Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,684, settled in 1910.
Slaton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $143K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the Lubbock metro’s $64K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 435th of 640 in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and it reports more crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns, including 50 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Slaton’s violent crime rate is 8.8 per 1,000 residents, above both Texas’ towns (1.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). Slaton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. Slaton is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Slaton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Slaton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Slaton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,525 in 1920, 5,858 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1978 and 3 maps from 1965 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Slaton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Slaton.
Slaton has homes that are cheap against local pay and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Texas; it also reports violent crime at about twice the Texas rate.
26% of Slaton adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Slaton beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 39% of Slaton adults get no exercise outside work.
| Slaton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Slaton | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.3% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.9% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Slaton ISD. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Slaton H S, with 359 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathelene Thomas ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 435 | C+ |
| Slaton H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 359 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
At 2.3 years of the Lubbock metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $143K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. Values rose 8% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
Typical home values rose 8% in the year to September 2026. 79% of households own their home in Slaton.
| Slaton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $994 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Violent crime runs at 8.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Texas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−. Reported crimes rose from 97 to 139 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Slaton is 15.7 per 1,000 residents. Slaton reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 81% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Slaton for work: only 13% work in town. Slaton’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Lubbock (52%), Amarillo (2%) and Midland (1%).
| Slaton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons average 93.2°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 84% of Texas places with climate records; January nights average 28.7°.
Slaton has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. About 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Slaton | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 93°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.9 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Slaton | 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 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. City of Slaton Park | — | 18 |
| 2. Elgie Allen Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Russell Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Slaton. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Stadium & arenaGalaxy Stadium
15 mi Theme parkJoyland Amusement Park
14 mi MuseumBuddy Holly Center17 mi MuseumNational Ranching Heritage Center
18 mi MuseumSilent Wings Museum
17 mi MuseumMuseum of Texas Tech UniversityGalaxy Stadium: Falcon8765, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Joyland Amusement Park: Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5 · Buddy Holly Center: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Silent Wings Museum: Leaflet, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Texas Tech University: Billy Hathorn at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Slaton; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Slaton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
6 notable people were born in Slaton.
City in Texas, United States
Slaton is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. Founded by German immigrants, Slaton was the westernmost German settlement in Texas. The population was 5,858 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 5,698 in 2024. Slaton is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Slaton grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #435 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
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 B+.
6 notable people were born here, including Bobby Keys and Bill Lienhard.
