Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pearsall grades D overall, ranked 458th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $49K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 88% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Pearsall, above both Texas’ towns (12%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Pearsall's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns. Old Frio County Jail is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Pearsall beats most towns.
Old Frio County Jail9,146 counted in 2010 and 7,325 in 2020; an estimated 9,170 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 4.5% since 2020, after a 19.9% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Pearsall is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 766 in 1890, a low of 766 in 1890, 7,325 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pearsall, 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 Pearsall.
Pearsall trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Texas than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 5,476 U.S. towns with household incomes like Pearsall’s, it is less healthy than 69%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
35% of Pearsall adults say their health is fair or poor. Pearsall beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 19% of Pearsall adults have diabetes.
| Pearsall | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 20% | 14% |
| What stands out | Pearsall | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 37.2% | 19.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Pearsall ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pearsall H S, with 572 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Flores ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 503 | – |
| Pearsall H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 572 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $155K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 53 miles. At 2.3 years of the county’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $155K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Pearsall home is worth about $155,000, up 3.5% in a year, 48% below the Texas typical home. 55% of households own their home in Pearsall.
| Pearsall | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $948 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 97.2°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 40.5°.
Pearsall has warm winters and hot summers. Pearsall’s July high is 97°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Pearsall | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 97°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 41°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pearsall.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pearsall has about as many jobs (2,799) as working residents, but only 598 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 18.6 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
About one in 5 of Pearsall’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Pearsall is 19 minutes. The top destinations are San Antonio (24%), Austin (4%) and Houston (2%).
| Pearsall | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 17.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 67% of Texas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 132 to 57 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.9 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Victor Trevino Sports Complex, at 24 acres.
| Pearsall | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Victor Trevino Sports Complex | 0.6 mi | 24 |
| 2. Frio Regional Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Polo Patino Park | 0.1 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Pearsall; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Pearsall residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Pearsall ( PEER-sawl) is a city in and the county seat of Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,325 at the 2020 census, down from 9,146 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Pearsall.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearsall | #458 | D | B+ | B− | D | D |
| North Pearsall | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Pearsall isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pearsall with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pearsall grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #458 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, B− for safety and D for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
2 notable people were born here, including Gene Bailey and Brad Wright.