Slaton, Texas
City
New Slaton municipal building Harvey House near the tracks in Slaton Slaton Museum The Slaton Bakery is one of the better-known businesses in the community. Downtown Slaton
Motto:  "Your Kind of Town"
Show Slaton Show Lubbock County Show Texas Show the United States Interactive location map of Slaton
Coordinates: 33°26′44″N 101°39′03″W / 33.445472°N 101.650919°W / 33.445472; -101.650919
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Lubbock
Region	Llano Estacado
Established	1911
Incorporated	June 15, 1911
Named after	O. L. Slaton
Government [1]
• Type	Council–Manager
• Mayor	Clifton Shaw
• Commission members	Carla Rodriguez Jim Taliaferro Benny Lopez Valarie Johnson
• City manager	Wade Willson
• City secretary	Pamela King
• City attorney	Bryan J. Guymon
Area [2]
• Total	5.458 sq mi (14.136 km2)
• Land	5.427 sq mi (14.055 km2)
• Water	0.031 sq mi (0.080 km2)  0.57%
Elevation [3]	3,081 ft (939 m)
Population  (2020)[4]
• Total	5,858
• Estimate  (2024)[5]	5,698
• Density	1,079/sq mi (416.8/km2)
Demonym	Slatonians
Time zone	UTC–6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	79364
Area codes	806
FIPS code	48-68180
GNIS feature ID	2411908[3]
Website	cityofslaton.com

Slaton is a city in Lubbock County, Texas, United States. Founded by German immigrants, Slaton was the westernmost German settlement in Texas.^[6] The population was 5,858 at the 2020 census,^[4] and was estimated at 5,698 in 2024.^[5] Slaton is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Slaton was established on June 15, 1911. Slaton was named for Lubbock rancher and banker O.L. Slaton, Sr. (1867–1946), who promoted railroad construction in Slaton.

Slaton is on the level plains of the Llano Estacado. The nearest significant geographical feature is Yellow House Canyon, which is 3 miles (5 km) to the northeast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.458 square miles (14.14 km²), of which 5.427 square miles (14.06 km²) is land and 0.031 square miles (0.080 km²) (0.57%) is water.^[2]

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Slaton has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.^[7]

According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of December 31, 2025, in Slaton is $133,798.^[9]

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 2,038 estimated households in Slaton with an average of 2.81 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $54,380. Approximately 16.1% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Slaton has an estimated 54.7% employment rate, with 11.5% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 82.6% holding a high school diploma.^[10] There were 2,271 housing units at an average density of 418.46 per square mile (161.6/km²).

The top five reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two languages, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (73.7%), Spanish (25.2%), Indo-European (0.0%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (1.1%).

The median age in the city was 33.0 years.

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 5,698 people, 2,038 households, and _ families residing in the city. The population density was 1,049.94 inhabitants per square mile (405.4/km²). There were 2,271 housing units at an average density of 418.46 per square mile (161.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.5% White (45.6% NH White), 8.7% African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 46.8% of the population.

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,858 people, 2,208 households, and 1,494 families residing in the city.^[16] The population density was 1,084.81 inhabitants per square mile (418.8/km²). There were 2,556 housing units at an average density of 473.33 per square mile (182.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.85% White, 5.79% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 15.06% from some other races and 21.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 54.18% of the population.^[17]

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,121 people, 2,216 households, and _ families residing in the city. The population density was 1,114.73 inhabitants per square mile (430.4/km²). There were 2,545 housing units at an average density of 463.49 per square mile (179.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.42% White, 6.36% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 16.16% from some other races and 2.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 50.68% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, there were 6,109 people, 2,253 households, and 1,610 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,127.0 inhabitants per square mile (435.1/km²). There were 2,565 housing units at an average density of 473.1 per square mile (182.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.35% White, 7.76% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 17.07% from some other races and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 42.27% of the population.

There were 2,253 households, 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were not families. About 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city, the population was distributed as 29.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 83.7 men.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,915, and for a family was $31,224. Males had a median income of $26,696 versus $20,601 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,087. About 21.6% of families and 23.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

The City of Slaton is served by the Slaton Independent School District.

• U.S. Highway 84
• Farm to Market Road 400
• Farm to Market Road 41

A major yard of the BNSF Railway is located in Slaton. The South Plains Lamesa Railroad's railpark offers car storage and transloading for, among other commodities, wind turbine components.^[18]

The July 4th Festival takes place at the Slaton Park, where area musicians perform on an outdoor stage. The park is filled with games, rides, food, and more. The South Plains Air Show is a biannual event taking place the first weekend of June in odd-number years. Hosted by the Texas Air Museum Caprock Chapter, the show takes place at the City of Slaton/Larry T. Neal Memorial Airport. Re-enactments and aerobatic performances are scheduled www.thetexasairmuseum.org. The St. Joseph Sausage Fest is put on every October by St. Joseph's Catholic School. The event has been held annually since 1969.^[19]

People born in Slaton:

• Roy Alvin Baldwin (1885–1940), politician
• Harry Burrus (1921–2004), footballer
• Dee Fondy (1924–1999), baseball player
• Bobby Keys (1943–2014), saxophonist
• Bill Lienhard (1930–2022), basketballer
• Buddy Parker (1913–1982), footballer
• Simon Salinas (born 1955), politician

• City of Slaton – official website
• Slaton Chamber of Commerce
• Photos of West Texas and the Llano Estacado