Orchard TX Brazos Elem School, 2013
Orchard’s story
133 years in pictures
Census counts: 408 in 1980, 313 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and 3 maps from 1955 on.
- 1893Orchard is settled
OrchardTX
A town of 344, settled in 1893.
Photo: Djmaschek · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
344
2025 Census estimate · +7.2% since 2020
Median home value
$231K
Census ACS
Household income
$55K
median
Median age
47.6
years
Jobs based here
43
A commuter town
Is Orchard a good place to live?
Orchard’s January low is 43°F, above both Texas’ towns (37°F) and U.S. towns (22°F). Orchard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
344 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Orchard: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Orchard, and how to reach them.
PowerCenterPoint EnergyEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Orchard 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 Orchard’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 hereFort Bend County Early Voting ClerkFort Bend County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2024
ZIP code7746477464 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 Orchard.
Schools
The schools Orchard’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to Brazos ISD. Its one school is below. Enrollment at Orchard’s public school: 346 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazos ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 346 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Orchard has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Orchard had 43 jobs in 2023, up 42 from 2013. Commuting out is the norm in the town: 1% of working residents work locally. The average commute for Orchard comes to 32 minutes, above both the Texas town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 6.8% of residents live below the poverty line in the town.
1%work in town
| Orchard | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Orchard1%
Houston32%
Sugar Land8%
Rosenberg4%
Wallis3%
27 mi
median commute distance
43
jobs based in Orchard
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
95°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter45–66°
Spring60–80°
Summer74–94°
Fall60–82°
Nov 30
typical first frost
Feb 28
typical last frost
+1.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
95°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Top of a high hazard risk in Orchard: inland flooding
Federal aid has come to Orchard households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. Compared with 62% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is higher. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 45% come from inland flooding and 21% from hurricanes.
62risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesDrought
4
paid flood claims since 2017
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Orchard is
Among adults in Orchard, 40% sleep under 7 hours. Of 31 CDC measures, Orchard beats the Texas average on 2 and trails it on 20.
| Orchard | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 30% | 25% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better9 too close to call20 worse
| What stands out | Orchard | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.8% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 5.7% |
Oakbend Medical Center
12 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 256 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Artesian Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Orchard
18pages on Orchard
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Orchard; the nearest are
Wharton County Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wharton20.5 mi$3,192 in-state tuitionPrairie View A & M UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Prairie View33.8 mi$11,299 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Orchard residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Orchard for work
Where Orchard’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
43jobs based in Orchard
1%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Orchard
City in Texas, United States
Orchard is a city in western Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The community is located along State Highway 36 (SH 36) and the BNSF Railway between Rosenberg in Fort Bend County and Wallis in Austin County. The population was 313 at the 2020 census, down from 352 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 125 ft
- ZIP code
- 77464
- Area code
- 979
Questions about Orchard
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Orchard, TX a good place to live?
Orchard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.