Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rockdale earns a D, 578th of 640 graded towns in Texas, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. Its crime rate is higher than 75% of U.S. towns, with 20 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. Rockdale’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, where Texas’ towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes.
Where Rockdale beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Rockdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,185 in 1880, 5,323 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rockdale, 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 Rockdale.
Rockdale carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding), has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values still below their peak.
22% of Rockdale adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Rockdale beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 29% of Rockdale adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Rockdale | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 30% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Rockdale | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.4% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Rockdale ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Rockdale H S, with 468 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockdale ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 357 | – |
| Rockdale H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 468 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 89% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $487 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Rockdale is 16 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Rockdale’s violent crime rate is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Rockdale reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 75% report less.
| Rockdale | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.2 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical value, about $233K, is 10% below its August 2022 peak.
The typical Rockdale home is worth about $233,000, down 2.3% in a year, 21% below the Texas typical home. 63% of households own their home in Rockdale.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 95.1°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.4°.
Rockdale has mild winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Rockdale | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 38°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of Rockdale’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Austin (13%), Round Rock (4%) and San Antonio (4%). Half commute less than 40 miles.
| Rockdale | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.1% | 12% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.7 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Fair Park & Rodeo Arena, at 32 acres.
| Rockdale | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Veterans Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 2. Fair Park & Rodeo Arena | — | 32 |
| 3. Hale Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Rockdale; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Rockdale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
7 notable people were born in Rockdale.
City in Texas, United States
Rockdale is a city in Milam County, Texas, United States. Its population was 5,323 at the 2020 census. It is approximately 41 miles west of College Station.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Rockdale.
Praesel isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rockdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rockdale grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #578 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($66,141 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
7 notable people were born here, including Mary Sue Hubbard and George Sessions Perry.
