Living in Plum Grove, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.4% below the U.S. average in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Plum Grove to say.
A safer neighborhood0 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 0 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Splendora H S, about 7 miles away.
A hospital close byHCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood in Kingwood, about 14 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityHouston is about 34 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 Plum Grove 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 36% 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

Home prices since then: Up 9.9%Liberty County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,159 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $66,341U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $2,352 a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 0%U.S.: 12%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 98.6U.S. average = 100 (the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands 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 9.9% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area, not Plum Grove 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: 1,6772020: 1,230
Median age: 26.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 7%U.S.: 17%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 4%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 1%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 (10%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 7%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood, Kingwood, TX, about 14 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

There are no public schools inside Plum Grove itself. The nearest public high school is Splendora H S, about 7 miles away.

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: 39°F
July average high: 91°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 88 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 30 a year
Rain and melted snow: 52.8 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 93 feet

Weather stations: Cleveland (11 miles away) and New Caney 2 E (7 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

HCA Houston Healthcare KingwoodEmergency room14

Conroe, TXCity of 120,00025

Houston, TXMetro of 7.9 million34

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: HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood, Conroe, Houston.

Liberty 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

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Big Thicket National Preserve25 miles

Read about Plum Grove's history on Wikipedia.

Know Plum Grove?

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

Roman Forest, TX2,300 people, 4 miles
Patton Village, TX2,100 people, 4 miles
Splendora, TX2,100 people, 4 miles
Woodbranch, TX1,600 people, 5 miles
Cleveland, TX9,900 people, 9 miles
Dayton, TX10,200 people, 16 miles

Smaller places

North Cleveland, TX310 people, 11 miles
Porter Heights, TX (unincorporated)987 people, 14 miles
Grangerland, TX (unincorporated)920 people, 14 miles
Deerwood, TX (unincorporated)2,366 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.