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Place dossier plate
SheetTX-PANHANDLE-TX · Panhandle, TX 2,613 pop · income 68th pct · 2 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Panhandle
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Panhandle on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Seymour · lowest
38,984
Seymour · lowest
38,984 median HH income
30.1% of the leader · rank #1
Huntley · near
86,349
Huntley · near
86,349 median HH income
66.7% of the leader · rank #2
Greenbelt · near
86,352
Greenbelt · near
86,352 median HH income
66.7% of the leader · rank #3
Panhandle · this city
86,354
Panhandle · this city
86,354 median HH income
66.7% of the leader · rank #4
Edgewood · near
86,355
Edgewood · near
86,355 median HH income
66.7% of the leader · rank #5
Collings Lakes · near
86,359
Collings Lakes · near
86,359 median HH income
66.7% of the leader · rank #6
Briarcliff · highest
129,524
Briarcliff · highest
129,524 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Panhandle on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 2,613.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Panhandle lands in the 68th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
68th
percentile, household income
27th
percentile, home value
40th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Panhandle, TX
Panhandle is a small town in Texas, home to 2,613 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Panhandle households earn a median of $86,354 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 3.1%. Home values in Panhandle run a median of $151,800, and the median resident age is 46.9 years. Educational attainment runs 35.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 69.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 5 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 150% from five years earlier. The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 58.0°F with 21.1 inches of precipitation per year and 13.6 inches of snowfall.
Texas tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 97.1 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,149 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $223 across Texas, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Panhandle workers runs 19.9 minutes, with 79.3% driving alone and 7.3% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 49.0 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Panhandle's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change to within-city variation to schools and households to work and mobility to climate and hazard context; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Panhandle, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Panhandle?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Which cities make useful reference points for Panhandle?
Within Texas, the closest population matches are Floydada (2,618 residents, $45,848 income); Westworth (2,618 residents, $90,750 income); Seymour (2,607 residents, $38,984 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Marquette Heights, IL (2,613 residents); Lithonia, GA (2,614 residents); Hudson, IA (2,614 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
Is Panhandle growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -78 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -3.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 5 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Panhandle?
The NCES join finds 3 public schools within the city match. 35.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
3
Bachelor's degree+
35.3%
Poverty estimate
3.1%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Panhandle?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 79.3%. The reported mean trip to work is 19.9 minutes.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
7.3%
Drive alone
79.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,541 workers age 16+.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 58.0°F, with 21.1 inches of precipitation and 13.6 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Texas is 49.0 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
58.0°F
Annual precipitation
21.1 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
49.0
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate B+
3.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B-
35.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B-
$86,354
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living C-
97.1 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Panhandle profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 78/100 (B+) · 3.1%
Bachelor's+ share: 67/100 (B-) · 35.3%
Household income: 66/100 (B-) · $86,354
Cost of living: 53/100 (C-) · 97.1 index
How does Panhandle compare to other US cities?
Where Panhandle sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income68% higher than other cities
Home value27% pricier than other cities
Median rent40% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Panhandle against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Texas only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Texas-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Panhandle near the bottom of Texas's cities
Among the 1,663 Texas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Panhandle ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Panhandle only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#377 of 1,520
75th percentile in Texas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,663
0th percentile in Texas
Median Home Value
#801 of 1,505
47th percentile in Texas
Poverty Rate
#1,267 of 1,663
23rd percentile in Texas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#293 of 1,663
82nd percentile in Texas
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Texas only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
68th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Panhandle's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$151,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 73% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Panhandle's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#895 of 15,516
More affordable than 94% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#868 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 1.8×, Panhandle sits in the affordable band:
national rank #895 of 15,516 and #868 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$86,354Panhandle, TX median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Panhandle, TX median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Panhandle, TX.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)35.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)69.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
2,613
Median Income
$86,354
Median Home Value
$151,800
Median Age
46.9
Poverty Rate
3.1%
Labor force participation
69.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.3%
Climate
Avg Temperature
58.0°F
Annual Precipitation
21.1"
Annual Snowfall
13.6"
Schools
Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Panhandle's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
2,366 residents
2021
2,340 residents
2022
2,379 residents
2023
2,369 residents
2024
2,319 residents
2025
2,288 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
5
housing units authorized
Single-Family
5
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.5M
2020
2
2
0
$0.8M
2021
2
2
0
$0.2M
2022
1
1
0
$0.6M
2023
0
0
0
-
2024
5
5
0
$1.5M
Permit volume increased 150% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
19.9 minutes
Drive Alone
79.3%
Carpool
10.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
3.3%
Work from Home
7.3%
Based on 1,541 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Texas statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $223
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Texas at $223 (electricity about $130 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Texas statewide averages, not a meter reading for Panhandle. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Texas's BEA cost-of-living index is 97.1 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Panhandle is $1,149/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Texas statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.0 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Texas statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Panhandle sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Panhandle compares to similar-size Texas cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.