Tower Station · National Register of Historic Places
Shamrock’s story
136 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1936.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1890Shamrock is settled
Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,692
2025 Census estimate · −5.5% since 2020
Typical home
$79K
+1.3% in a year
Household income
$47K
median
Median age
40.2
years
Jobs based here
976
A job hub
Is Shamrock a good place to live?
The best of Shamrock’s subject grades is an A for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 31% of working residents work locally in Shamrock, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. On incomes, just 32 of Texas’ 990 towns do worse. Only 89 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score higher on history. Shamrock has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Shamrock stand out
Where Shamrock beats most towns.
A job hub
Every workday, about 775 people come to Shamrock for work
Where Shamrock’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
976jobs based in Shamrock
31%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Shamrock grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Shamrock is from typical.
Jobs & income$47K median household incomeD−Open →Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskdrought tops the listC−Open →HealthShamrock General Hospital 1.1 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.3 of 20; 13.6% of households have no car; 0.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 0% conserved landC−Open →History1 place on the National Register; 3 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life5.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 40.2; 10% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Shamrock: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shamrock, and how to reach them.
PowerSWEPCO12.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterShamrock Municipal Water System1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site
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 hereWheeler County Early Voting ClerkWheeler County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2018
ZIP code7907979079 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 Shamrock.
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Shamrock home is worth about $79K
The typical Shamrock home is worth about $79,000, up 1.3% in a year, 73% below the Texas typical home. Shamrock’s median rent is $958 a month, below both Texas’ towns ($1,208 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$79KZillow home value
| Shamrock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $958 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Shamrock$79K
Texas$296K
+1.3%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC
Public schools in Shamrock fall behind 70% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Shamrock ISD. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Shamrock Isd, with 343 students.
30%of TX districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shamrock IsdLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 343 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
Shamrock has 1.5 jobs for every working resident, and 775 people commute in
About one in 3 of Shamrock’s working residents works in town. 19% of Shamrock residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Shamrock fell to 976 in 2023, 479 fewer than in 2013.
31%work in town
| Shamrock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Shamrock31%
Amarillo8%
Wheeler7%
Lubbock2%
Clarendon2%
16 mi
median commute distance
976
jobs based in Shamrock
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Health in Shamrock trails 75% of U.S. towns
Shamrock beats the Texas average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Shamrock.
25%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Shamrock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Texas
3 better13 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Shamrock | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 15.3% | 19.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.3% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.4% | 12.5% |
Shamrock General Hospital
1.1 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 C−
Drought leads a high hazard risk in Shamrock
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Shamrock since 2015.
70risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtWildfireTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2015
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Shamrock
Shamrock has chilly winters and hot summers. Shamrock’s July high is 95°F.
9″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–53°
Spring46–73°
Summer67–93°
Fall47–74°
Oct 30
typical first frost
Apr 9
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsC−
Shamrock has set aside 0.4% of its land for conservation
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Shamrock is 0.1 miles per square mile.
0.4%conserved
| Shamrock | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
0.4%
conserved · 5 of 1,308 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Central Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 2. Elmore Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shamrock
18pages on Shamrock
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Shamrock; the nearest are
Clarendon CollegeCommunity college · Public · Clarendon41.6 mi$3,720 in-state tuitionSouthwestern Oklahoma State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Weatherford, OK89.4 mi$8,469 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Shamrock residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
Famous people from Shamrock
3 notable people were born in Shamrock.
About Shamrock
City in the United States
Shamrock is a city in Wheeler County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 1,789. The city is located in the eastern portion of the Texas Panhandle, centered along the crossroads of Interstate 40 (formerly U.S. Route 66) and U.S. Route 83. Due to its location at this intersection, Shamrock has been called the gateway to the Southwest. It is 110 miles (180 km) east of Amarillo, 188 miles (303 km) west of Oklahoma City, and 291 miles (468 km) northwest of Dallas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1890
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,343 ft
- ZIP code
- 79079
- Area code
- 806
Questions about Shamrock
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Shamrock, 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.
What is Shamrock, TX known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Holice Turnbow and Noel Johnson.