What it's like to live in Lumberton
Lumberton is a small city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, household incomes running above the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lumberton deals with hot summers, very rainy, fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Hot summers
- Very rainy — 63" of rain per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Lumberton compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lumberton
Based on Lumberton's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,134
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,680 a year
- 28% of Lumberton renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$58,380
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $29,190
- Homes cost 2.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,067/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,067 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $291,900. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $291,900 · 28% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.5% county unemployment
Unemployment in Hardin County is 4.5%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Hardin County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 75% below US
83 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 673/100k · Lumberton Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 26% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Big Thicket National Preserve (18 miles away).
Bottom line
Lumberton's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are hot summers and very rainy. A year of median rent ($1,067/mo) equals 12% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Lumberton
All Texas guides →Moving to Beaumont →
12 mi away · pop. 113,279
Rent $1,121/mo · Income $56,997
Compare with Lumberton →Moving to Nederland →
23 mi away · pop. 18,381
Rent $1,400/mo · Income $77,570
Compare with Lumberton →Not sure Lumberton is the one?
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