2026 editionSouthPop. 31,709,821Capital Austin28th state, admitted 1845Cook PVI R+5
Is Texas a Good Place to Live? Texas Rankings, Cost of Living, Crime & Taxes
Texas ranks #32 of 50 with a composite score of 52.2 and a C+ grade, strongest in fiscal health (#5) and weakest in outdoor access (#50). The median household earns $79,721 (1% below the national median), homes typically cost $299,367 (19% below the national average), and violent crime is 345 per 100,000 (5% above the national average).
Texas is the state that keeps pulling earners in: its net gain was +56,473 households in one IRS release, more than any other state, on no income tax and +3.8% real GDP growth. Weigh that against an effective property tax of 1.63%, #44 of 50, and Gulf windstorm premiums the cost-of-living index never sees.
Texas by the numbers
Six measures every state is judged on, each with Texas's rank of 50 and the national figure beside it.
Sources, latest releases: Census Bureau ACS (income), Zillow Research (home value), BEA Regional Price Parities (cost index), FBI state crime estimates (crime), BLS LAUS (unemployment), WalletHub tax burden study (taxes). Rank 1 is the best value in each measure: highest income, lowest cost, lowest crime.
Read the Texas overview
Texas scores above the national average in 4 of 11 categories and ranks #6 of 14 states in the South, behind 5 regional neighbors. Its biggest edge over the country is typical home value ($299,367, 19% below the national average); its biggest shortfall is unemployment rate (4.2%, 0.3 points above the national average). That mix of top-10 finishes (2) and bottom-10 finishes (3) is why the composite alone undersells the tradeoffs a mover here faces.
Where does Texas rank in each category?
All 11 categories that make up the composite, heaviest weight first. Texas is top 10 in 2 and bottom 10 in 3.
| Category | Score | Rank | Grade | Weight | US avg | The numbers behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 42.5 | #32 of 50 | C+ | 15% | 47.1 | Its unemployment rate is 4.2% and median household income is $79,721. |
| Safety | 61.8 | #35 of 50 | C | 12% | 68.9 | The FBI estimates 344.9 violent crimes and 1,786 property crimes per 100,000 residents. |
| Health | 37.7 | #41 of 50 | C | 12% | 54.4 | Life expectancy is 77.1 years, 35.6% of adults have obesity, and 16.7% of residents are uninsured. |
| Education | 60.7 | #24 of 50 | B | 12% | 57.5 | Eighth graders average 269 in NAEP math and 252 in reading, and the high school graduation rate is 89.7%. |
| Affordability | 74.4 | #20 of 50 | B | 10% | 65.2 | Typical home value $299,367 (3.8x median income); cost of living index 97.1 (100 = US); center-based infant care $10,894 a year. |
| Fiscal Health | 72.2 | #5 of 50 | A+ | 8% | 58.1 | It carries $1,850 of debt per resident, has 76% of pensions funded, and holds a AAA credit rating. |
| Growth | 51.7 | #9 of 50 | A | 7% | 38.8 | Population grew 1.25% last year; Census net domestic migration is +2.1 per 1,000 residents (the Moving section below uses IRS household counts, a different series). |
| Transportation | 43.7 | #38 of 50 | C | 7% | 49.8 | The average commute is 27.5 minutes, 1% of workers use public transit, and 12.9% work from home. |
| Livability | 23.6 | #43 of 50 | D | 7% | 34.3 | It has 1.677 restaurants and 0.015 arts venues per 1,000 residents, plus 0.094 bars and 0.044 social associations per 1,000. |
| Outdoor Access | 4.7 | #50 of 50 | F | 6% | 29.4 | 1.8% of its land is public, with 1.69 recreation facilities per 10,000 residents. |
| Environment | 40.8 | #25 of 50 | B | 4% | 42.5 | Its median air quality index is 43, 37% of its electricity is renewable, and its FEMA disaster risk score is 24. |
Weight, US average and the evidence sentence for each category are shown on wider screens.
Grades follow rank, not score: A+ for ranks 1–5, A for 6–10, B+ for 11–18, B for 19–26, C+ for 27–34, C for 35–42, D for 43–48, F for 49–50. US avg is the mean score of the 50 states. Click a category for its 50-state ranking.
Category shape
Texas's 11 category scores. A balanced state fills the wheel evenly; Texas bulges toward fiscal health and dips at outdoor access.
How expensive is Texas?
Texas's cost of living index is 97.1 against a national baseline of 100, 3% below the national average and #27 of 50 (1 = cheapest). The typical home is worth $299,367 (19% below the national average); buying it takes an income of about $88,061, $8,340 more than the median household earns. Inside the state the spread is wide: among tracked cities, McAllen is cheapest (index 85.9) and Grapevine priciest (103.1).
Housing market snapshot · August
Cool marketRanked #33 of 50 most expensive by typical value and #18 on price relative to income (1 = most affordable). The median household is $8,340 short of the income needed to buy the typical home.
Full Texas housing market: 26-year chart, rent vs. buy, cities →What a household keeps at $75,000
| Household | Texas | Median state | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family of fourTwo adults, two kids, one in daycare | −$144 | −$11,758 | #9 of 50 |
| Single adultOne-bedroom rent, no childcare | +$35,541 | +$31,418 | #13 of 50 |
| Retiree coupleOwn the home, no payroll tax | +$39,506 | +$35,970 | #15 of 50 |
Take-home pay minus housing, childcare, utilities, groceries and transport for a $75,000 household, from the affordability engine. Positive = money left over; negative = costs exceed take-home. Rank 1 = most left over.
