Updated August 2026
Best beaches in Texas by water quality
Texas has 169 public beaches in the EPA monitoring dataset, 66 of them with enough bacteria samples to grade. 14 earn an A for consistently clean water, while 2 grade an F for frequently exceeding the safe-swimming limit. Full ranking below. National lists: cleanest beaches in the US and beaches that exceed bacteria limits most often.
Texas beaches on the map
Ways to pick a Texas beach
Cleanest water (Grade A)
- Access Point #6 — Cameron
- Access Point #4 — Cameron
- South Padre Island -North — Cameron
- City Of South Padre Island — Cameron
| Grade | Beach | County | % over limit | Samples | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Access Point #6 | Cameron | 0% | 272 | Excellent |
| A | Access Point #4 | Cameron | 0% | 234 | Excellent |
| A | South Padre Island -North | Cameron | 0% | 233 | Excellent |
| A | City Of South Padre Island | Cameron | 0.2% | 1,788 | Excellent |
| A | Andy Bowie Park | Cameron | 0.2% | 1,012 | Excellent |
| A | Access Point #3 | Cameron | 0.2% | 506 | Excellent |
| A | Park Road 100 Bay Access #2 | Cameron | 0.4% | 274 | Excellent |
| A | Atwood Park | Cameron | 0.8% | 510 | Excellent |
| A | Boca Chica State Park | Cameron | 1.1% | 1,488 | Excellent |
| A | Isla Blanca Park | Cameron | 1.6% | 367 | Excellent |
| A | McFaddin Nwr | Jefferson | 2% | 2,785 | Excellent |
| A | Swan Lake | Brazoria | 2.3% | 257 | Excellent |
| A | Mustang Island State Park | Nueces | 2.4% | 1,011 | Excellent |
| A | County Road 257f | Brazoria | 2.9% | 514 | Excellent |
| B | Seidler's Landing | Brazoria | 3.3% | 511 | Good |
| B | Surfside | Brazoria | 3.5% | 1,026 | Good |
| B | North Beach - South End | Nueces | 3.5% | 483 | Good |
| B | JFK Causeway - SW | Nueces | 3.6% | 249 | Good |
| B | Rollover Pass West | Galveston | 4% | 253 | Good |
| B | Indian Point Park | San Patricio | 4.1% | 73 | Good |
| B | Appfel Park | Galveston | 4.4% | 498 | Good |
| B | Jetty Park | Matagorda | 4.7% | 1,086 | Good |
| B | Galveston Island State Park | Galveston | 5% | 804 | Good |
| B | North Padre Island | Kleberg | 5.3% | 1,029 | Good |
| B | Jp Luby Park | Nueces | 5.5% | 1,017 | Good |
| B | San Luis Pass | Galveston | 5.5% | 765 | Good |
| B | Rollover Pass East | Galveston | 5.8% | 778 | Good |
| B | Jamaica Beach | Galveston | 6% | 504 | Good |
| B | 45th St. | Galveston | 6.1% | 1,286 | Good |
| B | O'neil Rd. | Galveston | 6.1% | 264 | Good |
| B | Indian Beach | Galveston | 6.2% | 260 | Good |
| B | Gulf Shores | Galveston | 6.5% | 784 | Good |
| B | Lighthouse Lake | Nueces | 6.5% | 246 | Good |
| B | San Luis Park | Brazoria | 6.7% | 253 | Good |
| B | 61st St. | Galveston | 6.8% | 1,746 | Good |
| B | Clara St. | Galveston | 7% | 775 | Good |
| C | Stewart Beach | Galveston | 7.3% | 778 | Fair |
| C | Pirates Beach | Galveston | 7.4% | 773 | Fair |
| C | Spanish Grant/Bermuda Beach | Galveston | 7.4% | 497 | Fair |
| C | Padre Bali Park | Nueces | 8% | 1,506 | Fair |
| C | Quintana | Brazoria | 8.4% | 1,349 | Fair |
| C | Rockport Beach Park | Aransas | 8.4% | 996 | Fair |
| C | 25th St. | Galveston | 8.8% | 557 | Fair |
| C | Sargent Beach | Matagorda | 9.1% | 275 | Fair |
| C | West End | Galveston | 9.3% | 269 | Fair |
| C | Corpus Christi Marina | Nueces | 9.8% | 521 | Fair |
| C | Holiday | Galveston | 10.1% | 257 | Fair |
| C | Frank Carmona Beach | Galveston | 10.2% | 264 | Fair |
| C | North Beach - Main | Nueces | 10.7% | 533 | Fair |
| C | Nueces Bay Causeway #3 | San Patricio | 10.9% | 265 | Fair |
| C | Port Aransas - South | Nueces | 11.3% | 1,010 | Fair |
| C | Packery Channel Park | Nueces | 11.6% | 232 | Fair |
| C | Dellanera Park | Galveston | 11.7% | 554 | Fair |
| D | Port Aransas Park | Nueces | 12.1% | 496 | Poor |
| D | Rettilon Road | Galveston | 15.1% | 548 | Poor |
| D | Galveston Island State Park Backside | Galveston | 15.1% | 259 | Poor |
| D | University Beach | Nueces | 16.6% | 265 | Poor |
| D | McGee Beach | Nueces | 17.9% | 548 | Poor |
| D | Bryan Beach | Brazoria | 18.1% | 587 | Poor |
| D | Emerald Beach | Nueces | 18.7% | 823 | Poor |
| D | Texas City Dike | Galveston | 20.1% | 289 | Poor |
| D | Sylvan Beach Park | Harris | 22.4% | 615 | Poor |
| D | Poenisch Park | Nueces | 23.6% | 284 | Poor |
| D | South Bay Boat Ramp | Matagorda | 23.7% | 659 | Poor |
| F | Cole Park | Nueces | 37.6% | 988 | Failing |
| F | Ropes Park | Nueces | 38.6% | 360 | Failing |
Download the full Texas beach safety ranking
All 66 graded Texas beaches with their Beach Safety Grade, exceedance rate, sample counts, and program status — from EPA monitoring data. Enter your email to download. A grade is a multi-year classification, not a same-day safety clearance.
Texas beach grade updates
Get new grades and water-quality updates for Texas beaches by email.
Where to stay near Texas beaches
Find beachfront hotels, condos, and vacation rentals across Texas — live availability and prices.
Top-rated places to stay near Texas beaches
Prices for Oct 2–4, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Watch Texas beach grades
Get an email when a graded Texas beach posts a new sample or swim advisory.
Frequently Asked Questions
The table ranks Texas beaches by Beach Safety Grade from EPA bacteria samples. Grade A beaches have the fewest exceedances of the safe-swimming limit.
Hotels, condos, and vacation rentals for Texas beaches are on the map on this page. Compare water quality in the table, then book from the town you actually want to swim from.
Texas beaches vary. Of 66 graded beaches, 14 earn an A for the fewest bacteria exceedances and 2 earn an F for exceeding the safe-swimming limit most often. A grade is a multi-year record, not a same-day clearance — check the county advisory the day you swim.
The day you swim. A grade is a history of samples, not a same-day clearance — check the county advisory before you get in.