Kirby-Hill House · National Register of Historic Places
Kountze’s story
145 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1881Kountze is settled
KountzeTX
A town of 2,127, settled in 1881.
Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
Population
2,127
2025 Census estimate · +8.6% since 2020
Typical home
$215K
+4.4% in a year
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
33.6
years
Jobs based here
508
A commuter town
Is Kountze a good place to live?
The best of Kountze’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; the weakest is a C for walkability. Only 91 of Texas’ 998 towns score higher on cost of living. Kountze’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, where Texas’ towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 55 of Texas’ 791 towns score higher on civic life. Kirby-Hill House is on the National Register of Historic Places. On the outdoors, just 87 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse. Kountze has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Kountze stand out
Where Kountze beats most towns.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Kountze for work
Where Kountze’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
508jobs based in Kountze
8%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Kountze grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Kountze is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 3.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SafetyB+Open →HealthAltus Lumberton Hospital 9.5 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$66K median household incomeCOpen →SchoolsB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksD−Open →History1 place on the National Register; 1 notable person born hereC+Open →Civic life3.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 33.6; 22% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Kountze: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kountze, and how to reach them.
PowerEntergy Texas13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Kountze water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers93% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Kountze’s trash rules yet
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHardin County Early Voting ClerkHardin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2024
ZIP code7762577625 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Kountze.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Kountze has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Kountze for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Kountze fell to 508 in 2023, 221 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Beaumont (23%), Houston (7%) and Silsbee (7%).
8%work in town
| Kountze | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Kountze8%
Beaumont23%
Houston7%
Silsbee7%
Lumberton4%
25 mi
median commute distance
508
jobs based in Kountze
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB−
Kountze’s schools rank behind 55% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Kountze ISD. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kountze H S, with 328 students.
45%of TX districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kountze ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 336 | – |
| Kountze H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 328 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A
Homes in Kountze are worth about $215K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Kountze home is worth about $215,000, up 4.4% in a year, 27% below the Texas typical home. At $873 a month, Kountze’s median rent is below both Texas’ towns ($1,208 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$215KZillow home value
| Kountze | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $873 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Kountze$215K
Texas$296K
+4.4%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
66%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Kountze1.4
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Kountze9.7
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
66th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
3
violent crimes reported in 2025
21
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HealthC
Less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns
Kountze beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Kountze | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better18 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Kountze | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12.8% | 19.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.8% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.9% | 12.5% |
Altus Lumberton Hospital
9.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Kountze
Kountze has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Kountze’s July high is 93°F.
93°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter42–64°
Spring57–79°
Summer72–92°
Fall58–80°
Nov 30
typical first frost
Feb 25
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Kountze
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kountze.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHurricanes
7
paid flood claims since 2003
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kountze
19pages on Kountze
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 55% of TX districts · 6 schoolsSafetyB+1.4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than TX on 2 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingA$215K typical home · up 4.4% in a yearWork & commuteC$66K median household income · 508 jobs hereNatural hazardsB−FEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Kountze; the nearest are
Lamar Institute of TechnologyCommunity college · Public · Beaumont26.6 mi$2,844 in-state tuitionLamar UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Beaumont27 mi$8,905 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Kountze residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Kountze
City in Texas, United States
Kountze ( koonts) is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,981 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area. Kountze was originally established as a railroad town in 1881. The city was named for Herman and Augustus Kountze, financial backers of the Sabine and East Texas Railroad. The seat of Hardin County, Kountze boasts an area of more than 89% forested lush green terrain. The local area produces over 3.5 million board feet (8,300 m3) of lumber annually. Kountze describes itself as "The Gateway to the Big Thicket". The thicket is a vast area of tangled, often impenetrable woods, streams, and marshes …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1881
- Area
- 4.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 85 ft
- ZIP code
- 77625
- Area code
- 409
Questions about Kountze
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kountze, TX expensive?
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.