Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jasper grades D− overall, ranked 617th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $45K, and 27% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Jasper, where Texas’ towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Jasper has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Jasper County Courthouse and Col. Randolph C. Doom House. Jasper's police reported 33 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Jasper beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Jasper’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 Jasper is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1836, comes before those of 95% of the Texas towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 377 in 1880, 6,884 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1937 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jasper, 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 Jasper.
Jasper draws workers from Sam Rayburn and beyond and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Texas; it also has poverty well above the Texas rate.
47% of Jasper adults have high blood pressure. Jasper beats the Texas average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 46% of Jasper adults have obesity.
| Jasper | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 35% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 20% | 14% |
| What stands out | Jasper | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.8% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.2% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 25.3% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Jasper ISD. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Jasper H S, with 633 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean C Few PriLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 546 | D− |
| Jasper H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 633 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
3,652 jobs are based in Jasper, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 5,046 in 2013 to 3,652.
About one in 3 of Jasper’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Jasper fell to 3,652 in 2023, 1,394 fewer than in 2013. Jasper’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
| Jasper | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The property crime rate in Jasper is 26.3 per 1,000 residents. Jasper reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 85% report less. The violent crime rate in Jasper is 4.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Jasper | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.3 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $163K, is 27% below its July 2022 peak. At about $163K, home values are down 19% in five years, against a rise of 10% across Texas.
The typical Jasper home is worth about $163,000, down 3.8% in a year, 45% below the Texas typical home. 57% of households own their home in Jasper.
| Jasper | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $892 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jasper.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Town Bluff Dam weather station, 14 miles away, records that about 86 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 88% of Texas places with climate records. July afternoons average 92.5°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 90% of Texas places with climate records; January nights average 38.6°.
Jasper has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Jasper | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 39°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 93°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Sandy Creek Park, at 26 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sandy Creek Park | — | 26 |
| 2. Carridine Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Kiwanis Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Jasper; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Jasper residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
19 notable people were born in Jasper.
City in and county seat of Jasper County, Texas, United States
Jasper is a city in and the county seat of Jasper County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,884 at the 2020 U.S. census, down from 7,590 at the 2010 U.S. census. Jasper is situated in the Deep East Texas subregion, about 40 miles (64 km) west of the Texas-Louisiana state line. Jasper (the "Butterfly Capital of Texas") holds an annual Butterfly Festival the first Saturday in October to celebrate the migration of the monarch butterflies.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jasper grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #617 of 640 in Texas. It grades D− for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($56,723 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.
19 notable people were born here, including Bryan Bronson and Chad Beck.
