Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dayton earns a D, ranked 548th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 78% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $60K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $302K, 3.7 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 88% of U.S. towns. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Dayton, above both the Texas town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%).
Where Dayton beats most towns.
7,242 counted in 2010 and 8,777 in 2020; an estimated 10,226 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 21.8% since 2020, after 21.2% in the decade before.
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 Dayton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1831, comes before those of 97% of the Texas towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 230 in 1870, 8,777 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dayton, 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 Dayton.
Dayton has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Houston and other neighbors, but it has little public open land.
20% of Dayton adults report frequent mental distress. Dayton beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 73% of Dayton adults had a checkup this year.
| Dayton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Dayton | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.2% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.6% | 5.7% |
| More smokers | 16.6% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Dayton ISD. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dayton H S, with 1,674 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,295 | B− |
| Dayton H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,674 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
The Liberty weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 101 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 43°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.9°.
Dayton has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Dayton’s January low is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Dayton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 93°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The property crime rate in Dayton is 14.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Dayton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.7 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Dayton has about as many jobs (4,215) as working residents, but only 383 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 2,808 in 2013 to 4,215.
Most working residents leave Dayton for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Dayton has added 1,407 jobs, to 4,215 in 2023. The top destinations are Houston (26%), Baytown (6%) and Liberty (3%).
| Dayton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
255 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 40 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 255 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dayton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Dayton home is worth about $302,000, down 1.3% in a year, close to the Texas typical home.
| Dayton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 66% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,045 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 55 of its 19,540 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Dayton itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Dayton City Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Dayton; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Dayton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
7 notable people were born in Dayton.
City in Texas, United States
Dayton is a city in Liberty County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,777 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dayton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dayton grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #548 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
7 notable people were born here, including Price Daniel and Bill Daniel.
