Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,909, settled in 1684.
Presidio gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $171K, 3.9 years of the county’s $44K median household income. It grades C− overall, 401st among Texas's 640 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $41K, and 39% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Presidio’s average trip to work is 12 minutes, below both the Texas town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Presidio's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. Only 80 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score higher on history.
Where Presidio beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Its founding year, 1684, is the earliest of any Texas town we grade.
Census counts: 147 in 1880, a peak of 4,426 in 2010, 3,264 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1896 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Presidio is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D− for jobs and income (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Presidio, 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 Presidio.
Presidio carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly drought) and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
The nearest emergency room, Big Bend Regional Medical Center, is 70.4 miles away in a straight line. Against the 2,607 U.S. towns with household incomes like Presidio’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
43% of Presidio adults say their health is fair or poor. Presidio beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 22% of Presidio adults report frequent physical distress.
| Presidio | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Presidio | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.3% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.4% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.2% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Presidio ISD. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Presidio H S, with 418 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidio ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 446 | C+ |
| Presidio H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 418 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Texas towns; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Presidio’s FEMA risk score is 6 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.2 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
| Presidio | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $171K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 137 miles. Values rose 11.1% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
Typical home values rose 11% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here fell from 1,040 in 2013 to 374. The average commute for its 830 working residents takes 11.5 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
Most working residents leave Presidio for work: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in Presidio fell to 374 in 2023, 666 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Odessa (10%), Marfa (9%) and Alpine (7%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Presidio weather station records that about 189 days a year reach 90°, more than in 100% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 100.9°, hotter than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34.9°.
Presidio has mild winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. The July high in Presidio is 101°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Presidio | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 101°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 35°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Presidio's reported crime rate is well below Texas's. Only 4 of the 488 Texas towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Presidio. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2024.
| Presidio | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Presidio; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Presidio residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
4,426 counted in 2010 and 3,264 in 2020; an estimated 2,909 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 10.9% since 2020, after 26.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
City in Texas, United States
Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It is situated on the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte) River, on the opposite side of the U.S.–Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The name originates from Spanish and means "fortress". The population was 3,264 at the 2020 census. Presidio is on the Farm to Market Road 170, and U.S. Route 67, 18 miles (29 km) south of Shafter in Presidio County. Presidio is approximately 250 miles (400 km) southeast of El Paso, 240 miles (390 km) southwest of Odessa, and 145 miles (233 km) northeast of Chihuahua City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Presidio grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #401 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health and C 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 A.