Dickens County Courthouse and Jail · National Register of Historic Places
Dickens’s story
143 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1883Dickens is settled
DickensTX
A town of 206, settled in 1883.
Photo: Aualliso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
206
2025 Census estimate · −3.7% since 2020
Median home value
$48K
Census ACS
Household income
$40K
median
Median age
59.5
years
Jobs based here
22
A commuter town
Is Dickens a good place to live?
Dickens’ median age is 59.5 years, above both the Texas town median (35.9 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Dickens County Courthouse and Jail is on the National Register of Historic Places. Dickens has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
206 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Dickens: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dickens, and how to reach them.
PowerSouth Plains Electric Coop11.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Dickens water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Dickens’ trash rules yet
SchoolsSpur Independent School DistrictPatton Springs Independent School District2 districts serve Dickens; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
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 hereDickens County Early Voting ClerkDickens County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7922979229 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 Dickens.
Work & commute
Dickens has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Dickens for work: only 2% work in town. Dickens’ average trip to work is 35 minutes, where Texas’ towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Dickens.
2%work in town
| Dickens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 22% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Dickens2%
Lubbock29%
Spur16%
Snyder2%
Dallas2%
62 mi
median commute distance
22
jobs based in Dickens
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Dickens
Dickens has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Dickens is 94°F.
3″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–57°
Spring48–76°
Summer68–93°
Fall50–76°
Nov 4
typical first frost
Apr 6
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
Dickens stands out in Texas and nationally, with more of its adults who have high blood pressure
44% of Dickens adults have high blood pressure. Dickens beats the Texas average on 9 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 17% of Dickens adults have diabetes.
| Dickens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 19% |
31 measures vs. Texas
9 better10 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Dickens | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.2% | 16.4% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 8.3% | 10.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 5.7% |
Crosbyton Clinic Hospital
23.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Dickens has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 609 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dickens City Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Dickens faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by drought
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtHailInland flooding
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dickens
16pages on Dickens
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Dickens; the nearest are
Texas Tech UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Lubbock59.8 mi$11,852 in-state tuitionWestern Texas CollegeCommunity college · Public · Snyder65.3 mi$3,300 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Dickens residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Dickens for work
Where Dickens’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
22jobs based in Dickens
2%of working residents work in town
62 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Dickens
City in Texas, United States
Dickens is a city in and the county seat of Dickens County, Texas, United States. The population was 219 at the 2020 census, down from 286 at the 2010 census. Charles Weldon Cannon (1915–1997), a Dickens County native, made his famous boots and saddles in Dickens.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,546 ft
- ZIP code
- 79229
- Area code
- 806
Questions about Dickens
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dickens, TX a good place to live?
Dickens has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.