Like all states, Texas has certain places that are going on hard times. These Texas places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Texas.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 372 cities in Texas with more than 5,000 people.
$21,060 median income · 38.1% poverty · #1 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Waller County, TexasPrairie View, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Texas thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 8,431 people averages the lowest median household income in Texas and the 3rd highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$24,579 median income · 37.1% poverty · #2 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Starr County, TexasThe second poorest city in Texas is Roma.
The city ranks as having the 4th highest incidence of poverty and 2nd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 6th highest in the Lone Star State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$36,328 median income · 38.2% poverty · #5 lowest income in Texas
Placing as the third poorest city, Crystal City’s median income ranks as the 5th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 38.2% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Lone Star State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$32,222 median income · 34.2% poverty · #3 lowest income in Texas
Port Isabel ranks as the fourth poorest place in Texas.
The town ranks as having the 3rd lowest median household income and the 6th highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$40,438 median income · 40.7% poverty · #9 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Hidalgo County, TexasThe fifth poorest city in Texas is Donna.
The city ranks as having the 9th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the highest in Texas.
Still not the best news for Donna.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$34,436 median income · 32.2% poverty · #4 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Nueces County, TexasRobstown ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Lone Star State.
It ranks as having the 9th highest incidence of poverty and the 4highest unemployment rate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$42,222 median income · 32.3% poverty · #11 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Limestone County, TexasMexia places as the seventh poorest city in Texas.
The city of over 6,859 ranks as having the 8th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$39,281 median income · 31.5% poverty · #8 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Nacogdoches County, TexasNacogdoches ranks as the eighth poorest city in Texas.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$42,439 median income · 31.8% poverty · #13 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Hidalgo County, TexasElsa couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Texas; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 13th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Elsa ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Texas.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$43,963 median income · 30.8% poverty · #15 lowest income in Texas
Located in
Hidalgo County, TexasAnd rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Texas is Palmview.
The city of 15,921 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Lone Star State.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Texas’s statewide median.
Texas statewide median: $78,476
