Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lubbock grades D overall, 565th among Texas's 640 graded towns, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 1,807 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 93% of U.S. towns. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns. 72% of working residents work locally in Lubbock, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Lubbock has 17 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Texas Technological College Historic District and Warren and Myrta Bacon House. Lubbock's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 86% of U.S. towns.
Where Lubbock beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Texas Tech University | 35,901 |
| Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | 3,091 |
| Lubbock Christian University | 1,440 |
Warren and Myrta Bacon HouseCensus counts: 1,938 in 1910, 257,141 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 2 maps from 1957 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Lubbock is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lubbock, 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 Lubbock.
Lubbock is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has home values rising while Texas’s fall and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Texas.
172 miles of trail in 91 parks and preserves. Lubbock’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile. Mackenzie Park, at 662 acres with 12.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Lubbock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mackenzie Park | 12.5 mi | 662 |
| 2. Dunbar Historical Lake Park | 8.7 mi | 277 |
| 3. City of Lubbock land | 8.6 mi | 287 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Lubbock ISD. Three of its 94 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lubbock-Cooper East ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 857 | B |
| Monterey H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,117 | C+ |
| Crestview ElTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 609 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 10,628 to 8,300 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Lubbock is 6.6 per 1,000 residents. Lubbock reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less. The property crime rate in Lubbock is 23.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Lubbock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.5 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Values rose 2.2% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
The typical Lubbock home is worth about $211,000, 29% below the Texas typical home. 51% of Lubbock households own their home.
| Lubbock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 69% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 50% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
195 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 195 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lubbock.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 33% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (38% statewide). 35% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lubbock. Lubbock has grown 6.2% since 2020, to 273,071 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Lubbock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.5 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 23% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 26% | 22% |
51.0% women, 49.0% men
About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 31.5, men 29.5.
| Lubbock | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.4% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.2% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.5% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.3% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.6% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.1% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Lubbock weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 210 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 94% of Texas places with climate records. The Lubbock weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 92 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 80% of Texas places with climate records.
Lubbock has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 27° and about 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 115,574 working residents takes 16.3 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
Jobs based in Lubbock grew to 135,340 in 2023, 16,554 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Wolfforth (2%), Amarillo (1%) and Dallas (1%). Half commute less than 5 miles.
| Lubbock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.1% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,159 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lubbock’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Lubbock beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Lubbock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 8.1% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Lubbock | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.6% | 10.5% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 81.7% | 84.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lubbock. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaGalaxy Stadium
in town Theme parkJoyland Amusement Park
in town MuseumBuddy Holly Centerin town MuseumNational Ranching Heritage Center
in town MuseumSilent Wings Museum
in town MuseumMuseum of Texas Tech UniversityGalaxy Stadium: Falcon8765, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Joyland Amusement Park: Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5 · Buddy Holly Center: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Silent Wings Museum: Leaflet, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Texas Tech University: Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Lubbock
College town 15 of every 100 Lubbock residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
3 colleges in town.
17 places in Lubbock on the National Register of Historic Places.
39 notable people were born in Lubbock.
City in Texas, United States
Lubbock ( LUB-ək) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 257,141 at the 2020 census (estimated at 273,071 in 2025), Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northwestern part of the state, in the Great Plains region, an area known historically and geographically as the Llano Estacado, and ecologically is part of the southern end of the High Plains, lying at the economic center of the Lubbock metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 367,109 in 2024. Lubbock's nickname, "Hub City", derives from it being the economic, educational, and healthcare hu…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lubbock grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #565 of 640 in Texas. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($63,629 across the Lubbock, 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 D.
39 notable people were born here, including Buddy Holly and Chace Crawford.
