Living in Chico, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.1% above the U.S. average in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Chico 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 byFaith Community Hospital in Jacksboro, about 21 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityDallas is about 69 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 Chico 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.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 17% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $170,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 8.8%Wise County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,317 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $75,739U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 67%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,922 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 6%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 10%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 103.1U.S. average = 100 (the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area)

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 8.8% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, not Chico 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: 1,1162020: 951
Median age: 32.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 28%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 14%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%

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 (14%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (10%)
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 8%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 11%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Faith Community Hospital, Jacksboro, TX, about 21 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

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 Chico, run by Chico 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: 52%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 88%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: 31°F
July average high: 96°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 101 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 60 a year
Rain and melted snow: 33.3 inches a year
Snow: 2 inches a year
Elevation: 921 feet

Weather station: Bridgeport (6 miles 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

Faith Community HospitalEmergency room21

Denton, TXCity of 169,00038

Dallas, TXMetro of 8.5 million69

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: Faith Community Hospital, Denton, Dallas.

Wise County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Chico's history on Wikipedia.

Know Chico?

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

Bridgeport, TX6,900 people, 6 miles
Alvord, TX1,700 people, 7 miles
Runaway Bay, TX2,200 people, 9 miles
Decatur, TX9,000 people, 13 miles
Bowie, TX6,100 people, 18 miles
Boyd, TX2,500 people, 20 miles

Smaller places

Lake Bridgeport, TX395 people, 6 miles
Sunset, TX (unincorporated)402 people, 11 miles
Paradise, TX807 people, 12 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.