Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gonzales earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 82 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country. It also has a long history, with 10 places on the National Register. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Gonzales, above both the Texas town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 14 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better. The median household income is $52K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Gonzales beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Kennard House
Its founding year, 1825, comes before those of 98% of the Texas towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 307 in 1850, 7,165 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 3 maps from 1953 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Gonzales is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gonzales, 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 Gonzales.
Gonzales has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with San Antonio and other neighbors, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Texas rate.
Violent crime runs at 11.3 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Texas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 251 to 165 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Gonzales’ property crime rate comes in at 11.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Gonzales | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.4 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Public schools: Gonzales ISD. The largest public high school is Gonzales H S, with 751 students. Of its 6 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzales J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 584 | C |
| Gonzales H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 751 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
For adults in Gonzales, the share who binge drink is 14%. CDC measures, 31 in all: Gonzales beats Texas on 1 and trails on 17. Among adults in the town, 39% get no exercise outside work and 18% have diabetes.
| Gonzales | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Gonzales | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.7% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.5% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Federal aid has come to Gonzales households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2021. Compared with 73% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is higher. Flood insurance has paid out on 82 claims in the town since 1981. 86% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Gonzales 2s weather station records that about 113 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 41°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 95.5°.
Gonzales’ July high is 96°F. It almost never snows.
| Gonzales | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 41°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $244K, is 14% below its June 2022 peak. At about $244K, home values are down 6% in five years, against a rise of 10% across Texas.
Gonzales: 51% of households own their home. Typical home values fell 5.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent for Gonzales comes to $751 a month.
| Gonzales | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $751 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gonzales has about as many jobs (3,534) as working residents, but only 1,036 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 16.9 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
The top destinations are San Antonio (9%), Austin (4%) and Seguin (4%). 30% of working residents work locally in Gonzales. The median commute is under 29 miles. For Gonzales, the mean commuting time is 17 minutes.
| Gonzales | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The biggest park or preserve is Independence Park, at 125 acres. Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.1 miles of trail. Also worth knowing: the density of trails in Gonzales is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Gonzales | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 10% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Independence Park | — | 125 |
| 2. Frisbee Golf Course | — | 35 |
| 3. East Avenue Lions Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Gonzales; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Gonzales residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
8 places in Gonzales on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Gonzales.
City in Texas, US
Gonzales is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, with a population of 7,165 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Gonzales County. Gonzales was the site of several integral events in the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, the "Come and Take It" incident, the ride of the Immortal 32 to the Battle of the Alamo, and the subsequent Runaway Scrape. The city's cattle and poultry economy is enhanced by oilfield services and light manufacturing enterprises, a short rail connection to a major Union-Pacific rail line, and lodging oil field workers from the nearby Eagle Ford Shale.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gonzales grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($58,672 across the county).
13 notable people were born here, including Jerry Hall and Big Walter Price.
