Kerr's Mercantile - 1982, 1982
Sanderson’s story
144 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,229 in 1970, 664 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1982 and 3 maps from 1928 on.
- 1882Sanderson is founded
SandersonTX
With 643 residents, this town was founded in 1882.
Photo: Aualliso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
643
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$106K
−12.5% in a year
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
60.5
years
Jobs based here
33
A commuter town
Founded
1882
144 years ago
Is Sanderson a good place to live?
38% of residents are 65 or older in Sanderson, against 14% in Texas’ towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 643 Texas towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Sanderson. Sanderson’s concentration of trails is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both Texas’ towns (0.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Sanderson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
643 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sanderson.
Housing
The typical home in Sanderson: about $106K
$106KZillow home value
Values fell 13% in the year to September 2026. The share of households in Sanderson who are owner-occupiers is 91%.
Typical home value
Sanderson$106K
Texas$296K
−12.5%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Schools
The schools Sanderson’s kids attend
The public schools here belong to Terrell County ISD. Its one school is below. 114 students attend Sanderson’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanderson SchoolsLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 114 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts
Work & commute
Sanderson has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
7%work in town
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Sanderson rose by 32, to 33. Just 7% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Also worth knowing: in Sanderson, the typical household income is $47,000. The median commute is under 146 miles.
| Sanderson | Typical Texas town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.3% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Sanderson7%
Midland6%
Alpine5%
Austin5%
San Angelo5%
146 mi
median commute distance
33
jobs based in Sanderson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Top of a high hazard risk in Sanderson: inland flooding
68risk score of 100
Sanderson’s natural-hazard score from FEMA works out to 68 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects locally, 77% come from inland flooding and 5% from wildfires. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Sanderson once, in 2024.
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingWildfireStrong wind
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Sanderson brings mild winters and hot summers
94°summer high
July afternoons reach 94°, January nights drop to 34° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
Winter36–63°
Spring54–82°
Summer70–94°
Fall54–79°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Mar 11
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
94°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Sanderson is
Across all 31 CDC measures, Sanderson beats Texas on 13 and trails on 5. One in ten adults smoke cigarettes locally.
| Sanderson | Typical Texas town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
31 measures vs. Texas
13 better13 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Sanderson | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.3% | 10.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.7% | 6.1% |
Pecos County Memorial Hospital
47.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%
conserved · 0 of 2,679 acres
10 mi
of trails · 2.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bicentennial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sanderson
15pages on Sanderson
The big questions
Out and about
Getting set up
Moving to Sanderson: who provides what
Sanderson is unincorporated, so Terrell County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerRio Grande Electric Coop18.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterTerrell County Wcid 1 water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet1 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesTerrell CountyTerrell 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 hereTerrell County Early Voting ClerkTerrell County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Mar 2024
ZIP code7984879848 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.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Sanderson for work
Where Sanderson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
33jobs based in Sanderson
7%of working residents work in town
146 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sanderson; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Sanderson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Sanderson
Census-designated place in Texas, United States
Sanderson is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Terrell County, Texas, United States. Its population was 664 at the 2020 census. Sanderson was created in 1882 as a part of neighboring Pecos County. It became the seat of Terrell County in 1905.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 4.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,789 ft
- ZIP code
- 79848
- Area code
- 432
Questions about Sanderson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sanderson, TX a good place to live?
Sanderson has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Sanderson is in here
Say something about Sanderson.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.