Dumas ranked in “Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You’d Actually Want to Live”

DUMAS, TX – One panhandle city is receiving attention from a national organization.

Realtor.com ranked Dumas as #10 in their article “Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You’d Actually Want to Live.”

The website combed through a series of data to compile the list.

Four main criteria were used in determining who came out on top:

1. Population between 10,000 and 50,000 (Nielsen Demographics Pop-Facts 2015)

2. Households spend no more than 28% of their annual income on housing costs (Nielsen Demographics Pop-Facts 2015, realtor.com data)

3. Unemployment rate is in the top 20th percentile, lowest among all Census-designated metropolitan and micropolitan areas (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 August estimate data)

4. Crime rate is less than the national average (realtor.com analysis of FBI crime statistics)

Dumas is the only city listed in this part of the country, and the only in Texas.

Mike Running, Executive Director of Economic Development for Dumas, said their strong oil and agribusiness industries keep the unemployment rates low because of high job availability.

Running also said the city is continuing to grow, bringing in retail businesses and even building a hangar for business aircraft at their airport.