Texas statewide median: 13.8%
Texas statewide median: 5.3%
On the map
Where poverty hits hardest in Texas
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the poorest places in Texas for 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 372 places with more than 5,000 people in Texas, we ranked each place from 1 to 372 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Prairie View, crowned the “Poorest Place In Texas For 2026”. The median Texas home is 32 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed list of the poorest places to live in Texas
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Poor Score | Population | Median income | Poverty | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prairie View | 2.00 | 8,431 | $21,060 | 38.1% | 21.9% |
| 2 | Roma | 3.00 | 11,545 | $24,579 | 37.1% | 12.4% |
| 3 | Crystal City | 3.50 | 6,159 | $36,328 | 38.2% | 3.1% |
| 4 | Port Isabel | 4.50 | 5,111 | $32,222 | 34.2% | 5.2% |
| 5 | Donna | 5.00 | 16,833 | $40,438 | 40.7% | 5.4% |
| 6 | Robstown | 6.50 | 10,236 | $34,436 | 32.2% | 8.2% |
| 7 | Mexia | 9.50 | 6,859 | $42,222 | 32.3% | 3.3% |
| 8 | Nacogdoches | 9.50 | 32,197 | $39,281 | 31.5% | 8.2% |
| 9 | Elsa | 11.50 | 5,697 | $42,439 | 31.8% | 0.5% |
| 10 | Palmview | 14.50 | 15,921 | $43,963 | 30.8% | 5.1% |
| 11 | San Benito | 15.50 | 24,709 | $43,639 | 29.7% | 7.3% |
| 12 | Rio Grande City | 16.50 | 15,396 | $44,577 | 30.8% | 6.8% |
| 13 | Marlin | 18.00 | 5,516 | $36,426 | 26.7% | 14.2% |
| 14 | Sweetwater | 20.50 | 10,385 | $44,892 | 28.1% | 6.9% |
| 15 | Sansom Park | 21.50 | 5,392 | $42,257 | 26.7% | 5.9% |
| 16 | Port Arthur | 22.00 | 55,828 | $46,354 | 29.0% | 8.4% |
| 17 | Alice | 23.50 | 17,707 | $48,676 | 31.4% | 4.1% |
| 18 | Mercedes | 24.00 | 16,733 | $46,904 | 28.6% | 6.8% |
| 19 | Jasper | 25.00 | 7,299 | $45,078 | 26.9% | 9.3% |
| 20 | Jacinto City | 28.50 | 9,432 | $47,318 | 27.1% | 8.5% |
| 21 | Livingston | 30.50 | 5,718 | $48,841 | 27.5% | 4.3% |
| 22 | Pearsall | 31.00 | 9,045 | $49,198 | 28.0% | 4.9% |
| 23 | College Station | 31.50 | 124,570 | $50,900 | 29.2% | 5.1% |
| 24 | Plainview | 32.00 | 19,711 | $44,768 | 24.0% | 6.7% |
| 25 | Paris | 32.00 | 24,775 | $47,239 | 26.0% | 5.3% |
| 26 | La Feria | 32.00 | 6,891 | $45,081 | 25.0% | 3.8% |
| 27 | Raymondville | 33.00 | 10,185 | $51,442 | 31.0% | 9.1% |
| 28 | Commerce | 33.50 | 9,383 | $44,386 | 23.4% | 6.5% |
| 29 | Crockett | 33.50 | 6,364 | $38,869 | 22.1% | 8.3% |
| 30 | Center | 33.50 | 5,271 | $48,293 | 26.1% | 10.3% |
| 31 | Huntsville | 39.00 | 47,864 | $47,529 | 23.9% | 10.9% |
| 32 | San Marcos | 40.00 | 70,897 | $51,281 | 26.9% | 5.2% |
| 33 | Brownfield | 40.50 | 8,738 | $42,150 | 21.2% | 5.1% |
| 34 | Gonzales | 41.00 | 7,200 | $51,929 | 27.2% | 4.4% |
| 35 | Alton | 41.50 | 20,214 | $52,715 | 27.5% | 8.3% |
| 36 | Pharr | 41.50 | 80,333 | $52,814 | 27.6% | 7.2% |
| 37 | Jacksonville | 42.00 | 14,325 | $51,375 | 26.5% | 6.4% |
| 38 | Penitas | 43.00 | 6,444 | $48,993 | 23.8% | 7.4% |
| 39 | Lamesa | 46.50 | 8,393 | $49,007 | 22.7% | 7.3% |
| 40 | Uvalde | 46.50 | 15,417 | $51,141 | 23.9% | 1.4% |
| 41 | Sinton | 48.50 | 5,584 | $51,701 | 25.0% | 8.4% |
| 42 | South Houston | 49.00 | 16,033 | $53,497 | 26.1% | 8.3% |
| 43 | Bellmead | 50.00 | 10,566 | $52,075 | 24.9% | 2.1% |
| 44 | Bay City | 51.50 | 17,730 | $53,840 | 26.0% | 13.3% |
| 45 | Beeville | 52.50 | 13,412 | $50,784 | 22.1% | 5.1% |
| 46 | Liberty | 52.50 | 8,650 | $53,833 | 25.2% | 4.2% |
| 47 | Harlingen | 52.50 | 72,087 | $53,645 | 25.1% | 5.2% |
