Photo: Wikipedia
Quality of Life in Windom, TX
Above-average quality of iife. The area offers a reasonable cost of living, decent mobility, and a mix of neighborhood amenities.
What does Quality of Life tell us?
Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.
What does this tell us?
Quality of Life blends cost of living, nearby amenities, socioeconomic signals, and neighborhood character. City-level scores represent the whole municipality; individual neighborhoods can differ.
Cost of Living
49% below national average
The Real Cost of Living in Windom, TX for 2026
| Tier | Individual | Family (4) |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | $22k | $41k |
| Comfortable | $45k | $66k |
| Luxury | $147k+ | $228k+ |
123%
The Area Signal
A metric tracking the socioeconomic signals of the area.
Limited data for this area
Limited data for this area
Hobbies
Explore the areaGroceries
0 within 10 miles
Gas
0 within 10 miles
Hospital
3 within 20 miles
Airport
DFW — Dallas/Fort Worth International
Post Office
USPS — Bonham, TX
Critical Amenities
Quality-of-Life Analysis
Windom, Texas, is a small, unincorporated community in Fannin County that offers a distinctly affordable and quiet rural lifestyle, attracting families, retirees, and remote workers seeking space and lower costs. With a cost of living index of 51—roughly half the national average—and a median home value of $143,100, Windom stands out as one of the most budget-friendly places in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex’s outer orbit. The population is small and tight-knit, with many residents employed in agriculture, local trades, or commuting to larger towns like Bonham (10 miles north) or Sherman (20 miles west) for work.
Cost of living, housing, and how Windom compares to nearby towns
Windom’s cost of living index of 51 is significantly lower than the U.S. average of 100, and its median home value of $143,100 is roughly half the Texas state median of around $300,000. This makes Windom a standout for affordability, especially compared to nearby cities like Sherman (median home value ~$250,000) or McKinney (~$450,000). Rent is also low, with typical two-bedroom units averaging $700–$900 per month, though rental inventory is limited. Property taxes in Fannin County average about 1.6% of assessed value, which is moderate by Texas standards. For buyers, the trade-off is a smaller housing stock—mostly older single-family homes and manufactured homes on acreage—and fewer new construction options. Utilities and groceries also run below national averages, reinforcing the area’s appeal for those on fixed incomes or seeking to stretch a dollar.
Amenities, schools, and what daily life is like in Windom
Windom itself has no incorporated government, so daily life revolves around nearby Bonham, which provides grocery stores, a Walmart, medical clinics, and the Fannin County Courthouse. The community is served by the Bonham Independent School District, which includes I.W. Evans Elementary, Bonham Middle School, and Bonham High School (enrollment ~600). The district’s student-teacher ratio is roughly 14:1, and its academic ratings are average for rural Texas, with a B rating from the Texas Education Agency. For higher education, Grayson College in Denison (25 minutes) offers associate degrees and workforce training. Outdoor recreation centers on Lake Bonham (5 miles east), a 1,000-acre reservoir popular for fishing and boating, and the nearby Caddo National Grassland for hiking and hunting. The daily rhythm is slow-paced: residents often grow gardens, keep livestock, and rely on personal vehicles for errands, as public transit is nonexistent. Internet access is improving, with fiber-optic service available in parts of the community, supporting remote work.
Windom is best suited for those who prioritize low cost of living, space, and quiet over urban amenities. Retirees on fixed incomes, families seeking affordable acreage, and remote workers who can tolerate a 60–90 minute commute to Dallas (about 80 miles south) will find the area appealing. However, those needing frequent access to specialized healthcare, diverse dining, or high-end retail may find Bonham’s limited options frustrating. For buyers willing to trade convenience for financial breathing room, Windom offers a rare combination of sub-$150,000 homes and a rural lifestyle within striking distance of the DFW metroplex.
Crime in Windom, TX
Crime rates similar to the national median for U.S. locations.
Violent CrimeViolent Crime Analysis
Property CrimeProperty Crime Analysis
Crime Analysis
Windom, Texas, presents a mixed safety profile that requires careful consideration for potential residents. The town's violent crime rate of 342.3 per 100,000 residents is slightly below the national average but notably higher than the Texas state average, while its property crime rate of 1,780.9 per 100,000 significantly exceeds both state and national benchmarks. These figures place Windom in a category where property crime is a more pressing concern than violent crime, though neither statistic should be dismissed.
Crime in context
To understand Windom's safety landscape, it is essential to compare its rates to broader averages. The national violent crime rate is approximately 380 per 100,000, and the Texas state rate is roughly 440 per 100,000, meaning Windom's 342.3 figure is about 10% below the national average and 22% below the state average. However, the property crime rate of 1,780.9 per 100,000 is substantially higher than the national average of around 1,950 and the Texas average of roughly 2,400, indicating a property crime problem that is about 9% above the national average but still below the state's typical level. This suggests that while violent incidents are less frequent, residents face a heightened risk of burglary, theft, and vehicle break-ins compared to the typical American community.
What residents experience
Daily life in Windom involves a tangible awareness of property crime. Residents commonly report securing vehicles, installing outdoor lighting, and using home security systems as routine precautions. The town's proximity to larger metro areas, which often feature liberal and progressive district attorneys and judges, is a significant factor to weigh. Such justice systems, while sympathetic to offenders, can lead to more criminals on the street through reduced incarceration rates and lenient sentencing, negatively impacting justice for victims and the public. This dynamic means that property crimes in Windom may be committed by individuals who cycle through the justice system quickly, potentially increasing recidivism. Violent crime, while less common, is not absent, and incidents like assaults or robberies can occur, though they are not the dominant safety concern.
Neighborhood-level variation
Safety in Windom is not uniform across the town. Older, more established neighborhoods near the town center tend to have lower crime rates due to stronger community watch programs and higher homeownership rates. In contrast, newer developments on the outskirts, particularly those near major highways or commercial corridors, experience higher rates of property crime, likely due to easier access for offenders and less established social networks. Specific subdivisions like Windom Estates and the area around Main Street have reported fewer incidents, while rental-heavy zones near the industrial park see more frequent break-ins. Prospective residents should research block-level crime maps and speak with local police for the most current data, as these patterns can shift with population changes and law enforcement strategies.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-04-17T23:45:33.000Z
Narrative content on this page is AI-generated and may contain mistakes. Verify any details that matter before acting on them.
ReloMaps may earn a commission from affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
