Church. Crane, Texas, 1939
Crane’s story
118 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,420 in 1940, 3,478 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 3 maps from 1928 on.
- 1908Crane is settled
CraneTX
A town of 3,303, settled in 1908.
Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
3,303
2025 Census estimate · −4.9% since 2020
Typical home
$198K
+1.3% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
34.3
years
Jobs based here
420
A commuter town
TownGrade
B−
#179 of 640 in TX
Is Crane a good place to live?
Crane gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $198K, 3.2 years of the county’s $62K median household income. It grades B− overall, 179th of 640 graded towns in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 36 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better. Crane’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, where Texas’ towns sit at 0.3 and U.S. towns at 0.4. On the outdoors, just 48 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better.
What makes Crane stand out
Where Crane beats most towns.
A commuter town
88% of working residents leave Crane for work
Where Crane’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
420jobs based in Crane
12%of working residents work in town
35 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Crane grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Crane is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →HealthCrane County Hospital District 0.1 miles awayC−Open →SafetyA−Open →Jobs & income$73K median household incomeCOpen →Cost of livingBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 9.2 of 20; 4.5% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 4% conserved landAOpen →History4 notable people born hereD−Open →Civic life8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsC+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 97° summer afternoons, 2″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 34.3; 15% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Crane: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crane, and how to reach them.
PowerTown of CraneEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Crane water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Crane’s trash rules yet
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 hereCrane County Early Voting ClerkCrane County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7973179731 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 Crane.
Crane trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly inland flooding) and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
OutdoorsA
Crane has set aside 4.1% of its land for conservation
The biggest park or preserve is Crane County Park, at 34 acres.
#48for trails in TX
4.1%
conserved · 27 of 671 acres
1.2 mi
of trails · 1.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crane County Park | 0.5 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsB−
On state tests, Crane’s schools beat 51% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Crane ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Crane H S, with 347 students.
51%of TX districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crane ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 625 | C+ |
| Crane H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 347 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Very low risk in Crane, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of Texas towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
At 9 of 100, Crane’s FEMA risk score is below both Texas’ towns (47 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 2002, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Crane.
9risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHailStrong wind
3
paid flood claims since 2002
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
Crane earns a C− for health
29% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Crane. Crane beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 36% of adults get no exercise outside work in Crane.
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Crane | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 74% | 79% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Crane | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 29% | 19.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.3% | 12.5% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 28.6% | 21.8% |
Crane County Hospital District
0.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
26th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SafetyA−
Crane earns an A− for safety
At 8.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 91% of Texas’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Crane is 2.7 per 1,000 residents.
79%of U.S. towns report more crimeA−Safety Grade
| Crane | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Crane2.7
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Crane2.7
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
79th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
91st
percentile among TX towns
9
violent crimes reported in 2025
9
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Crane has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs based here fell from 656 in 2013 to 420.
Most working residents leave Crane for work: only 12% work in town. Crane’s average trip to work is 30 minutes. Jobs based in Crane fell to 420 in 2023, 236 fewer than in 2013.
12%work in town
| Crane | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Crane12%
Odessa16%
Midland10%
West Odessa3%
McCamey2%
35 mi
median commute distance
420
jobs based in Crane
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B
Crane earns a B for cost of living
Homes are within reach (about $198K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 35 miles. The median property tax bill is $1,908, against $4,232 across Texas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Crane home is worth about $198,000, up 1.3% in a year, 33% below the Texas typical home. 77% of Crane households own their home.
$198KZillow home value
| Crane | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $872 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Crane$198K
Texas$296K
+1.3%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Crane has mild winters and hot summers
The Crane weather station records that about 126 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.6°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.7°.
Crane has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
2″snow a winter
| Crane | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 33°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–62°
Spring53–82°
Summer71–96°
Fall53–80°
Nov 16
typical first frost
Mar 16
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Crane
20pages on Crane
The big questions
SchoolsB−Beat 51% of TX districts · 3 schoolsSafetyA−2.7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than TX on 0 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingB$198K typical home · up 1.3% in a yearWork & commuteC$73K median household income · 420 jobs hereNatural hazardsAFEMA risk higher than 9% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Crane; the nearest are
Odessa CollegeCommunity college · Public · Odessa32.9 mi$2,688 in-state tuitionThe University of Texas Permian BasinUniversity or college · Public · Odessa34.4 mi$9,236 in-state tuitionSouthwest College for the DeafCommunity college · Public · Big Spring76.2 mi$2,766 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Crane residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
Famous people from Crane
4 notable people were born in Crane.
About Crane
City in Texas, United States
Crane is a city in and the county seat of Crane County, Texas, United States. Its population was 3,478 as of 2020. An oil boomtown since the 1920s, Crane is still in the center of a prominent oil-producing region. It is the only significant town in sparsely populated Crane County, and contains the only post office in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1908
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,575 ft
- ZIP code
- 79731
- Area code
- 432
Questions about Crane
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Crane, TX a good place to live?
Crane grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #179 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Crane, TX expensive?
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 Crane, TX known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Curt Stallion and Kip Averitt.