| 48 | Texarkana | 52.50 | 35,992 | $50,573 | 22.0% | 5.2% |
| 49 | Brownsville | 53.50 | 189,177 | $52,130 | 23.7% | 6.2% |
| 50 | Brownwood | 57.00 | 18,777 | $48,981 | 20.9% | 4.8% |
| 51 | Kingsville | 57.50 | 24,994 | $58,148 | 30.8% | 8.6% |
| 52 | Breckenridge | 58.00 | 5,170 | $48,000 | 20.2% | 9.3% |
| 53 | Wilmer | 59.50 | 6,391 | $59,626 | 32.7% | 14.4% |
| 54 | Waco | 60.00 | 143,570 | $54,365 | 23.1% | 4.6% |
| 55 | Gilmer | 60.50 | 5,025 | $44,316 | 18.3% | 8.9% |
| 56 | Galena Park | 62.00 | 10,487 | $51,220 | 20.9% | 15.4% |
| 57 | Alamo | 63.50 | 20,255 | $57,096 | 25.3% | 9.4% |
| 58 | Hutchins | 65.50 | 7,496 | $47,829 | 18.9% | 2.5% |
| 59 | Marshall | 66.00 | 23,825 | $55,089 | 22.4% | 8.1% |
| 60 | Palestine | 66.50 | 19,136 | $44,981 | 17.6% | 7.0% |
| 61 | Mineral Wells | 67.00 | 15,244 | $55,929 | 22.4% | 6.5% |
| 62 | San Juan | 68.50 | 36,149 | $56,562 | 22.4% | 7.4% |
| 63 | Los Fresnos | 68.50 | 8,291 | $61,938 | 34.7% | 3.6% |
| 64 | Yoakum | 69.00 | 5,846 | $46,810 | 17.7% | 0.0% |
| 65 | Galveston | 71.00 | 53,424 | $55,631 | 21.4% | 5.8% |
| 66 | Cuero | 72.00 | 8,165 | $56,480 | 21.7% | 6.0% |
| 67 | Edinburg | 72.50 | 104,550 | $59,466 | 26.0% | 6.1% |
| 68 | Sealy | 73.50 | 7,053 | $56,514 | 21.4% | 5.4% |
| 69 | Vernon | 73.50 | 9,848 | $51,114 | 18.6% | 11.8% |
| 70 | Stephenville | 73.50 | 21,682 | $53,015 | 20.0% | 7.3% |
| 71 | Mount Pleasant | 74.00 | 16,136 | $50,515 | 18.3% | 2.5% |
| 72 | Socorro | 75.00 | 37,123 | $54,744 | 20.7% | 4.8% |
| 73 | Eagle Pass | 76.50 | 28,339 | $57,207 | 22.0% | 6.7% |
| 74 | Edna | 77.50 | 6,027 | $59,600 | 24.6% | 7.5% |
| 75 | Beaumont | 78.00 | 113,279 | $56,997 | 21.2% | 6.4% |
| 76 | Gladewater | 79.00 | 6,227 | $58,810 | 22.5% | 5.0% |
| 77 | Bryan | 79.50 | 87,939 | $59,289 | 23.0% | 5.0% |
| 78 | Bonham | 80.00 | 10,697 | $57,681 | 21.7% | 9.4% |
| 79 | Weslaco | 80.50 | 42,229 | $59,551 | 23.2% | 7.1% |
| 80 | Cleveland | 81.00 | 8,984 | $54,519 | 19.2% | 4.2% |
| 81 | Hillsboro | 82.00 | 8,506 | $56,083 | 20.0% | 4.2% |
| 82 | Hempstead | 86.00 | 6,137 | $60,041 | 22.6% | 2.4% |
| 83 | Richmond | 89.00 | 12,582 | $50,337 | 15.7% | 7.0% |
| 84 | Hidalgo | 89.50 | 14,498 | $59,441 | 21.1% | 8.8% |
| 85 | Brady | 93.00 | 5,230 | $46,250 | 14.0% | 10.0% |
| 86 | Humble | 93.50 | 16,521 | $57,011 | 18.8% | 4.9% |
| 87 | Atlanta | 96.50 | 5,439 | $60,259 | 21.1% | 5.9% |
| 88 | Dayton | 97.00 | 9,058 | $59,691 | 20.6% | 7.1% |
| 89 | Gainesville | 97.50 | 17,883 | $58,809 | 19.1% | 8.1% |
| 90 | Lufkin | 98.50 | 34,251 | $57,048 | 18.0% | 7.0% |
| 91 | Pampa | 98.50 | 16,659 | $56,626 | 17.2% | 6.1% |
| 92 | Corsicana | 99.50 | 25,511 | $57,212 | 18.1% | 6.4% |
| 93 | Silsbee | 101.50 | 6,842 | $59,907 | 20.0% | 7.3% |
| 94 | Navasota | 105.50 | 8,542 | $51,276 | 14.2% | 7.2% |
| 95 | Mission | 107.50 | 87,038 | $60,767 | 19.4% | 7.8% |
| 96 | McAllen | 108.00 | 145,385 | $61,579 | 20.0% | 6.0% |
| 97 | El Paso | 108.50 | 680,130 | $59,745 | 18.4% | 6.0% |
| 98 | Bowie | 108.50 | 5,770 | $57,488 | 16.7% | 6.2% |
| 99 | Slaton | 110.00 | 5,761 | $56,676 | 15.7% | 6.7% |
| 100 | Keene | 110.00 | 6,691 | $51,695 | 13.6% | 5.2% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 372 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
The poorest cities in Texas for 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Texas, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Texas.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there. Not sold on Texas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
