Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Port Arthur grades D− overall, 632nd of 640 graded towns in Texas, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its schools rank behind 89% of the state's. What it does well: it has 18 miles of trail. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Port Arthur, against 12% in Texas’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge, 7,956 acres with 2.2 miles of trail. The median household income is $46K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Port Arthur beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Port Arthur is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 900 in 1900, 56,039 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Port Arthur. Close and well known come first.
14 mi LandmarkSpindletop
17 mi National PreserveBig Thicket National Preserve228K visitors a year14 mi MuseumSpindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum
18 mi MuseumEdison Museum
18 mi MuseumArt Museum of Southeast Texas
19 mi MuseumBabe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor CenterSpindletop: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Big Thicket National Preserve: NPS, Public domain · Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edison Museum: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Art Museum of Southeast Texas: R. Rothenberger, CC BY 3.0 · Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Port Arthur, 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 Port Arthur.
Port Arthur has homes that are cheap against local pay and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports more crime than Groves and its other graded neighbors.
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its D−, from Groves (C) to Beauxart Gardens (A−).
20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Port Arthur. Port Arthur beats the Texas average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 22. 41% of adults get no exercise outside work in Port Arthur.
| Port Arthur | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 20% | 14% |
| What stands out | Port Arthur | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.5% | 17% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.9% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Nederland highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by Port Arthur ISD. Two of its 21 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 857 | D |
| Memorial H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,140 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
At 1.9 years of the Beaumont metro’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $125K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Groves is next at $189K.
The typical Port Arthur home is worth about $125,000, up 3.1% in a year, 58% below the Texas typical home. 58% of Port Arthur renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Port Arthur | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 69% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 58% | 50% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,021 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Groves (C+) to Port Neches (B−). Reported crimes fell from 1,413 to 1,071 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Port Arthur is 6 per 1,000 residents.
| Port Arthur | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5,461 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 478 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 5,461 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Port Arthur.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 43.6°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.2°.
Port Arthur has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Port Arthur’s January low is 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Port Arthur | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge | 2.2 mi | 7,956 |
| 2. Lower Neches Wildlife Area Old River Unit | — | 1,367 |
| 3. Adams Park | — | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Port Arthur has about as many jobs (19,736) as working residents, but only 4,565 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Port Arthur’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Port Arthur grew to 19,736 in 2023, 1,697 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Beaumont (14%), Houston (11%) and Nederland (4%).
| Port Arthur | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3 within 15 miles of the center of Port Arthur
About 3 of every 100 Port Arthur residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
9 places in Port Arthur on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Texas, United States
Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located 90 mi (140 km) east of metropolitan Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. The second-largest oil refinery in the US, the Motiva Refinery, is located in Port Arthur. Its population was 53,818 at the 2010 census, down from 57,755 at the 2000 census. In 2020, its population was 56,039. In the 19th century, initial attempts to settle the area had all failed, mostly. However, in 1895, Arthur Stilwell founded Port Arthur, and the town quickly grew, being incorporated as a city in 1898. It soon developed into a s…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Port Arthur.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Groves (D) is closest. Port Neches next door grades higher for schools (B to Port Arthur’s D) and lower for cost of living (C to B).
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Arthur | #632 | D− | B | D | D | D− |
| Port Neches | #216 | C+ | C | B− | B | B+ |
| Groves | #467 | D | C+ | C+ | C− | C |
| Nederland | #234 | C+ | C− | C+ | A− | B− |
| Beauxart Gardens | — | — | A− | — | A− | A− |
Beauxart Gardens has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Beauxart Gardens reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Port Arthur with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Port Arthur grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #632 of 640 in Texas. It grades D− for health, D for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.9 years of the area's median household income ($64,659 across the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX metro area).
