Living in Brackettville, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 12.2% below the U.S. average in the parts of Texas outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Brackettville to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Brackettville itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byVal Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio, about 29 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big citySan Antonio is about 114 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Brackettville meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical rent, with utilities: $755 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $69,459U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $1,138 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 15%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 1%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 7%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 87.8U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Texas outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Texas outside metro areas, not Brackettville alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,3272020: 1,340
Median age: 39.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 11%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 11%U.S.: 36%
College students: 5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (21%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Below the poverty line: 10%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Val Verde Regional Medical Center, Del Rio, TX, about 29 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Brackettville, run by Brackett Isd.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Weather

January average low: 38°F
July average high: 95°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 122 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 24 a year
Rain and melted snow: 24.3 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 1,136 feet

Weather station: Brackettville (less than a mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Val Verde Regional Medical CenterEmergency room29

San Antonio, TXMetro of 2.8 million114

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Val Verde Regional Medical Center, San Antonio.

Kinney County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 9, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Fort Clark Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Amistad National Recreation Area30 miles

Read about Brackettville's history on Wikipedia.

Know Brackettville?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Val Verde Park, TX3,100 people, 26 miles
Del Rio, TX34,000 people, 29 miles
Elm Creek, TX3,700 people, 38 miles
Uvalde, TX15,500 people, 39 miles
Eagle Pass, TX29,000 people, 43 miles
Eidson Road, TX9,700 people, 45 miles

Smaller places

Fort Clark Springs, TX (unincorporated)1,048 people, 2 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.