Ben Wheeler, Texas.
.
to buy the typical home at today's mortgage rate — +$751 (+93%) since Jan 2020.
Monthly payment to buy the typical home
Home value × that month's 30-year mortgage rate, 20% down, principal and interest. This is the line households feel: prices and rates compound each other.
- Texas$1,556
- United States$1,922
Living in Ben Wheeler, Van Zandt County, Texas
Ben Wheeler, in Van Zandt County, had 456 people in the 2020 census. Unemployment in Van Zandt County was 4.5% in August 2026, and the county had 0.7% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most people in Van Zandt County work in schools and health care, then construction.
Written by AI Claude Sonnet 5.5 wrote this on 23 October 2026 from the figures here, a list of nearby places and what it knows. It can be wrong or out of date.
What it’s like
The place. Ben Wheeler is a very small community in Van Zandt County, East Texas, where people tend to know one another. Few residents live below the poverty line, and a smaller share of adults hold a four-year degree than is typical across the country. Winters are mild and brief, with snow a rarity, while summers turn hot, and the year brings a good deal of rain.
Work. Residents work mostly in schools, hospitals and social care, the building trades, manufacturing and shops. Across Van Zandt County, the largest workplaces include Wills Point ISD, Solar Turbines, a gas turbine maker, and Van ISD. Unemployment in the county is a little higher than a year ago, though the county has added a few more jobs over the past year.
Things to do. The Neches River is a short drive away and gives a place to be near the water. Farther off, Lake Palestine and Lake Tawakoni are large reservoirs, and Tyler State Park is a protected area with woods and a lake. Each of these is a longer drive away.
Report a mistake
- 16%of adults have a degree
- 4%below the poverty line
What people in Van Zandt County work in
Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Van Zandt County had 12,908 jobs in 2025, 0.7% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Weather through the year
Coldest in January, with highs near 57° and lows near 33°; warmest in August, with highs near 94° and lows near 71°. About 1 inches of snow and 46 inches of rain and melted snow a year.
Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Mineola weather station, 18 miles away (NOAA).
Largest workplaces in Van Zandt County
- Wills Point ISDSchool district403FTE
- Solar TurbinesGas turbine generator set units manufacturing365
- Van ISDSchool district345FTE
- WalmartWarehouse clubs and supercenters329
- Canton ISDSchool district280FTE
- Door Controls USA - BWDistribution equipment, electrical, merchant wholesalers257
- Big Tex Trailer ManufacturingTruck trailer manufacturing197
- Grand Saline ISDSchool district196FTE
Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 26 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 2,538 people in all across the county; Ben Wheeler has two of its own. School districts come from the Common Core of Data (NCES, 2023–24); FTE marks full-time equivalent staff. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.
Natural hazards
- Strong windRelatively high
- LightningRelatively high
- Cold wavesRelatively high
- TornadoesRelatively high
- HailRelatively moderate
- Ice stormsRelatively moderate
FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in Ben Wheeler’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively low. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.
From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Van Zandt County.
Ben Wheeler home values
Zillow measures a city over its municipal boundary. Against the state and national figures, mid-tier homes, smoothed and seasonally adjusted.
Not enough data to draw this yet.
Sellers are cutting prices on about 1 in 5 Ben Wheeler listings — the market is roughly in balance.
Market heat, inside the city limits
Share of listings with a price cut
The early-warning dial: sellers cut when buyers stop reaching. Rising cuts cool a market months before prices notice.
- Ben Wheeler21.20%
- United States26.90%
Homes for sale
Active for-sale inventory. More supply hands power to buyers.
- Ben Wheeler37
New listings per month
Sellers arriving at the market.
- Ben Wheeler8
Zip codes with a Ben Wheeler address
A different geography, not a breakdown. The figure above covers the municipality; these zips cover everywhere the Post Office calls Ben Wheeler — often including townships beyond the city limits. Both come straight from Zillow, and they are not expected to average out.