Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Dripping Springs grades A− overall, ranked 36th of 640 in Texas. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country and its schools outperform 89% of the state's. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $684K, 6.8 years of the Austin metro’s $100K median household income. 68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Dripping Springs, above both Texas’ towns (23%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 50 of Texas’ 791 towns score higher on civic life. Dripping Springs has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dripping Springs Downtown Historic District.
Where Dripping Springs beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dripping Springs El | PK–5 | 1,104 |
| Walnut Springs El | PK–5 | 941 |
| Primrose School of Dripping Springs | PK–K | 178 |
1,788 counted in 2010 and 4,650 in 2020; an estimated 11,167 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 126.5% since 2020, after 160.1% 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 Dripping Springs is from typical.
Its grades run from A for health (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 2%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,033 in 1990, 4,650 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dripping Springs. Close and well known come first.
11 mi CaveJacob's Well (Texas)
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaDarrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
23 mi Stadium & arenaMoody Center
20 mi National Historical ParkLyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park38K visitors a year
18 mi LakeLake Travis
23 mi LakeLady Bird LakeJacob's Well (Texas): Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium: Brint03, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Moody Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Travis: Trey Perry, CC BY 3.0 · Lady Bird Lake: Arvindn on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dripping Springs, 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 Dripping Springs.
Dripping Springs has schools in the top 5% of Texas, draws workers from Austin and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 6.8 years of the Austin metro’s $100K median household income, the typical home (about $684K) costs more against local pay than in 93% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The typical value, about $684K, is 23% below its June 2022 peak.
Dripping Springs’ median rent is $2,234 a month.
| Dripping Springs | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,234 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 49% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #29 of the 642 Texas towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $684K.
Its public schools are run by Dripping Springs ISD. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dripping Springs H S, with 2,564 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dripping Springs ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,104 | A− |
| Dripping Springs H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,564 | A |
| Walnut Springs ElTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 941 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
10 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The trail density in Dripping Springs is 1.2 miles per square mile. Dripping Springs Ranch Park, at 115 acres with 5.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Dripping Springs | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dripping Springs Ranch Park | 5.3 mi | 115 |
| 2. Charro Ranch Park | 2.6 mi | 69 |
| 3. Founders Memorial Park | 1 mi | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4,655 jobs are based in Dripping Springs, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 2,075 in 2013 to 4,655.
Most working residents leave Dripping Springs for work: only 9% work in town. 2.1% of Dripping Springs residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Dripping Springs grew to 4,655 in 2023, 2,580 more than in 2013.
| Dripping Springs | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.1% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its widest gap with Texas is food insecurity: 8.4% of its 3,462 adults worry about having enough food, against 19.3% statewide.
18% of adults get no exercise outside work in Dripping Springs. Dripping Springs beats the Texas average on 20 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Dripping Springs.
| Dripping Springs | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 30% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.2% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dripping Springs | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.4% | 19.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 9.5% | 19.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 2015, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dripping Springs.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Dripping Springs 6 E weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 106 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 94.4°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.7°.
Dripping Springs has mild winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Dripping Springs | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 39°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Dripping Springs; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dripping Springs residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
Where Dripping Springs’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Dripping Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Texas, United States
Dripping Springs is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,650 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dripping Springs.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dripping Springs | #36 | A− | D− | — | A | A |
| Belterra | #25 | A− | C− | — | A | A+ |
Dripping Springs and Belterra report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Dripping Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Dripping Springs grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #36 of 640 in Texas. It grades A for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
2 notable people were born here, including Patrick Rose and Cameron Duddy.
