Living in Center, 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 Center to say.
A safer neighborhood34 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 6.5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 16.5 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byCHI St. Lukes Health Memorial San Augustine in San Augustine, about 19 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityHouston is about 156 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 Center 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

Home prices since then: Up 16%Shelby County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $823 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $48,293U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 56%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,476 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 4%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 9%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 2%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: county prices have moved up 16% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Texas outside metro areas, not Center 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: 5,2462020: 5,311
Median age: 33.3 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 15%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 31%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 12%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%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: Retail (24%); schools, health care and social services (16%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (13%)
Average commute: 16 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 2%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 26%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: CHI St. Lukes Health Memorial San Augustine, San Augustine, TX, about 19 miles away. It's a rural emergency hospital (24-hour emergency care and outpatient services, no overnight stays). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: UT Health East Texas Carthage Hospital, Carthage, TX, about 28 miles away. Medicare gives it 5 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

4 public schools in Center, run by Center 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.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 55%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 83%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

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

Weather

January average low: 36°F
July average high: 94°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 97 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 42 a year
Rain and melted snow: 56.5 inches a year
Snow: 1 inches a year
Elevation: 348 feet

Weather station: Center (1 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

CHI St. Lukes Health Memorial San AugustineEmergency room19

Shreveport, LACity of 176,00052

Houston, TXMetro of 7.9 million156

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: CHI St. Lukes Health Memorial San Augustine, Shreveport, Houston.

Shelby County is outside any metro area, with 5,000 to 20,000 people in its towns, not next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 7, 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.

Read about Center's history on Wikipedia.

Know Center?

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

Tenaha, TX1,000 people, 11 miles
Logansport, LA1,300 people, 17 miles
San Augustine, TX1,800 people, 19 miles
Carthage, TX6,600 people, 26 miles
Nacogdoches, TX33,000 people, 30 miles
Mansfield, LA4,500 people, 33 miles

Smaller places

Shelbyville, TX (unincorporated)188 people, 6 miles
Joaquin, TX732 people, 14 miles
Timpson, TX995 people, 15 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.