FMIB 34344 Dickinson Bayou, Upstream from Nicholstone;, 1891
Dickinson’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 7 maps from 1929 on.
- 1890Dickinson is settled
DickinsonTX
A town of 21,908, settled in 1890.
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Nsaum75 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
21,908
2025 Census estimate · +2.3% since 2020
Typical home
$267K
−0.4% in a year
Household income
$92K
median
Median age
33.4
years
Jobs based here
4,382
A commuter town
TownGrade
C
#325 of 640 in TX
Is Dickinson a good place to live?
Dickinson is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, ranked 325th of 640 in Texas, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $92K. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: residents are less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $267K, 3.2 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. Only 61 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on hazard risk. Dickinson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 95% of U.S. towns.
WeakestDHazard risk
A growing town
Dickinson has grown 14% since 2010
18,680 counted in 2010 and 20,847 in 2020; an estimated 21,908 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Dickinson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Dickinson is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →HealthMemorial Hermann Houston Physicians Hospital 7.1 miles awayCOpen →Cost of livingC+Open →Jobs & incomeBOpen →SchoolsC+Open →SafetyB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.6 of 20; 6.8% of households have no car; 1.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 1% conserved landC−Open →History4 notable people born hereC−Open →Civic life0.8 library visits per resident; 2.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 92° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market$267K typical home, down 0.4% in a year; 43 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.4; 26% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 58 attractions →Reliant Stadium and 50 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dickinson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaReliant Stadium
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaDaikin Park
7 mi MuseumSpace Center Houston
28 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Center
21 mi LandmarkSan Jacinto Monument
28 mi MuseumRothko ChapelSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Reliant Stadium: User eschipul on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Daikin Park: Delaywaves, CC BY 3.0 · Space Center Houston: Shujianyang, CC BY 4.0 · Toyota Center: Ed Uthman from Houston, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 · San Jacinto Monument: Tijuana Brass at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Rothko Chapel: Unknown, Public domain
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Dickinson: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dickinson, and how to reach them.
PowerEntergy Texas13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterGalveston County Wcid 1 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Dickinson’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 hereGalveston County Early Voting ClerkGalveston County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7753977539 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 Dickinson.
Dickinson has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding) and trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Dickinson faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $477 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 2,390 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 337 properties have flooded more than once.
At 80 of 100, Dickinson’s FEMA risk score is above both Texas’ towns (47 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1979, 2,390 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dickinson.
80risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHurricanes
2,390
paid flood claims since 1979
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC+
Dickinson’s schools rank behind 56% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Dickinson ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dickinson H S, with 3,810 students.
44%of TX districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John and Shamarion Barber MiddleLargest public elementary schoolGrades 4–5 | Grades 4–5 | 614 | A− |
| Dickinson H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,810 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Most of Dickinson’s workers commute out: the town has 0.4 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here grew from 2,878 in 2013 to 4,382.
Most working residents leave Dickinson for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Dickinson grew to 4,382 in 2023, 1,504 more than in 2013. At 29 minutes, Dickinson’s average trip to work is above both the Texas town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
6%work in town
| Dickinson | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Dickinson6%
Houston27%
League City9%
Galveston8%
Texas City6%
19 mi
median commute distance
4,382
jobs based in Dickinson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
For health, Dickinson earns a C
Against the 9,753 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dickinson’s, it is less healthy than 83%, so it trails even them.
20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Dickinson. Dickinson beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 73% of adults had a checkup this year in Dickinson.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Dickinson | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 74% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 17% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better29 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Dickinson | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 6.8% | 5.7% |
| More smokers | 14.6% | 12.5% |
Memorial Hermann Houston Physicians Hospital
7.1 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
50th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Dickinson, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Houston Nwso weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 317 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 45.3°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.1°.
Dickinson has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Dickinson is 45°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
92°summer high
| Dickinson | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 45°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 95°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter47–65°
Spring61–78°
Summer75–91°
Fall63–81°
Dec 14
typical first frost
Jan 31
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
#331for trails in TX
| Dickinson | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.7%
conserved · 45 of 6,628 acres
1.9 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ray Holbrook Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Paul Hopkins Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Who lives here
An age mix much like Texas’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Texas average. 28% of Dickinson residents are under 18. Dickinson has grown 2.3% since 2020, to 21,908 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
33.4median age · TX 35.6
| Dickinson | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 26% | 22% |
| Median age | 33.4 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 23% | 29% |
DickinsonTexasUnited States
Ages · share of residents
15%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma16%
High school23%
Some college27%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.3, men 32.5.
| Dickinson | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.8% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.2% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.9% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16.2% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.1% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.3% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.2% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
HousingCost of living grade C+
For cost of living, Dickinson earns a C+
The typical Dickinson home is worth about $267,000, about the same as a year ago, 10% below the Texas typical home.
$267KZillow home value
| Dickinson | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,231 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Dickinson$267K
Texas$296K
Market temperature
43
days on market
97.2%
sale-to-list price
−0.4%
value change, 1 year
15
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SafetyB−
Crime per resident in Dickinson is lower than in 51% of U.S. towns
Reported crimes fell from 295 to 219 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
51%of U.S. towns report more crimeB−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Dickinson1.4
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Dickinson8.5
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
51st
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
61st
percentile among TX towns
31
violent crimes reported in 2025
188
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dickinson
20pages on Dickinson
The big questions
SchoolsC+Behind 56% of TX districts · 4 schoolsSafetyB−1.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than TX on 0 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingC+$267K typical home · down 0.4% in a yearWork & commuteB$92K median household income · 4,382 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Dickinson
Remington College-Houston Southeast CampusCommunity college · Private nonprofit · League City5.1 mi$16,926 tuitionCollege of the MainlandCommunity college · Public · Texas City5.2 mi$2,310 in-state tuitionUniversity of Houston-Clear LakeUniversity or college · Public · Houston9.4 mi$7,770 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Dickinson residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Dickinson for work
Where Dickinson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
4,382jobs based in Dickinson
6%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Dickinson
4 notable people were born in Dickinson.
About Dickinson
City in Texas, United States
Dickinson is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States, within Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. Its population was 20,847 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1977
- Area
- 10 sq mi
- Elevation
- 10 ft
- ZIP code
- 77539
- Area code
- 281
Dickinson’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Dickinson.
League City next door grades higher for schools (A− to Dickinson’s C+) and lower for cost of living (D to C+).
Texas CityLeague CitySanta FeDickinson
How the neighbors grade
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickinson | #325 | C | C+ | B− | C+ | C |
| Texas City | #520 | D | C+ | C− | C | C− |
| League City | #84 | B+ | D | B | A− | A |
| Santa Fe | #196 | B− | C+ | B+ | B | B |
Questions about Dickinson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dickinson, TX a good place to live?
Dickinson grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #325 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Dickinson, 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 C+.
What is Dickinson, TX known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Bill Gurley and Donnie Little.