RicardoTX
Public schools that outperform most of Texas. A town settled in 1909, now home to 1,132 people.
Is Ricardo a good place to live?
The best of Ricardo’s subject grades is an A− for schools; the weakest is a D for walkability. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Ricardo, above both the Texas town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On hazard risk, just 20 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse. The median household income is $70K, and 40% of residents live below the poverty line. On history, just 42 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse. Ricardo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ricardo stand out
Where Ricardo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
1,132 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
How Ricardo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Ricardo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Ricardo: who provides what
Ricardo is unincorporated, so Kleberg County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Ricardo.
On state tests, Ricardo’s schools beat 83% of Texas districts
One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. Ricardo ISD runs its public schools. The 2 public schools in Ricardo teach 659 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricardo ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 449 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests
In Ricardo, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
40% of Ricardo’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by cold waves at 33%. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fewer young adults than Texas overall
22% of residents are 65 or older in Ricardo. Adults 18 to 34 are 8% of residents (24% statewide); children under 18 are 35% of residents (25% statewide). In Ricardo, the median age is 43.8 years. Among adults 25 and older, 28% have a four-year degree or more, against 34% across Texas.
| Ricardo | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 14% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 23% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 34% and 87% women
The Census survey reached too few of Ricardo’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±26.2 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Ricardo | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 26.1% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.5% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 2.6% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.9% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.2% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 26.8% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.6% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.4% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.8% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Most of Ricardo’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.2 jobs for each of them
For half of commuters, work is under 32 miles away. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Ricardo rose by 62, to 98. Most people who work leave Ricardo to do it: just 1% work in town. The top destinations are Kingsville (24%), Corpus Christi (15%) and Alice (4%).
| Ricardo | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ricardo is less healthy than seven in ten U.S. towns
The share of adults in Ricardo who get no exercise outside work: 34%. 27% of Ricardo adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Ricardo | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 20% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ricardo | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 27.1% | 19.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27% | 19.3% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 21.5% | 16.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ricardo has mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons reach 95°, January nights drop to 48° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median home in Ricardo sells for about $465K
Among households in Ricardo, 96% own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Ricardo
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ricardo
About 2 of every 100 Ricardo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
99% of working residents leave Ricardo for work
Where Ricardo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Ricardo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ricardo, TX a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Texas.
Is Ricardo, TX expensive?
The typical home is worth about $247,000, 17% below the Texas typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.