Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Nacogdoches earns a D, ranked 514th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $39K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 75% of the state's. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 77% of U.S. towns. 32% of residents live below the poverty line in Nacogdoches, above both the Texas town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Adolphus Sterne House and Woodmen of the World Building.
Where Nacogdoches beats most towns.
Old Nacogdoches University Building
Clint Dempsey
Census counts: 468 in 1850, a low of 333 in 1880, 32,147 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
19 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Nacogdoches is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nacogdoches, 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 Nacogdoches.
Nacogdoches is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Lufkin and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
17,804 jobs are based in Nacogdoches, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.7 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
42% of Nacogdoches’s working residents work right in town. Nacogdoches’ average trip to work is 16 minutes. Since 2013, Nacogdoches has lost 1,050 jobs, to 17,804 in 2023.
| Nacogdoches | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 42% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $39,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Nacogdoches ISD. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McMichael MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,275 | C |
| Nacogdoches H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,755 | C |
| Stephen F Austin State University Charter SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 253 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
27% of residents are enrolled in college, against 6.2% statewide, which pulls the median age down. The median household earns $39,281, against $78,476 across Texas, one input to its D for jobs and income.
The median age in Nacogdoches is 25.6 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 44% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 24% of residents (38% statewide). 19% of residents are under 18 in Nacogdoches.
| Nacogdoches | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 25.6 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 26% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 23% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.2 points). Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 60% are women (TX 49%). Median age: women 24.5, men 27.7.
| Nacogdoches | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 30.4% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.3% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.3% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.8% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.6% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.1% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.2% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.1% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 2,173 U.S. towns with household incomes like Nacogdoches’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of Nacogdoches adults report frequent mental distress. Nacogdoches beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 27% of Nacogdoches adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Nacogdoches | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 20% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 74% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Nacogdoches | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 6.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Values rose 5.2% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%. The median property tax bill is $1,696, against $4,232 across Texas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Nacogdoches home is worth about $223,000, 25% below the Texas typical home.
| Nacogdoches | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 38% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $964 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
181 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 23 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 181 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nacogdoches.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Nacogdoches weather station records that about 98 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 93.6°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 76% of Texas places with climate records; January nights average 37.1°.
Nacogdoches has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Nacogdoches | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 37°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.8 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Pioneer Park, at 37 acres.
| Nacogdoches | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pecan Park | 0.4 mi | 33 |
| 2. Pioneer Park | — | 37 |
| 3. Pineywoods Native Plant Center | — | 35 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Nacogdoches. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumOld Stone Fort Museum
29 mi MuseumCaddo Mounds State Historic Site17 mi Zoo & aquariumEllen Trout Zooin town GardenMast ArboretumOld Stone Fort Museum: Ernest Mettendorf, Public domain · Caddo Mounds State Historic Site: Jon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Nacogdoches
College town 27 of every 100 Nacogdoches residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
19 places in Nacogdoches on the National Register of Historic Places.
38 notable people were born in Nacogdoches.
City in Texas, United States
Nacogdoches ( , NAK-ə-DOH-chis) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Nacogdoches had a population of 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specializes in forestry and agriculture. Nacogdoches is also known as "The Oldest Town in Texas". Its sister city is Natchitoches, Louisiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Nacogdoches.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nacogdoches | #514 | D | C | C | C | C |
| Redfield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Redfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Nacogdoches with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Nacogdoches grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #514 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health, C for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($53,555 across the Nacogdoches, 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.
38 notable people were born here, including Clint Dempsey and Joseph W. Kennedy.
