Worker at carbon black plant, 1939
Sunray’s story
95 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1939.
- 1931Sunray is settled
SunrayTX
A town of 1,739, settled in 1931. 38% more nonprofits per person than the typical Texas town.
Population
1,739
2025 Census estimate · +1.7% since 2020
Typical home
$143K
+7.1% in a year
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
32.6
years
Jobs based here
417
A commuter town
Is Sunray a good place to live?
Sunray’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for walkability. Only 88 of Texas’ 999 towns score lower on walkability. On civic life, just 26 of Texas’ 791 towns do better. Sunray has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sunray stand out
Where Sunray beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Sunray4.6
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical TX town3.3
Civic lifeA
38% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Texas town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Sunray$143K
Texas$296K
Cost of livingA−
2.3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 78% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sunray0
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
SafetyB+
No violent crime reported in 2025
FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.
A shrinking town
Sunray has shrunk 10% since 2010
1,926 counted in 2010 and 1,707 in 2020; an estimated 1,739 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Sunray grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Sunray is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 5 of 20; 5.8% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →HealthMemorial Hospital 13.4 miles awayC−Open →SafetyB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listBOpen →SchoolsBOpen →Jobs & income$66K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailC+Open →HistoryC−Open →Civic life4.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
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 32.6; 21% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sunray: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sunray, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Sunray water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpSunray Recycling Center200 Avenue JOpenStreetMap
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 hereMoore County Early Voting ClerkMoore County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code7908679086 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 Sunray.
HousingCost of living grade A−
A typical Sunray home is worth about $143K
The typical Sunray home is worth about $143,000, up 7.1% in a year, 52% below the Texas typical home. 84% of households own their home in Sunray, above both the Texas town median (69%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Sunray’s median rent is $972 a month.
$143KZillow home value
| Sunray | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $972 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Sunray$143K
Texas$296K
+7.1%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB
Sunray’s schools rank ahead of 57% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Sunray Collegiate ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
57%of TX districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunray ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 256 | A− |
| Sunray H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 205 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Health in Sunray trails 77% of U.S. towns
Sunray beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 24% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Sunray, against 18% in Texas’ towns and 8.1% across U.S. towns. 72% of adults had a checkup this year in Sunray.
23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Sunray | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 74% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 25% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better21 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Sunray | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.9% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.3% | 5.7% |
| More smokers | 15.7% | 12.5% |
Memorial Hospital
13.4 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 B−
Sunray has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Sunray for work: only 18% work in town. The average trip to work in Sunray is 16 minutes. Jobs based in Sunray fell to 417 in 2023, 362 fewer than in 2013.
18%work in town
| Sunray | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.2% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sunray18%
Cactus13%
Dumas10%
Amarillo8%
Lubbock3%
14 mi
median commute distance
417
jobs based in Sunray
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SafetyB+
In Sunray, violent crime runs lower than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
Among 489 Texas towns, just 6 have a lower violent crime rate than Sunray. Sunray reports less crime per resident than 74% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
74%of U.S. towns report more crimeB+Safety Grade
| Sunray | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sunray0
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Sunray6.3
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
74th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
11
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Climate
Four seasons and hot summers in Sunray
Sunray has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 23° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
9″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–52°
Spring42–72°
Summer64–92°
Fall44–72°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Sunray faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by drought
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
39risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtCold wavesTornadoes
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,091 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Painter Park | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 2. Treasure Island Park | 0.2 mi | 13 |
| 3. Sunray Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sunray
19pages on Sunray
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 57% of TX districts · 3 schoolsSafetyB+0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC−Better than TX on 0 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingA−$143K typical home · up 7.1% in a yearWork & commuteB−$66K median household income · 417 jobs hereNatural hazardsBFEMA risk higher than 39% of U.S. communities · drought
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sunray; the nearest are
Frank Phillips CollegeCommunity college · Public · Borger34.2 mi$3,712 in-state tuitionOklahoma Panhandle State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Goodwell, OK41.1 mi$8,092 in-state tuition
About 7 of every 100 Sunray residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
About Sunray
City in Texas, United States
Sunray is a city in northeastern Moore County, Texas, United States. Its population was 1,707 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,507 ft
- ZIP code
- 79086
- Area code
- 806
Questions about Sunray
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sunray, TX a good place to live?
38% more nonprofits per person than the typical Texas town.
Is Sunray, 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−.