Van Vleck ISD Admin Building, 2018
Van Vleck’s story
125 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2018.
- 1901Van Vleck is settled
Van VleckTX
Today 1,763 people live in this town, first settled in 1901.
Population
1,763
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$231K
+2.8% in a year
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
47.3
years
Jobs based here
318
A commuter town
Is Van Vleck a good place to live?
The best of Van Vleck’s subject grades is a B+ for schools; the weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 7 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score lower on hazard risk. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. Van Vleck has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Van Vleck for work
Where Van Vleck’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
318jobs based in Van Vleck
3%of working residents work in town
53 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Van Vleck grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Van Vleck is from typical.
Hazard riskHurricanes top the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.7 of 20; 2.4% of households have no car; 1.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Jobs & incomeBased on what households earn, poverty and workC−Open →HealthSweeny Community Hospital 11.8 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsSchools do better than mostB+Open →Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnB−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.
ClimateMild winters, 94° summer afternoons–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 47.3; 16% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Van Vleck: who provides what
Van Vleck is unincorporated, so Matagorda County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerJackson Electric Coop14.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMatagorda County Wcid 6 water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMatagorda CountyMatagorda County provides services here
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 hereMatagorda County Early Voting ClerkMatagorda County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code7748277482 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 Van Vleck.
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
In Van Vleck, the FEMA risk score runs higher than in the typical Texas or U.S. town
64% of Van Vleck’s expected losses from natural hazards come from hurricanes, followed by inland flooding at 20%. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 90% of U.S. communities.
90risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland flooding
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
SchoolsB+
Van Vleck’s schools rank ahead of 68% of Texas districts
Its public schools are run by Van Vleck ISD. Below: Two of its 3 schools, each with why it was picked. The largest public high school is Van Vleck H S, with 342 students.
68%of TX districts it outscoresB+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Vleck ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 447 | B |
| Van Vleck H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 342 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Van Vleck has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Van Vleck’s middle household income stands at $59,000, against $69,000 in Texas’ towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Only 3% of working residents stay in Van Vleck for work; the rest commute out. The typical journey to work here is 29 minutes. Also worth knowing: jobs in Van Vleck grew by 85 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 318.
3%work in town
| Van Vleck | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 12% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Van Vleck3%
Houston22%
Bay City17%
Matagorda3%
Pasadena3%
53 mi
median commute distance
318
jobs based in Van Vleck
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 20% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Residents of Van Vleck are less healthy than 75% of U.S. towns
In Van Vleck, 18% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Van Vleck: 39% of adults have obesity, where Texas’ towns sit at 37% and U.S. towns at 35%.
25%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Van Vleck | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 35% |
31 measures vs. Texas
0 better22 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Van Vleck | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.6% | 12.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 6.8% | 5.6% |
Sweeny Community Hospital
11.8 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 B−
A home in Van Vleck is worth about $231K, on Zillow’s estimate
Home values are up 2.8% over the year to September 2026. For households in Van Vleck, the share who are owner-occupiers is 86%. Its midpoint rent stands at $1,005 a month.
$231KZillow home value
| Van Vleck | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,005 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Van Vleck$231K
Texas$296K
+2.8%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Van Vleck has mild winters and hot summers
Van Vleck’s peak summer temperature comes in at 92°F.
94°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter47–66°
Spring61–79°
Summer74–92°
Fall62–82°
Dec 3
typical first frost
Feb 20
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
94°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
0% of Van Vleck is conserved land
1.6 miles of trail. In Van Vleck, the trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 4,666 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Van Vleck
18pages on Van Vleck
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Van Vleck; the nearest are
Wharton County Junior CollegeCommunity college · Public · Wharton23.8 mi$3,192 in-state tuitionThe University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonUniversity or college · Public · Houston54.9 mi
About 3 of every 100 Van Vleck residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
About Van Vleck
CDP in Texas, United States
Van Vleck is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Van Vleck had a population of 1,923. The population total represents one of the few areas with positive growth in Matagorda County. Although near Bay City, the site of Van Vleck falls outside the ETJ of Bay City and is regulated by county police and county ordinance.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 7.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 46 ft
- ZIP code
- 77482
- Area code
- 979
Van Vleck’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Van Vleck.
Bay CityVan Vleck
How the neighbors grade
Van Vleck has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Van Vleck reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Van Vleck with a neighbor →
Questions about Van Vleck
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Van Vleck, TX expensive?
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($58,628 across the Bay City, TX 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 Van Vleck, TX known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Eric Martin and Mable Howard.