Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Vernon earns a D, 546th among Texas's 640 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $51K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. 54% of working residents work locally in Vernon, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Vernon is home to Vernon College. Among 642 Texas towns, just 4 have a lower average trip to work than Vernon.
Where Vernon beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Vernon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,857 in 1890, a low of 1,993 in 1900, 10,078 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1942 and 2 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vernon, 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 Vernon.
Vernon has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has commutes shorter than most of Texas.
At 2 years of the Vernon area’s $54K median household income, the typical home (about $107K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Values rose 3.2% in the past year while the Texas typical home fell 1.5%.
The typical Vernon home is worth about $107,000, 64% below the Texas typical home. The median rent in Vernon is $945 a month.
| Vernon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $945 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Vernon ISD. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Vernon H S, with 490 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 494 | C |
| Vernon H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 490 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
22% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Vernon. Vernon beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 18. 37% of adults get no exercise outside work in Vernon.
| Vernon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 30% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Vernon | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.7% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Vernon’s violent crime rate is 4 per 1,000 residents.
| Vernon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Vernon weather station records that about 102 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97.6°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 29.4°.
Vernon has mild winters and hot summers. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Vernon | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 98°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vernon.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 4,623 working residents takes 12.6 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
The top destinations are Wichita Falls (7%), Fort Worth (3%) and Abilene (2%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.0 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Vernon City Park / Orbison Park, at 52 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vernon City Park / Orbison Park | — | 52 |
| 2. Allingham Park | — | 5 |
| 3. D.L. Green Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Vernon
About 4 of every 100 Vernon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
17 notable people were born in Vernon.
City in Texas, United States
Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Vernon had a population of 10,078.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Vernon grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #546 of 640 in Texas. It grades D for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2 years of the area's median household income ($54,102 across the Vernon, 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.
17 notable people were born here, including Roy Orbison and Ken Starr.