Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,533, settled in 1903. 25% more nonprofits per person than the typical Texas town.
Tahoka grades C− overall, 392nd among Texas's 640 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Tahoka’s violent crime rate is 7.1 per 1,000 residents, above both Texas’ towns (1.9) and U.S. towns (1.6). Only 76 of Texas’ 791 towns score higher on civic life. Lynn County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Tahoka beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2,673 counted in 2010 and 2,375 in 2020; an estimated 2,533 in 2025.
The decline has turned around: up 6.9% since 2020, after a 11.1% drop in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Tahoka is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 786 in 1920, a peak of 3,262 in 1980, 2,375 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tahoka, 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 Tahoka.
Tahoka has homes that are cheap against local pay and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Texas; it also reports violent crime at about twice the Texas rate.
26% of Tahoka adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Tahoka beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 19. 32% of Tahoka adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Tahoka | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 20% | 14% |
| What stands out | Tahoka | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.5% | 74.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.3% | 12.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Tahoka ISD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tahoka ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 295 | A− |
| Tahoka H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 183 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
At 2.7 years of the Lubbock metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $174K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. Values rose 13.4% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
The typical Tahoka home is worth about $174,000, 41% below the Texas typical home. Tahoka’s median rent is $978 a month.
| Tahoka | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $978 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 5 of Tahoka’s working residents works in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Tahoka. Jobs based in Tahoka grew to 535 in 2023, 95 more than in 2013.
| Tahoka | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Tahoka since 2022.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Tahoka weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 220 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 91% of Texas places with climate records. The Tahoka weather station records that about 89 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 84% of Texas places with climate records.
Tahoka has mild winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The July high in Tahoka is 94°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Violent crime runs at 7.1 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+.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tahoka Baseball/Softball Complex | — | 14 |
| 2. Tahoka Mini Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Tahoka; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Tahoka residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
City in Texas, United States
Tahoka is a city in and the county seat of Lynn County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,375 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tahoka grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #392 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
2 notable people were born here, including James Gill and Val Joe Walker.