Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A tough set of grades. Overall, Lufkin earns a D−: better than 2% of U.S. towns, and 616th of 640 in Texas. Health is its weak spot (D): residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Homes run about $202K for a typical one, 3.3 times the Lufkin area’s $61K median household income. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (B+). Safety is weaker too (D): it reports more crime per resident than 87% of U.S. towns, including 152 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its National Register listings include Pines Theatre and Bowers-Felts House. On civic life, just 71 of Texas’ 791 towns do better.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FBI crime data, 2025 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Lufkin beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Abercrombie-Cavanaugh House
Census counts: 529 in 1890, 34,143 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1893 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
36 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Lufkin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lufkin, 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 Lufkin.
Lufkin draws workers from Nacogdoches and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
25,843 jobs are based in Lufkin, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.2 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
In Lufkin, the middle household income is $57,000, below both the Texas town median ($69,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). For Lufkin, the typical journey to work is 17 minutes. Half commute less than 7 miles. Among residents in the town, 18% live below the poverty line.
| Lufkin | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 46% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Public schools: Lufkin ISD. Three of its 26 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 6 public schools serve Lufkin, with 2,281 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lufkin MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,453 | B |
| Lufkin H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,026 | B+ |
| Pineywoods Community Academy H STop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 289 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Among adults in Lufkin, 15% binge drink, against 17% in Texas’ towns and 16% across U.S. towns. For adults here, the share who say their health is fair or poor is 30%. Against the Texas average, Lufkin comes out ahead on 2 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 21. 43% of adults in the town have high blood pressure; 35% get no exercise outside work.
| Lufkin | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lufkin | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 14.5% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.9% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 1,143 to 865 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Lufkin’s property crime rate is 20.7 per 1,000 residents. The violent crime rate for Lufkin comes to 4.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Lufkin | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.7 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Lufkin home is worth about $202,000, down 0.7% in a year, 32% below the Texas typical home. In Lufkin, 52% of households are owner-occupiers. Sellers in Lufkin got 96.4% of the asking price, typically.
| Lufkin | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,079 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
236 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 38 properties have flooded more than once.
Paid flood insurance claims in Lufkin since 1979: 236. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 71% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 45% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 19% to heat waves. Also worth knowing: households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2021.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Ellen Trout Memorial Park, at 99 acres. 1.1 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Lufkin: 11, covering 366 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Morris Frank Park | 0.4 mi | 87 |
| 2. Ellen Trout Memorial Park | — | 99 |
| 3. Grace Dunne Richardson Park | — | 48 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lufkin
About 5 of every 100 Lufkin residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
36 places in Lufkin on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Lufkin.
City in Texas, United States
Lufkin is the largest city in Angelina County, Texas, United States, and is the county seat. The city is situated in Deep East Texas and is 60 mi (97 km) west of the Texas–Louisiana state line. Its population is approximately 34,000 people as of 2024. Lufkin was founded in 1884 and named for Abraham P. Lufkin. It originally served as a stop on the Houston, East and West Texas Railway. It was officially incorporated on October 15, 1890. Lufkin continued to serve as a stop on the railroad until 1890. Three businessmen founded Angelina Lumber Company, which led to much of the economic prosperity Lufkin later enjoyed. When the so-called "timber boom" came to an end, a new "golden era of expansi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Lufkin.
Hudson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Lufkin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lufkin grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #616 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
35 notable people were born here, including William Delbert Gann and Allan Shivers.
