Benton's Cafe-BBQ, angle 1, Route 20, 1979
Fabens’s story
120 years in pictures
Census counts: 3,134 in 1960, 7,498 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1916 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
- 1906Fabens is settled
FabensTX
A town of 4,818, settled in 1906.
Population
4,818
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$165K
+9.7% in a year
Household income
$43K
median
Median age
47.7
years
Jobs based here
1,313
Balanced
TownGrade
C−
#390 of 640 in TX
Is Fabens a good place to live?
Fabens gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $165K, 2.8 years of the El Paso metro’s $60K median household income. It grades C− overall, 390th among Texas's 640 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 86% of the state's and residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Fabens, where Texas’ towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Among 613 Texas towns, just 9 have a lower midpoint rent than Fabens.
What makes Fabens stand out
Where Fabens beats most towns.
How Fabens grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Fabens is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listAOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →SchoolsDOpen →HealthThe Hospitals of Providence Horizon City Campus 12.2 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.7 of 20; 4.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & incomeCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 98° summer afternoons, 2″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 47.7; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Fabens: who provides what
Fabens is unincorporated, so El Paso County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerEl Paso Electric13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterEl Paso County Wcid 4 Fabens water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesEl Paso CountyEl Paso County provides services here
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 hereEl Paso County Early Voting ClerkEl Paso County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7983879838 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 Fabens.
Fabens trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding) and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
SchoolsD
Fabens earns a D for schools
The largest public high school is Fabens H S, with 616 students. Public schools: Fabens ISD. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list.
14%of TX districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johanna Odonnell IntLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 434 | D |
| Fabens H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 616 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Fabens earns a C− for health
Against the 3,195 U.S. towns with household incomes like Fabens’s, it is healthier than 60%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
37% of adults have high blood pressure in Fabens. Against the Texas average, Fabens comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 16. Among adults in the town, 20% have diabetes and 41% get no exercise outside work.
17%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Fabens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 20% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better13 too close to call16 worse
| What stands out | Fabens | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.6% | 6.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.3% | 74.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 37.7% | 19.1% |
The Hospitals of Providence Horizon City Campus
12.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
25th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
Fabens earns an A for cost of living
Homes are within reach (about $165K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 2.8 years of the El Paso metro’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $165K) costs less against local pay than in 75% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
The typical home value in Fabens is about $165,000, up 9.7% in a year, 44% below the Texas typical home. For households locally, the share who live in a home they own is 74%.
$165KZillow home value
Typical home value
Fabens$165K
Texas$296K
+9.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Fabens faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 89% of Texas towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Fabens, 50% come from inland flooding and 18% from drought. The natural-hazard score from FEMA for Fabens comes to 16 of 100. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2006.
16risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtHail
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB
Fabens has set aside nearly a quarter of its land for conservation
In 3 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.2 miles of trail. Fabens’ trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: 3, covering 22 acres.
25.2%conserved
25.2%
conserved · 700 of 2,772 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cotton Valley Lions Club | — | 14 |
| 2. Fabens Veterans Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Risinger Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
The climate in Fabens brings mild winters and hot summers
The Tornillo 2 Sse weather station, 9 miles away, records that about 110 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 96.6°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 29.2°.
For Fabens, the typical July afternoon high is 97°F. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
2″snow a winter
| Fabens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–62°
Spring48–82°
Summer67–96°
Fall49–80°
Nov 6
typical first frost
Mar 21
typical last frost
+1.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
About half of Fabens’ working residents commute to El Paso
Jobs based here grew from 533 in 2013 to 1,313.
The typical household income in Fabens is $43,000. Most people who work leave Fabens to do it: just 8% work in town. Employers in Fabens added 780 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,313. The top destinations are El Paso (47%), Horizon City (4%) and Socorro (3%).
8%work in town
| Fabens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Fabens8%
El Paso47%
Horizon City4%
Socorro3%
Tornillo2%
21 mi
median commute distance
1,313
jobs based in Fabens
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 20% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fabens
18pages on Fabens
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Fabens; the nearest are
Western Technical CollegeUniversity or college · Private for-profit · El Paso15.4 miEl Paso Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · El Paso22.6 mi$4,080 in-state tuitionTexas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El PasoUniversity or college · Public · El Paso24.7 mi
About 5 of every 100 Fabens residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
About Fabens
Census-designated place in Texas, United States
Fabens is a census-designated place (CDP) in El Paso County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Fabens had a population of 7,498. It is part of the El Paso Metropolitan Statistical Area. The ZIP Codes encompassing the CDP area are 79836 and 79838. Fabens is the birthplace of jockey Bill Shoemaker.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,615 ft
- ZIP code
- 79838
- Area code
- 915
Questions about Fabens
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Fabens, TX a good place to live?
Fabens grades C− overall, better than 20% of U.S. towns and #390 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Fabens, TX expensive?
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.