Red OakTX
Today 20,394 people live in this town, first settled in 1847.
Is Red Oak a good place to live?
Strong in places, weak in others. Its weakest is cost of living (D): the typical home is worth about $343K, 3.8 years of the Dallas metro’s $90K median household income. Incomes is its strong suit: the median household earns $105K. Overall, that makes a C−, better than nearly a quarter of U.S. towns. It ranks 362nd of 640 in Texas. Red Oak's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 90% of U.S. towns. The town’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,920 a month, above both the Texas town median ($1,206 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than just over three quarters of U.S. towns.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · home values, Zillow.
What makes Red Oak stand out
Where Red Oak beats most towns.
Red Oak has grown 89% since 2010
10,769 counted in 2010 and 14,222 in 2020; an estimated 20,394 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 42.9% since 2020, after 32.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Red Oak grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Red Oak is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
AT&T Stadium and 69 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Red Oak. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaAT&T Stadium
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaCotton Bowl
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaGlobe Life Field
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaTexas Stadium
24 mi Theme parkSix Flags Over Texas
24 mi Stadium & arenaChoctaw StadiumPhoto credits
AT&T Stadium: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cotton Bowl: Robbiewest88, Public domain · Globe Life Field: Drone To Fly, CC BY 3.0 · Texas Stadium: Allspamme, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Six Flags Over Texas: Chris Hagerman from New Port Richey, FL, US, CC BY 2.0 · Choctaw Stadium: KENGRIFFEY24FAN, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Moving to Red Oak: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Red Oak, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Red Oak.
Red Oak has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and owes part of its health edge to its incomes, but it has little public open land.
Top of a low hazard risk in Red Oak: inland flooding
Red Oak’s risk rating from FEMA comes in at 20 of 100. 44% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 17%. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Public schools in Red Oak fall behind 52% of Texas districts
Two of the 6 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by Red Oak ISD. The largest public high school is Red Oak H S, with 2,297 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,488 | B− |
| Red Oak H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,297 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Most of Red Oak’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.4 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here grew from 1,825 in 2013 to 3,341.
Commuting out is the norm in Red Oak: 3% of working residents work locally. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line here. Employers in Red Oak added 1,516 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 3,341. The top destinations are Dallas (29%), Fort Worth (6%) and Irving (5%).
| Red Oak | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $105,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 9.6% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Red Oak, expect mild winters and hot summers
The Waxahachie weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 96 days a year reach 90°, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 95.2°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.4°.
In Red Oak, the July high is 95°F. It almost never snows. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Red Oak | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 37°F | 22°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For cost of living, Red Oak earns a D
80.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.7% across Texas.
The typical home value in Red Oak is about $343,000, down 1.5% in a year, 16% above the Texas typical home. A home in Red Oak typically sold within 73 days of listing. The share of households in Red Oak who live in a home they own: 76%.
| Red Oak | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,920 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
More children than Texas overall
Children under 18 are 31% of residents (25% statewide). Red Oak’s age of the median resident stands at 34 years. Since 2020, Red Oak has grown 43%, to 20,394 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. A tenth of Red Oak residents are 65 or older.
| Red Oak | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 31% | 26% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 10% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 34 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Red Oak | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.1% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.9% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.4% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.9% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.4% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Crime per resident in Red Oak is higher than in 60% of U.S. towns
For Red Oak, the level of property crime is 13 per 1,000 residents. The violent offense rate here is 1.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Red Oak | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Red Oak ranks healthier than 52% of the country’s towns
Against the 7,905 U.S. towns with household incomes like Red Oak’s, it is less healthy than 75%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
Among adults 18 to 64 in Red Oak, 15% have no health insurance. In Red Oak, 13% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 39% have obesity.
| Red Oak | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
| What stands out | Red Oak | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 16.1% | 19.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Protected land: 0.3% of Red Oak
Just 36 of its 10,421 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Red Oak itself; its outdoors grade is D.
Trails run 0.7 miles in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Watkins Park | 0.7 mi | 11 |
| 2. Cherry Creek Nature Preserve | — | 16 |
| 3. Pearson Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Red Oak
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Red Oak
About 7 of every 100 Red Oak residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
97% of working residents leave Red Oak for work
Where Red Oak’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Red Oak’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Red Oak.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | #362 | C− | D | C+ | B− | B− |
| Waxahachie | #267 | C+ | D | C+ | B | B− |
| Glenn Heights | #459 | D | D | B− | C | C+ |
| Oak Leaf | — | — | C+ | — | B− | B+ |
| Pecan Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lancaster | #601 | D− | C− | D | C | C |
| Ferris | #290 | C | B− | C+ | C+ | C− |
Oak Leaf has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Oak Leaf reports no FBI crime data of its own. Pecan Hill isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Red Oak with a neighbor →
Questions about Red Oak
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Red Oak, TX a good place to live?
Red Oak grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #362 of 640 in Texas. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Red Oak, TX expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.