Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mineral Wells grades D− overall, ranked 598th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $56K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it has 19 miles of trail. 37% of working residents work locally in Mineral Wells, above both Texas’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). On history, just 75 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Western Heritage Park, at 52 acres.
Where Mineral Wells beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
23.9% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Mineral Wells is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 577 in 1890, 14,820 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mineral Wells, 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 Mineral Wells.
Mineral Wells has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, has home values still below their peak and has seen reported crime fall beyond ordinary swings.
The trail density in Mineral Wells is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Trailway | 11.7 mi | 2,852 |
| 2. West City Park | 0.6 mi | 22 |
| 3. Western Heritage Park | — | 52 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Mineral Wells ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mineral Wells Schools, with 3,275 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral Wells/Palo Pinto County DaepLargest public school before high school | – | – | |
| Mineral Wells SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 3,275 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
21% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Mineral Wells.
| Mineral Wells | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mineral Wells | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 521 to 443 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Mineral Wells’ property crime rate is 25.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Mineral Wells | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.7 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $205K, is 9% below its December 2022 peak.
The typical Mineral Wells home is worth about $205,000, about the same as a year ago, 31% below the Texas typical home. 59% of Mineral Wells households own their home.
| Mineral Wells | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,077 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mineral Wells.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 96.2°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 32.6°.
Mineral Wells has mild winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Mineral Wells | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 96°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 33°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Mineral Wells’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Mineral Wells has lost 804 jobs, to 6,047 in 2023. The top destinations are Fort Worth (3%), Weatherford (3%) and Abilene (2%).
| Mineral Wells | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.8% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Mineral Wells; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Mineral Wells residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
16,788 counted in 2010 and 14,820 in 2020; an estimated 15,983 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 7.9% since 2020, after a 11.7% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 places in Mineral Wells on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Mineral Wells.
City in Texas, United States
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Its population was 14,820 at the 2020 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mineral Wells grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #598 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($67,674 across the Mineral Wells, TX area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
14 notable people were born here, including Millie Hughes-Fulford and Kevin Rahm.
