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Compare towns

Plains vs Booker

260 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (2.2× in Booker) and average commute (14 min in Booker).

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Plains, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 1,235 people
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Booker, TXHomes around $161KTexas · 1,311 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

PlainsOne of the healthiest towns
Health87% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$182K typical home39% below the TX typical home All about Plains →
BookerHomes around $161K
Housing$161K typical home46% below the TX typical home Health72% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Booker →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill2.2×
Tax bills are bigger in Booker
Booker $1,884Plains $867
Average commute14 min
Booker has the shorter commute
Plains 29 minBooker 15 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Plains$1,050/mo
Typical home $182K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $864/mo · Housing →
Booker$1,010/mo
Typical home $161K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.25% · or rent about $946/mo · Housing →

Within $50 a month of each other.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
C+PlainsBetter than 39% of districts in the state –BookerNot graded
Health
DPlainsHealthier than 13% of U.S. towns CBookerHealthier than 28% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
PlainsBooker
Snow a year3″12″
January low25°F—
July high93°F—
Growing season (days)200d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)53rd71st
Outdoors & history
PlainsBooker
Trails0 mi—
Conserved land0%—
Settled—1909
Archive photos—1
Famous people born here—1
Community
PlainsBooker
Library hours a week40 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

260 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PlainsTXBookerTX
Plains ↔ Booker260 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

PlainsBooker
People
Population 1,235Lowest 1,311Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.5%Lowest TX: +15.9% -5.2%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 32.4±20.1Lowest 9% below TX 33.4±6.4Highest 6% below TX
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.2%±7.4Lowest TX: 25% 30.2%±3.6Highest TX: 25%
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.3%±6Lowest TX: 13.4% 16.2%±4.5Highest TX: 13.4%
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 11.2%Lowest TX: 33.8% 15.6%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.9%±2.8Lowest TX: 6.2% 3.8%±2.7Highest TX: 6.2%
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $76,985±$10kHighest about the TX average $69,464±$7kLowest 11% below TX
Plains and Booker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $133,300±$62kLowest 53% below TX $150,200±$33kHighest 47% below TX
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $864±$44Lowest 38% below TX $946±$57Highest 33% below TX
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $867Lowest 80% below TX $1,884Highest 55% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 14.4%±35.2Highest TX: 51.7% 7.7%±41.4Lowest TX: 51.7%
Plains and Booker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.5%Highest TX: 13.8% 15.1%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 76.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 79.7%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1983Highest 9 yrs older than TX 1975Lowest 17 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 8% above TX 15 minLowest 45% below TX
Work from home 0%±2.8Lowest TX: 14.4% 2.1%±2.3Highest TX: 14.4%
Booker and Plains are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 25.3%Highest 22.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 37.8 miHighest 16.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.15Lowest 1.44Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Lubbock (10%)Perryton (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in BookerFew work in Plains
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 111Highest 98.2Lowest
Schools
School district PLAINS ISD—
High school in town Plains H S—
Students per teacherat that high school 7.3 —
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Plains neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plains’s Town Square.

Booker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Booker’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Plains and Booker

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Plains

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Wolfe City1,148 people · $150K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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