Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Eagle Lake gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $159K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the county’s $66K median household income. It grades B− overall, 180th among Texas's 640 graded towns. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Eagle Lake’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, above both Texas’ towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). On history, just 13 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better.
Where Eagle Lake beats most towns.
Eagle Lake Commercial Historic DistrictWhere Eagle Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Eagle Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 406 in 1880, 3,442 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1957 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eagle Lake, 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 Eagle Lake.
Eagle Lake trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and has added half again as many jobs in ten years.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eagle Lake Municipal Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 2. Municipal Park | 0.3 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Rice CISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Lake PriLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 194 | – |
| Rice Challenge AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 114 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $159K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 38 miles. At 2.4 years of the county’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $159K) costs less against local pay than in 84% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
Typical home values fell 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Eagle Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 72% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,229 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here grew from 569 in 2013 to 983.
Most working residents leave Eagle Lake for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Eagle Lake grew to 983 in 2023, 414 more than in 2013. 14% of Eagle Lake residents live below the poverty line, where Texas’ towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
| Eagle Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Columbus weather station, 17 miles away, records that about 132 days a year reach 90°, more than in 98% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.4°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 94.6°.
Eagle Lake has warm winters and hot summers. Eagle Lake’s January low is 42°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Eagle Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 42°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Eagle Lake beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 23% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Eagle Lake.
| Eagle Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Eagle Lake | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.1% | 74.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.7% | 19.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate in Eagle Lake is 2 per 1,000 residents. Eagle Lake's reported crime rate is well below Texas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Eagle Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1985, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Eagle Lake.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Eagle Lake; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Eagle Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
4 notable people were born in Eagle Lake.
City in Colorado County, Texas, U.S.
Eagle Lake is a city in southeastern Colorado County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,442 at the 2020 census. It is home to a golf course, the largest private lake in Texas, and the Eagle Lake Regional Airport, which serves light aircraft. The lake, along with adjacent rice paddies, attracts a large variety of migratory birds. The city is known as the "Goose-hunting Capital of the World" and also borders a wildlife preserve.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Eagle Lake grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #180 of 640 in Texas. It grades C+ for health and C for schools.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
4 notable people were born here, including Howie Fitzgerald and Josh Ashton.