Old Lyford High School · National Register of Historic Places
Lyford’s story
119 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1907Lyford is settled
LyfordTX
A town of 2,210, settled in 1907.
Old Lyford High School · Photo: Onleal91 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,210
2025 Census estimate · −2.8% since 2020
Typical home
$164K
+14.8% in a year
Household income
$56K
median
Median age
37.0
years
Jobs based here
501
Balanced
Is Lyford a good place to live?
Lyford’s best subject grades are a B+ for safety and cost of living; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Lyford’s January low is 50°F, against 37°F in Texas’ towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. Only 5 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 91% of U.S. towns. Lyford's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. Old Lyford High School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lyford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lyford stand out
Where Lyford beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
A shrinking town
Lyford has shrunk 16% since 2010
2,611 counted in 2010 and 2,249 in 2020; an estimated 2,210 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Lyford grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Lyford is from typical.
Hazard riskcold waves tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.5 of 20; 5.6% of households have no car; 0.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →HealthHarlingen Medical Center 13.3 miles awayC−Open →Jobs & income$56K median household incomeC−Open →SafetyB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksC+Open →History1 place on the National RegisterC−Open →Civic life1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsD−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 97° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.0; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lyford: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lyford, and how to reach them.
PowerMagic Valley Electric Coop10.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Lyford water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Lyford’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 hereWillacy County Early Voting ClerkWillacy County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7856978569 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 Lyford.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
The FEMA risk score in Lyford is higher than in most of Texas or the rest of the country
At 91 of 100, Lyford’s FEMA risk score is above both the Texas town median (47 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1982, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lyford.
91risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesHurricanesInland flooding
14
paid flood claims since 1982
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Lyford’s schools trail 65% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Lyford CISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lyford H S, with 439 students.
35%of TX districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyford ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 658 | D |
| Lyford H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 439 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade B+
A typical Lyford home is worth about $164K
The typical Lyford home is worth about $164,000, up 14.8% in a year, 45% below the Texas typical home. 81% of households own their home in Lyford.
$164KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lyford$164K
Texas$296K
+14.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Lyford is less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns
Lyford beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 34% of Lyford adults say their health is fair or poor.
18%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Lyford | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 30% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 18% | 8.1% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better15 too close to call14 worse
| What stands out | Lyford | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.3% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 4.9% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 36.8% | 19.1% |
Harlingen Medical Center
13.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SafetyB+
Lyford reports less crime per resident than 74% of U.S. towns
The violent crime rate in Lyford is 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
74%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Lyford | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.8 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Lyford0.9
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Lyford6.8
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
74th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
15
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Lyford
Lyford has warm winters and hot summers. Lyford’s July high is 96°F.
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter52–73°
Spring65–85°
Summer75–96°
Fall65–86°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 0.8 jobs for every working resident, most of Lyford’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Lyford for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Lyford has added 67 jobs, to 501 in 2023. The top destinations are Harlingen (15%), Raymondville (6%) and McAllen (5%).
11%work in town
| Lyford | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Lyford11%
Harlingen15%
Raymondville6%
McAllen5%
San Benito4%
24 mi
median commute distance
501
jobs based in Lyford
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lyford
18pages on Lyford
The big questions
SchoolsC+Behind 65% of TX districts · 3 schoolsSafetyB+0.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than TX on 2 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$164K typical home · up 14.8% in a yearWork & commuteC−$56K median household income · 501 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities · cold waves
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lyford; the nearest are
The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyUniversity or college · Public · Edinburg24.9 mi$9,987 in-state tuitionTexas Southmost CollegeCommunity college · Public · Brownsville40.1 mi$3,148 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Lyford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Lyford
City in Texas, United States
Lyford is a city in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,249 at the 2020 census. It may be included as part of the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville and the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan areas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 33 ft
- ZIP code
- 78569
- Area code
- 956
Questions about Lyford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lyford, 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 B+.