Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hempstead grades D overall, 465th of 640 graded towns in Texas, mostly because of schools and health. Its public schools trail 94% of Texas towns on state tests and graduation. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, a typical home costs about $286K, 3.5 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. On hazard risk, just 79 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better. Liendo Plantation is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Hempstead beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hempstead El | PK–5 | 823 |
| Hempstead Middle | 6–8 | 300 |
| Hempstead H S | 9–12 | 462 |
Where Hempstead’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 Hempstead is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,612 in 1880, 5,430 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hempstead, 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 Hempstead.
Hempstead trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly inland flooding) and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
Its public schools are run by Hempstead ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hempstead H S, with 462 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hempstead ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 823 | D |
| Hempstead H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 462 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of Texas towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Hempstead’s FEMA risk score is 12 of 100, below both Texas’ towns (47 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1998, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hempstead.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
23% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Hempstead, where Texas’ towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 8.1%. 27% of adults worry about having enough food in Hempstead. Hempstead beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Hempstead | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 20% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Hempstead | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.1% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Hempstead for work: only 9% work in town. 23% of Hempstead residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Houston (28%), Brenham (4%) and Prairie View (3%).
| Hempstead | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 161 to 92 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Hempstead is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Hempstead | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.6 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bellville 6nne weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 108 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 40.9°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 94.7°.
Hempstead has warm winters and hot summers. Hempstead’s January low is 41°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Hempstead | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Hempstead | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $286K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 36 miles.
The typical Hempstead home is worth about $286,000, up 0.8% in a year, close to the Texas typical home.
| Hempstead | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 39% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,234 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hempstead. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaKyle Field
38 mi MuseumGeorge Bush Presidential Library
16 mi State parkWashington-on-the-Brazos
37 mi TheatreCynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
35 mi GardenGeorge Bush Park
33 mi GardenBear Creek Pioneers ParkKyle Field: Janreagan at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · George Bush Presidential Library: Jujutacular, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington-on-the-Brazos: WhisperToMe, Public domain · Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion: WhisperToMe, CC0 · George Bush Park: JuWiki at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Bear Creek Pioneers Park: Pleonic, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hempstead
About 3 of every 100 Hempstead residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Hempstead is a city in and the county seat of Waller County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hempstead had a population of 5,430. It is part of the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hempstead grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #465 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
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−.
