Living in Crandall, 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 3.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood42 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 6.4 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 22.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town6 public schools: 4 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman in Kaufman, about 8 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityDallas is about 22 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 Crandall 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 98% 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: $303,000U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 5.9%Kaufman County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,333 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $88,997U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 90%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $5,761 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 35%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 5.9% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, not Crandall 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: 7,7302020: 3,895
Median age: 38.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 26%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 15%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%
College students: 8%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 (19%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (12%); construction (11%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 34 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 17%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman, Kaufman, TX, about 8 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

6 public schools in Crandall, run by Crandall 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: 33°F
July average high: 94°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 92 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 46 a year
Rain and melted snow: 42.3 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 411 feet

Weather stations: Kaufman 3 SE (11 miles away) and Terrell (9 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital KaufmanEmergency room8

Mesquite, TXCity of 151,00012

Dallas, TXMetro of 8.5 million22

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: Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman, Mesquite, Dallas.

Kaufman 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

Read about Crandall's history on Wikipedia.

Know Crandall?

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

Heartland, TX10,600 people, 3 miles
Talty, TX3,300 people, 5 miles
Combine, TX2,800 people, 6 miles
Forney, TX42,000 people, 8 miles
Kaufman, TX10,700 people, 8 miles
Oak Ridge, TX1,700 people, 10 miles

Smaller places

Post Oak Bend, TX978 people, 7 miles
Scurry, TX905 people, 9 miles
Oak Grove, TX888 people, 10 miles
Grays Prairie, TX419 people, 12 miles
Rosser, TX407 people, 12 miles
Cottonwood, TX258 people, 13 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.