7,140 in 2023, 1,554 more than in 2013. 6.2% of Canyon workers work from home.
| Canyon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 6.2% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 55 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Canyon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Values rose 3.2% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
Typical home values rose 3.2% in the year to September 2026.
| Canyon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $984 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Canyon. Close and well known come first.
15 mi Canyon & gorgePalo Duro Canyon
in town MuseumPanhandle–Plains Historical Museum
15 mi MuseumAmerican Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
18 mi Theme parkWonderland Park
15 mi MuseumDon Harrington Discovery Center
14 mi MuseumAmarillo Museum of ArtPalo Duro Canyon: Kimberly Vardeman from Lubbock, TX, USA, CC BY 3.0 · Panhandle–Plains Historical Museum: No machine-readable author provided. Who What Where Nguyen Why~commonswiki assum, Public domain · American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame: No machine-readable author provided. J. Nguyen~commonswiki assumed (based on cop, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wonderland Park: Slapshot46 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 · Don Harrington Discovery Center: Who What Where Nguyen Why, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Amarillo Museum of Art: Who What Where Nguyen Why a/k/a Anonymous Cow, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Canyon
College town 21 of every 100 Canyon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
13,303 counted in 2010 and 14,836 in 2020; an estimated 16,518 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.3% since 2020, after 11.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 notable people were born in Canyon.
City in Texas, United States
Canyon is a city in and the county seat of Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,836 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. Canyon is the home of the Panhandle–Plains Historical Museum, and the outdoor musical drama Texas. The city is also home to the main campus of West Texas A&M University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Canyon grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #46 of 640 in Texas. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and A for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
6 notable people were born here, including Dalton Bell and Jake Rogers.
