Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,574, settled in 1883. 3.6 times the library visits per person than the typical Texas town.
The best of Marfa’s subject grades are an A for walkability and safety and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a C− for health. Only 11 of Texas’ 791 towns score higher on civic life. Marfa has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Presidio County Courthouse and El Paisano Hotel. Marfa has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Marfa beats most towns.
Where Marfa’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 Marfa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1886.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Marfa, 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 Marfa.
No town among the 643 in Texas we compare has a lower average trip to work than Marfa. 45% of the town’s working residents work right in town. Among residents locally, 27% live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Marfa has added 483 jobs, to 941 in 2023.
| Marfa | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 6 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 45% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $44,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Marfa ISD. 194 students attend the town’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marfa SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 194 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Marfa’s rate of reported violence stands at 0.6 per 1,000 residents, where Texas’ towns sit at 1.9 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Only 3 of the 489 Texas towns we compare have a lower rate of thefts and burglaries than Marfa.
| Marfa | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The share of adults in Marfa who have diabetes is 19%, above both Texas’ towns (13%) and U.S. towns (12%). Against the Texas average, Marfa comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 15. 25% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance locally.
| Marfa | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Marfa | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 74.1% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 5.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Marfa, the age of the median resident is 47.7 years. People 65 and older are 28% of residents (13% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (25% statewide). For adults 25 and older locally, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 38%. 1,574 people lived in Marfa by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 12% fewer than in 2020.
| Marfa | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.7 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 17% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 23% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 99% are men (TX 51%).
| Marfa | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.9% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.7% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.4% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.5% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.4% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 21.7% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.8% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.6% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.8% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
Summers in Marfa are warm, and winters mild, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The national flood insurance program has paid one claim in Marfa since 1979. Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. 56% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by wildfires at 20%.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails total 1.3 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Marfa’s trail density comes in at 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Marfa | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coffield Park | — | 10 |
| 2. Blackwell School National Historic Site | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In the year to September 2026, typical home values slipped 1.9%. The share of households in Marfa who live in a home they own: 75%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Marfa. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumChinati Foundation
21 mi National Historic SiteFort Davis National Historic Site36K visitors a year
in town National Historic SiteBlackwell School National Historic Site
19 mi GardenChihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens23 mi MuseumMuseum of the Big Bend20 mi GardenChihuahuan Desert Research InstituteChinati Foundation: Jgc3, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Davis National Historic Site: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Public domain · Blackwell School National Historic Site: David Larson, Public domain · Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Marfa; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Marfa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
6 places in Marfa on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Marfa.
City in Texas, United States
Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas, United States. Founded in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop, it lies between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park at an elevation of 4685 feet and is the county seat of Presidio County. The population of Marfa peaked in the 1930s and as of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 1,788. Today, Marfa is a tourist destination and a major center for minimalist art. Major attractions include the Chinati Foundation, the Judd Foundation, Ballroom Marfa, Building 98, and the Marfa lights.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3.6 times the library visits per person than the typical Texas town.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Robert Jay Mathews and Forrest Blue.
