Sweeny1, 2012
Sweeny’s story
131 years in pictures
Census counts: 1,393 in 1950, 3,626 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
- 1895Sweeny is settled
Photo: Kmiec2015 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
3,594
2025 Census estimate · −0.9% since 2020
Typical home
$239K
+0.7% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
32.3
years
Jobs based here
982
A commuter town
TownGrade
B
#153 of 640 in TX
Is Sweeny a good place to live?
Sweeny gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $239K, 2.9 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 153rd of 640 in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Sweeny’s January low is 45°F, above both the Texas town median (37°F) and the median of U.S. towns (22°F).
What makes Sweeny stand out
Where Sweeny beats most towns.
A commuter town
89% of working residents leave Sweeny for work
Where Sweeny’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
982jobs based in Sweeny
11%of working residents work in town
36 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sweeny grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Sweeny is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20; 0.8% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Jobs & income$73K median household incomeB+Open →HealthSweeny Community Hospital 0.5 miles awayC+Open →SchoolsBOpen →SafetyB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 2% conserved landC+Open →History2 notable people born hereCOpen →Civic life4.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateMild winters, 93° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 32.3; 24% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sweeny: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sweeny, and how to reach them.
PowerJackson Electric Coop14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Sweeny water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpMondayTrash dayTown 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 hereBrazoria County Early Voting ClerkBrazoria County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7748077480 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 Sweeny.
Sweeny trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Sweeny has 0.7 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Sweeny for work: only 11% work in town. Sweeny’s average trip to work is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Sweeny grew to 982 in 2023, 63 more than in 2013.
11%work in town
| Sweeny | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 8.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Sweeny11%
Houston18%
Freeport6%
Clute4%
Lake Jackson3%
36 mi
median commute distance
982
jobs based in Sweeny
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Public schools in Sweeny beat 58% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Sweeny ISD. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sweeny H S, with 597 students.
58%of TX districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweeny ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 869 | B |
| Sweeny H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 597 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Sweeny faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
136 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, 136 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sweeny.
74risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes
136
paid flood claims since 1979
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Mild winters and hot summers in Sweeny
January nights average 44.9°, milder than in 97% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.2°. The Angleton 2 W weather station, 16 miles away, records that about 83 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 76% of Texas places with climate records.
Sweeny has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Sweeny is 92°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
93°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter47–66°
Spring61–79°
Summer74–92°
Fall62–82°
Dec 8
typical first frost
Feb 13
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
93°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade B+
For cost of living, Sweeny earns a B+
Homes are within reach (about $239K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 36 miles.
The typical Sweeny home is worth about $239,000, up 0.7% in a year, 19% below the Texas typical home.
$239KZillow home value
Typical home value
Sweeny$239K
Texas$296K
+0.7%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC+
Residents of Sweeny are less healthy than 60% of U.S. towns
Sweeny beats the Texas average on 8 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Sweeny.
40%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Sweeny | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 77% | 74% | 79% |
31 measures vs. Texas
8 better15 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Sweeny | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 15.7% | 19.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8% | 6.1% |
Sweeny Community Hospital
0.5 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
54th
percentile among TX towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SafetyB−
Crime per resident in Sweeny is lower than in 52% of U.S. towns
Reported crimes fell from 72 to 27 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
52%of U.S. towns report more crimeB−Safety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Sweeny0.8
Texas3.5
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Sweeny6.7
Texas18.1
U.S.15.5
52nd
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
63rd
percentile among TX towns
3
violent crimes reported in 2025
24
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.7%conserved
| Sweeny | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1.7%
conserved · 21 of 1,268 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Backyard Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sweeny
20pages on Sweeny
The big questions
SchoolsBBeat 58% of TX districts · 4 schoolsSafetyB−0.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC+Better than TX on 8 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$239K typical home · up 0.7% in a yearWork & commuteB+$73K median household income · 982 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 74% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sweeny; the nearest are
Brazosport CollegeCommunity college · Public · Lake Jackson17.5 mi$2,388 in-state tuitionWharton County Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wharton30.2 mi$3,192 in-state tuitionThe University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonUniversity or college · Public · Houston48.7 mi
About 3 of every 100 Sweeny residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Sweeny
City in Texas, United States
Sweeny is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, the westernmost incorporated town in the county. The population was 3,626 as of 2020. The city's motto is "A City with Pride". The city was once known as Adamston.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- ZIP code
- 77480
- Area code
- 979
Questions about Sweeny
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sweeny, TX a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Sweeny grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #153 of 640 in Texas. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and B for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Is Sweeny, 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 B+.
What is Sweeny, TX known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Johnnie Lee Higgins and Tank Carder.