Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Texas town.
The best of Panhandle’s subject grades are an A+ for schools and civic life and an A− for incomes; the weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Among 489 Texas towns, just 5 have a lower property crime rate than Panhandle. Only 6 of Texas’ 791 towns score higher on civic life. Panhandle has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Carson County Square House Museum and Panhandle Inn. Panhandle has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Panhandle beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Panhandle El | PK–5 | 290 |
| Panhandle J H | 6–8 | 129 |
| Panhandle H S | 9–12 | 201 |
Carson County Square House MuseumWhere Panhandle’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 Panhandle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1967.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Panhandle, 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 Panhandle.
Its public schools are run by Panhandle ISD. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panhandle ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 290 | A |
| Panhandle H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 201 | A+ |
| Panhandle J HTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 129 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Panhandle for work: only 7% work in town. At 21 minutes, Panhandle’s average trip to work is against 25 minutes in Texas’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 5.8% of Panhandle residents live below the poverty line.
| Panhandle | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Panhandle beats the Texas average on 13 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 17% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Panhandle, below both Texas’ towns (24%) and U.S. towns (19%). 23% of adults get no exercise outside work in Panhandle.
| Panhandle | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 30% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Panhandle | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 10.1% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 19.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.3% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Panhandle home is worth about $208,000, up 4.7% in a year, 30% below the Texas typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (13% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (24% statewide). Panhandle’s median age is 48.2 years. Panhandle has lost 3.4% of its people since 2020, down to 2,288 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Panhandle | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.2 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 26% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 23% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Panhandle | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.2% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.9% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.9% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.8% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.4% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.6% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.2% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.8% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,300, single groups can be off by several points
Panhandle has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Panhandle is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among 489 Texas towns, just 6 have a lower violent crime rate than Panhandle. Panhandle's reported crime rate is well below Texas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Paul Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Rotary Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Panhandle; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Panhandle residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Panhandle is a city in and the county seat of Carson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,378 at the 2020 census. Panhandle is part of the Amarillo metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
3 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Texas town.
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($69,611 across the Amarillo, TX metro area).