Sargent TX Caney Creek, 2018
Sargent’s story
114 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2018.
- 1912Sargent is settled
SargentTX
A town of 1,422, settled in 1912.
Photo: Djmaschek · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,422
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$188K
Census ACS
Household income
$60K
median
Median age
67.1
years
Jobs based here
30
A commuter town
Is Sargent a good place to live?
The best of Sargent’s subject grades is a B+ for schools; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. The biggest park or preserve is San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, at 319 acres. Sargent has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Small town
1,422 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Sargent grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Sargent is from typical.
Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 98% of U.S. communities; hurricanes tops the listD−Open →Jobs & income$60K median household incomeDOpen →HealthSweeny Community Hospital 17.7 miles awayC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 2.3 of 20; 1.4% of households have no car; 2.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →SchoolsBeat 68% of Texas districts on tests and graduationB+Open →Cost of livingTypical home $188K, 3.2 years of the Bay City area’s $59K median household incomeC+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.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Sargent: who provides what
Sargent is unincorporated, so Matagorda County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerJackson Electric Coop14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCaney Creek MUD of Matagorda County13 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers82% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMatagorda CountyMatagorda 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 hereMatagorda County Early Voting ClerkMatagorda County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7741477414 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 Sargent.
Who lives here
Sargent stands out in Texas and nationally, with the median age higher than most
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 36%, against 34% across Texas. People 65 and older are 58% of residents (13% statewide); children under 18 are 1% of residents (25% statewide).
67.1median age · TX 35.6
| Sargent | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 67.1 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 23% | 29% |
SargentTexasUnited States
Ages · share of residents
45%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma10%
High school32%
Some college19%
Associate’s3%
Bachelor’s22%
Graduate14%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Among residents 55 to 64, 77% are men (TX 49%). Median age: women 68.4, men 64.8.
| Sargent | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 0.3% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 1.1% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 45.1% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.4% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.8% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.3% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.5% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 3.1% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.3% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
The FEMA risk score in Sargent is higher than in most of Texas or the rest of the country
Federal aid has come to Sargent households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. Expected losses in Sargent break down as 48% from hurricanes and 33% from inland flooding.
98risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingCoastal flooding
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC−
On CDC estimates, Sargent is less healthy than four in five U.S. towns
20% of adults have diabetes in Sargent. The town does better than the Texas average on 10 of 31 CDC measures and worse on 12. In Sargent, half of adults have high blood pressure, and 18% report frequent physical distress. Only 10 of the 642 Texas towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Sargent.
17%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Sargent | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
31 measures vs. Texas
10 better9 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Sargent | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 12.1% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.2% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.6% | 5.7% |
Sweeny Community Hospital
17.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Sargent’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Sargent dropped by 26, to 30. For most workers, Sargent is a place to come home to: only 1% work in town. In Sargent, 19% of residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Houston (29%), Bay City (3%) and Lake Jackson (3%).
1%work in town
| Sargent | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sargent1%
Houston29%
Bay City3%
Lake Jackson3%
Austin3%
69 mi
median commute distance
30
jobs based in Sargent
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers: that is Sargent’s year
Sargent’s typical July afternoon high is 90°F.
91°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter49–66°
Spring63–77°
Summer76–90°
Fall64–81°
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
3% of Sargent is conserved land
6.8 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves. The density of trails for Sargent comes to 0.8 miles per square mile.
3%conserved
| Sargent | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
3%
conserved · 162 of 5,481 acres
6.8 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge | — | 319 |
| 2. Chamber Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
HousingCost of living grade C+
A home in Sargent sells for about $380K at the median
On the market in Sargent: a median 157 days to sell. For households here, the share who own their home is 97%. Homes in Sargent sold for 89.2% of their list price on average.
$380Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
157
days on market
89.2%
sale-to-list price
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sargent
16pages on Sargent
The big questions
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sargent; the nearest are
Brazosport CollegeCommunity college · Public · Lake Jackson22.4 mi$2,388 in-state tuitionWharton County Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wharton45.3 mi$3,192 in-state tuitionThe University of Texas Medical Branch at GalvestonUniversity or college · Public · Galveston63.2 mi
About 1 of every 100 Sargent residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Sargent for work
Where Sargent’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
30jobs based in Sargent
1%of working residents work in town
69 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sargent
Unincorporated community and Census designated place in Texas, United States
Sargent is a small unincorporated community located in the eastern corner of Matagorda County, Texas, United States. Sargent is a fishing, boating, and water sports community with a variable population, as most of its inhabitants are weekend commuters from larger cities such as Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Sargent is on Farm to Market Road 457, five miles northwest of the Gulf of Mexico and twenty-four miles southeast of Bay City, in the eastern corner of Matagorda County. As of the 2020 census, Sargent had a population of 1,212. The Sargent area, with its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, East Matagorda Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and Caney Creek, is home base to many commercial an…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3 ft
Questions about Sargent
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sargent, TX expensive?
The typical home is worth about $188,000, 37% 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 C+.