Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Giddings grades C overall, 299th among Texas's 640 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. 26% of working residents work locally in Giddings, above both Texas’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). On civic life, just 29 of Texas’ 791 towns do better. Giddings has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Lee County Courthouse and Schubert House.
Where Giddings beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Giddings’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 Giddings is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 624 in 1880, 4,969 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1919 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Giddings, 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 Giddings.
Giddings carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly cold waves), draws workers from San Antonio and beyond and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
Among adults in Giddings, 18% smoke cigarettes. Against the Texas average, Giddings comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 19. In Giddings, 38% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 17% have diabetes.
| Giddings | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Giddings | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.2% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.1% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: Giddings ISD. The largest public high school is Giddings H S, with 648 students. Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Giddings ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 585 | C |
| Giddings H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 648 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
3,880 jobs are based in Giddings, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Half of commuters travel less than 41 miles. Jobs in Giddings fell by 424 from 2013 to 2023, to 3,880. The share of residents in Giddings who live below the poverty line: 14%. The top destinations are Austin (12%), San Antonio (4%) and Houston (4%).
| Giddings | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 94% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $661 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
In Giddings, the natural-hazard score from FEMA is 11 of 100. Expected losses in Giddings break down as 48% from cold waves and 21% from inland flooding. Flood insurance has paid out on 3 claims in the town since 2005.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.9 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Simmang Northwest Park, 28 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. The trail density in Giddings is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Giddings | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Simmang Northwest Park | 1.1 mi | 28 |
| 2. Veterans Park | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 95°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40.1°.
It almost never snows. For Giddings, the January low is 40°F.
| Giddings | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 40°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 111 to 39 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The rate of thefts and burglaries for Giddings comes to 5.9 per 1,000 residents. Giddings’ rate of reported violence is 1.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Giddings | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Nearly two thirds of households own their home in Giddings. Home values are down 1.4% over the year to September 2026.
| Giddings | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,231 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Giddings; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Giddings residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
3 places in Giddings on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Giddings.
City in Texas, United States
Giddings is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Texas, United States situated on the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and U.S. Route 290. As of the 2020 census, Giddings had a population of 4,969.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Giddings grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #299 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($76,371 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Gwendolyn B. Bennett and Larry Wade.
