Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gladewater earns a D, 570th of 640 graded towns in Texas, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 85% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 78% of Texas towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Gladewater, 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.
Where Gladewater beats most towns.
Where Gladewater’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 Gladewater is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,454 in 1940, 6,134 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 2 maps from 1960 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gladewater, 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 Gladewater.
Gladewater has homes that are cheap against local pay and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Texas; it also has little public open land.
20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Gladewater. Gladewater beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 24% of adults worry about having enough food in Gladewater.
| Gladewater | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Gladewater | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 15% | 19.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 76.8% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.9% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Gladewater ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Gladewater H S, with 484 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weldon ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 485 | C− |
| Gladewater H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 484 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
At 2.5 years of the Longview metro’s $67K median household income, the typical home (about $170K) costs less against local pay than in 83% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
The typical Gladewater home is worth about $170,000, about the same as a year ago, 43% below the Texas typical home. 62% of Gladewater households own their home.
| Gladewater | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,060 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Gladewater for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Gladewater has lost 231 jobs, to 1,764 in 2023. Gladewater’s median household income is $59,000.
| Gladewater | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Longview #2 weather station, 13 miles away, records that about 111 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 89% of Texas places with climate records.
Gladewater has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Gladewater is 94°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Gladewater since 2015.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Just 38 of its 7,714 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Gladewater itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Garland P Ferguson Park, at 23 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Garland P Ferguson Park | — | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Gladewater
About 4 of every 100 Gladewater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
11 notable people were born in Gladewater.
City in Texas, United States
Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, with a 2020 census population of 6,134. In the early 20th century, Gladewater was an oil boom town. In 1995, the Texas Legislature proclaimed it the "Antique Capital of East Texas".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Gladewater.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladewater | #570 | D | B− | C+ | C− | C− |
| Clarksville City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Warren City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Clarksville City and Warren City aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Gladewater with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gladewater grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #570 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 2.5 years of the area's median household income ($66,647 across the Longview, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
11 notable people were born here, including Joe R. Lansdale and Kelcy Warren.