Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 857 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Bandera calls itself the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” The Frontier Times Museum, founded by J. Marvin Hunter and named for Hunter’s Frontier Times magazine, is located in Bandera across from the First Baptist Church. Bandera also has a large presence in biker culture.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,089, and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $27,604 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,502. About 11.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.