SanLeonMotel1914, 1914
San Leon’s story
116 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,745 in 1980, 6,135 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 7 maps from 1929 on.
- 1910San Leon is settled
San LeonTX
A town of 6,458, settled in 1910.
Population
6,458
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$242K
−2.4% in a year
Household income
$75K
median
Median age
44.7
years
Jobs based here
589
A commuter town
TownGrade
C+
#273 of 640 in TX
Is San Leon a good place to live?
San Leon gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $242K, 2.9 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 273rd among Texas's 640 graded towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns. Among 642 Texas towns, just 8 have a lower July high than San Leon.
What makes San Leon stand out
Where San Leon beats most towns.
A growing town
San Leon has grown 23% from 2010 to 2020
4,970 counted in 2010 and 6,135 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How San Leon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far San Leon is from typical.
Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 4.3% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →HealthHouston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital 9.6 miles awayCOpen →Hazard riskcold waves tops the listC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →Jobs & income$75K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 90° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market72 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 44.7; 13% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 59 attractions →Reliant Stadium and 50 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around San Leon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaReliant Stadium
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaDaikin Park
10 mi MuseumSpace Center Houston
20 mi LandmarkSan Jacinto Monument
31 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Center
17 mi Theme parkGalveston Island Historic Pleasure PierSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Reliant Stadium: User eschipul on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Daikin Park: Delaywaves, CC BY 3.0 · Space Center Houston: Shujianyang, CC BY 4.0 · San Jacinto Monument: Tijuana Brass at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Toyota Center: Ed Uthman from Houston, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0
Getting set up
Moving to San Leon: who provides what
San Leon is unincorporated, so Galveston County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerEntergy Texas13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSan Leon MUDNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesGalveston CountyGalveston County provides services here
Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereGalveston County Early Voting ClerkGalveston County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7753977539 100%Census 2020
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 San Leon.
San Leon has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values still below their peak, but it has little public open land.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Most of San Leon’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Jobs based here fell from 1,724 in 2013 to 589.
Most working residents leave San Leon for work: only 9% work in town. At 33 minutes, San Leon’s average trip to work is above both the Texas town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in San Leon fell to 589 in 2023, 1,135 fewer than in 2013.
9%work in town
| San Leon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In San Leon9%
Houston24%
League City7%
Texas City6%
Galveston5%
18 mi
median commute distance
589
jobs based in San Leon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC+
Public schools in San Leon fall behind 56% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Dickinson ISD. Its one school is below.
44%of TX districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Leon ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 540 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HealthC
San Leon is less healthy than 74% of U.S. towns
San Leon beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 20% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in San Leon, against 18% in Texas’ towns and 8.1% across U.S. towns. 16% of San Leon adults report frequent physical distress.
27%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| San Leon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 74% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better23 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | San Leon | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.3% | 5.7% |
| More smokers | 16.3% | 12.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.3% | 5.6% |
Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital
9.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
39th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsD
0.1% of San Leon is conserved land
Just 2 of its 3,242 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in San Leon itself; its outdoors grade is D.
1.5 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
#267for trails in TX
| San Leon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.1%
conserved · 2 of 3,242 acres
1.5 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in San Leon
The Houston Nwso weather station, 9 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 317 days, longer than in 96% of U.S. towns. January nights average 46.4°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.9°.
San Leon has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. San Leon’s January low is 46°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
90°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter49–64°
Spring63–76°
Summer77–89°
Fall65–79°
Dec 14
typical first frost
Jan 31
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
90°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A−
San Leon’s grade for cost of living is an A−
The typical value, about $242K, is 12% below its July 2022 peak. 74% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.7% across Texas.
88% of households own their home in San Leon. The typical San Leon home is worth about $242,000, down 2.4% in a year, 18% below the Texas typical home. The median rent in San Leon is $989 a month.
$242KZillow home value
| San Leon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $989 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
San Leon$242K
Texas$296K
Market temperature
72
days on market
96.6%
sale-to-list price
−2.4%
value change, 1 year
6
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C+
Moderate risk in San Leon, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 1,705 flood insurance claims have been paid out in San Leon.
57risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesHurricanesInland flooding
1,705
paid flood claims since 1979
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about San Leon
18pages on San Leon
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of San Leon
College of the MainlandCommunity college · Public · Texas City7.5 mi$2,310 in-state tuitionRemington College-Houston Southeast CampusCommunity college · Private nonprofit · League City10.7 mi$16,926 tuitionUniversity of Houston-Clear LakeUniversity or college · Public · Houston11.3 mi$7,770 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 San Leon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
A commuter town
91% of working residents leave San Leon for work
Where San Leon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
589jobs based in San Leon
9%of working residents work in town
18 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About San Leon
Census-designated place in Texas, United States
San Leon is a census-designated place (CDP) in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,135 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 10 ft
- Area code
- 281
San Leon’s neighbors
One town shares a border with San Leon.
Texas CitySan Leon
How the neighbors grade
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Leon | #273 | C+ | A− | — | C+ | C |
| Texas City | #520 | D | C+ | C− | C | C− |
San Leon reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare San Leon with a neighbor →
Questions about San Leon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is San Leon, TX a good place to live?
San Leon grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #273 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health and C+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is San Leon, TX expensive?
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−.