Migrant man and wife camped near Sebastian, Texas, 8a25356, 1939
Sebastian’s story
118 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1939.
- 1908Sebastian is settled
SebastianTX
A typical home costs 2 years of the Raymondville area’s $54K median household income. Today 1,021 people live in this town, first settled in 1908.
Population
1,021
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$108K
+9.4% in a year
Household income
$23K
median
Median age
42.1
years
Jobs based here
19
A commuter town
Is Sebastian a good place to live?
The best of Sebastian’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for walkability. 38% of residents live below the poverty line in Sebastian, above both Texas’ towns (12%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 4 of Texas’ 998 towns score higher on cost of living. The median household income is $23K, and 38% of residents live below the poverty line. Sebastian has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sebastian stand out
Where Sebastian beats most towns.
Small town
1,021 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
YznagaSebastian
How Sebastian grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Sebastian is from typical.
Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3.9 of 20; 0% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Jobs & income19 jobs based hereDOpen →Hazard riskCold waves top the listDOpen →HealthLess healthy than 87% of U.S. towns; Harlingen Medical Center 10.1 miles awayDOpen →SchoolsBehind 65% of Texas districts on tests and graduationC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryLittle recorded history by comparisonDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 97° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 42.1; 2% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Sebastian: who provides what
Sebastian is unincorporated, so Willacy County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMagic Valley Electric Coop10.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSebastian MUD1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWillacy CountyWillacy 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 hereWillacy County Early Voting ClerkWillacy County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7859478594 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 Sebastian.
HousingCost of living grade A+
The median rent in Sebastian is lower than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
Typical home values rose 9.4% in the year to September 2026. For households in Sebastian, the share who are owner-occupiers is 61%.
$108KZillow home value
| Sebastian | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $326 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Sebastian$108K
Texas$296K
+9.4%
value change, 1 year
0
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthD
Sebastian stands out in Texas and nationally: a larger share of its adults have diabetes
Among adults in Sebastian, 74% had a checkup this year. This Texas town beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. In Sebastian, 19% of adults report frequent physical distress, and 45% get no exercise outside work.
13%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Sebastian | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 30% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 20% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
2 better10 too close to call19 worse
| What stands out | Sebastian | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.2% | 17% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.8% | 74.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 39.4% | 19.1% |
Harlingen Medical Center
10.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Natural hazards: very high risk in Sebastian, mostly cold waves
Sebastian’s risk rating from FEMA is 83 of 100. Expected losses in Sebastian break down as 60% from cold waves and 24% from hurricanes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Sebastian after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2025.
83risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesHurricanesDrought
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Sebastian’s workers commute out: the town has 0.0 jobs for each of them
In Sebastian, 0.2% of working residents work locally. Half commute less than 26 miles. Among 643 Texas towns, just 3 have a lower median household income than Sebastian. The top destinations are Harlingen (18%), Raymondville (7%) and Brownsville (6%).
0%work in town
| Sebastian | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $23,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.2% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Sebastian0%
Harlingen18%
Raymondville7%
Brownsville6%
McAllen4%
26 mi
median commute distance
19
jobs based in Sebastian
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
97°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter52–73°
Spring65–86°
Summer76–96°
Fall65–86°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
97°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC
0.6% of Sebastian is conserved land
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The concentration of trails in Sebastian is 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves in the town: one, of 6 acres.
0.6%conserved
| Sebastian | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.6%
conserved · 7 of 1,066 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sebastian Park and Sports Facility | 0.3 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sebastian
17pages on Sebastian
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sebastian; the nearest are
The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyUniversity or college · Public · Edinburg23.5 mi$9,987 in-state tuitionTexas Southmost CollegeCommunity college · Public · Brownsville36.1 mi$3,148 in-state tuition
About 6 of every 100 Sebastian residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
A shrinking town
Sebastian has shrunk 12% from 2010 to 2020
1,917 counted in 2010 and 1,684 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
About Sebastian
CDP in Texas, United States
Sebastian is a census-designated place (CDP) in Willacy County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,684 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 39 ft
- ZIP code
- 78594
Questions about Sebastian
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sebastian, 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+.