Postcard of Sour Lake Springs Hotel, 1900
Sour Lake’s story
160 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900.
- 1866Sour Lake is settled
Sour LakeTX
A town of 1,841, settled in 1866.
Photo: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas · CC BY 2.0
Population
1,841
2025 Census estimate · +3.8% since 2020
Typical home
$267K
+2.3% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
34.5
years
Jobs based here
966
Balanced
Is Sour Lake a good place to live?
Sour Lake’s best subject grade is an A− for civic life; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 75 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. On civic life, just 58 of Texas’ 791 towns do better. Sour Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
How Sour Lake grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Sour Lake is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.4 of 20; 3.3% of households have no car; 1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SafetyB+Open →SchoolsB+Open →Cost of livingC+Open →HealthAltus Lumberton Hospital 13.9 miles awayBOpen →Jobs & income$73K 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.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 34.5; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sour Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sour Lake, and how to reach them.
PowerEntergy Texas13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Sour Lake water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sour Lake’s trash rules yet
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 hereHardin County Early Voting ClerkHardin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2024
ZIP code7765977659 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 Sour Lake.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
High risk in Sour Lake, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 114 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sour Lake.
78risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
114
paid flood claims since 1979
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB+
Public schools in Sour Lake beat 67% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Hardin-Jefferson ISD. Its one school is below.
67%of TX districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sour Lake ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 720 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
SafetyB+
Crime per resident in Sour Lake is lower than in 68% of U.S. towns
At 5.4 per 1,000 residents, Sour Lake’s property crime rate is against 10.7 in Texas’ towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. The violent crime rate in Sour Lake is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
68%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Sour Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sour Lake1.1
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Sour Lake5.4
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
68th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
10
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
In Sour Lake, expect mild winters and hot summers
Sour Lake has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. At 93°F, Sour Lake’s July high is below Texas’ towns (95°F) but above U.S. towns (85°F).
93°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter44–64°
Spring58–79°
Summer73–92°
Fall59–81°
Dec 2
typical first frost
Feb 18
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
About one in three of Sour Lake’s working residents commute to Beaumont
Most working residents leave Sour Lake for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs based in Sour Lake grew to 966 in 2023, 131 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Beaumont (31%), Houston (6%) and Port Arthur (3%).
12%work in town
| Sour Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Sour Lake12%
Beaumont31%
Houston6%
Port Arthur3%
Lumberton3%
18 mi
median commute distance
966
jobs based in Sour Lake
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB
Sour Lake is healthier than 59% of U.S. towns
Sour Lake beats the Texas average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 12% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Sour Lake.
59%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Sour Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 37% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 22% | 23% |
31 measures vs. Texas
6 better21 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Sour Lake | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 11.6% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.3% | 19.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.5% | 6.1% |
Altus Lumberton Hospital
13.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade C+
Homes in Sour Lake are worth about $267K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Sour Lake home is worth about $267,000, up 2.3% in a year, 10% below the Texas typical home.
$267KZillow home value
| Sour Lake | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,286 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 69% | 73% |
Typical home value
Sour Lake$267K
Texas$296K
+2.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,495 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lions Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 23 attractions →Big Thicket National Preserve and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sour Lake. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National PreserveBig Thicket National Preserve228K visitors a year
21 mi LandmarkSpindletop21 mi MuseumSpindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum
18 mi MuseumBabe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center
19 mi MuseumEdison Museum
19 mi MuseumArt Museum of Southeast TexasSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Big Thicket National Preserve: NPS, Public domain · Spindletop: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Edison Museum: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Art Museum of Southeast Texas: R. Rothenberger, CC BY 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sour Lake
19pages on Sour Lake
The big questions
SchoolsB+Beat 67% of TX districts · 1 schoolSafetyB+1.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthBBetter than TX on 6 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingC+$267K typical home · up 2.3% in a yearWork & commuteC+$73K median household income · 966 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sour Lake; the nearest are
Lamar Institute of TechnologyCommunity college · Public · Beaumont20.5 mi$2,844 in-state tuitionLamar UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Beaumont20.9 mi$8,905 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Sour Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Sour Lake
City in Texas, United States
Sour Lake is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,773 at the 2020 census. It was originally named "Sour Lake Springs", after the sulphurous spring water that flowed into the nearby lake. The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sour Lake is the oldest surviving town in Hardin County. It is called by some the "Gateway to the Big Thicket".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 49 ft
- ZIP code
- 77659
- Area code
- 409
Questions about Sour Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sour Lake, TX expensive?
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($64,659 across the Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.