What are taxes like in Texas?
Texas has no state income tax; instead it leans on high property tax, with sales tax in the middle of the pack. The total state and local tax burden comes to 7.77% of income, 1.0 points below the national average (#11 of 50, 1 = lightest). Property tax is 1.63% of home value (#44), and combined sales tax averages 8.2% (#37).
Tax Foundation (rates) and WalletHub tax burden study (burden as a share of income), latest releases. Rank 1 = lowest. Income tax is the top marginal rate including typical local taxes where they apply.
Can the state pay its bills?
Fiscal health scores 72.2 out of 100, #5 of 50. Pew Fiscal 50, Census state finances and the rating agencies, latest releases.
Is Texas safe?
Texas reports 345 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 5% above the national average and #31 of 50 (1 = safest). Property crime runs 1,786 per 100,000, 16% above the national average (#39 of 50). The safety score is 61.8 out of 100, #35 of 50; among tracked cities, Flower Mound has the lowest violent crime rate.
Texas vs. the United States, per 100,000 residents
FBI state crime estimates, latest release. US is the mean of the 50 states; blue = below it, terracotta = above it. Florida and North Dakota use the FBI's prior-year estimate because their latest year is based on limited data.
Safest tracked cities in Texas
| City | Population | Violent / 100K | Property / 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower Mound | 78,389 | 42 | 571 |
| League City | 116,215 | 60 | 1,072 |
| Sugar Land | 110,016 | 73 | 1,222 |
| Allen | 110,265 | 79 | 709 |
| Wylie | 60,334 | 81 | 604 |
Lowest violent crime among the 74 Texas cities we track with 50,000 or more residents. City rates come from each city's police agency and are not strictly comparable across agencies.
What is the job market like in Texas?
Texas's unemployment rate is 4.2%, 0.3 points above the national average and #30 of 50 (1 = lowest), and the median household earns $79,721, 1% below the national median. Real GDP grew +3.8% in the latest year (#2 of 50) and GDP per capita is $68,820, 7% above the national average. The population is growing 1.25% a year, 0.7 points above the national average. The economy score is 42.5 out of 100, #32 of 50.
Census Bureau ACS (income), BLS LAUS (unemployment), BEA (GDP), Census population estimates (growth), latest releases.
Highest-paying tracked occupations in Texas, adjusted for cost of living
| Occupation | Cost-adjusted | Median wage | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $254,682 | $247,042 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington |
| Lawyers | $166,195 | $161,209 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown |
| Software Developers | $162,398 | $157,526 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown |
| General & Operations Managers | $116,809 | $113,305 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $114,573 | $111,136 | Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, latest release, for the 20 occupations we track. Cost-adjusted wage divides the metro median by its cost of living index.
How are Texas's schools and healthcare?
Texas's education score is 60.7 out of 100, #24 of 50. Eighth graders average 269 in NAEP math (#34 of 50) and 252 in reading (#44 of 50), and the high school graduation rate is 89.7%, 4.1 points above the national average (#8 of 50).
Tracked school cities with the smallest classes
| City | Students / teacher | Per pupil |
|---|---|---|
| Lewisville | 12.7 | $12,100 |
| Denton | 13.1 | $11,448 |
| Grapevine | 13.1 | $10,666 |
The federal EDFacts file does not publish city-level graduation rates for Texas, so cities are ranked by students per teacher instead. NCES Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey, latest release; cities with at least three schools.
Texas is #41 of 50 for health, with a life expectancy of 77.1 years, 0.2 years above the national average. 35.6% of adults have obesity (#32 of 50) and 16.7% of residents have no health insurance (#50 of 50). The health score is 37.7 out of 100, weighted 12% of the composite.
CDC National Center for Health Statistics (state life tables), CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (obesity), and Census Bureau American Community Survey (health insurance), latest releases.
Who is moving to Texas, and who is leaving?
Texas gained a net 56,473 households from other states in the latest IRS release: 307,240 moved in and 250,767 moved out, +1.8 per 1,000 residents (#12 of 50). Arriving households report an average income of $83,632 against $80,359 for those leaving. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which counts people rather than households, shows a net +72.7K people (556.2K in, 483.5K out, ±32.4K), consistent with the IRS direction.
Where they come from
- 1California44,417 · $107,273
- 2Florida24,196 · $70,034
- 3Louisiana15,068 · $56,976
- 4New York12,961 · $89,975
- 5Colorado12,275 · $88,673
Households and their average income. Click a state to compare it head to head; households arrived from these states in the latest IRS release.
Where they go
- 1California24,970 · $95,486
- 2Florida20,050 · $91,708
- 3Colorado14,923 · $88,895
- 4Oklahoma11,582 · $63,314
- 5Louisiana10,522 · $53,860
Households and their average income. Click a state to compare it head to head; households left for these states in the latest IRS release.
Where should you live in Texas?
By composite score, the best of the 74 Texas cities we track are Flower Mound (67.4), Frisco (66.6), and Cedar Park (66.3). McAllen is the cheapest (cost index 85.9), Flower Mound the richest ($161,235), and Kyle the fastest growing (+6.1% a year). City ranks are among the 74 Texas cities we cover, not every city in the state.
Standout cities in Texas
| Best for | City | Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Safest | Flower Mound | 42 violent crimes per 100K |
| Cheapest | McAllen | cost of living index 85.9 |
| Most walkable | Richardson | walkability 13 of 20 |
| Cleanest air | Amarillo | median AQI 16 (county) |
| Richest | Flower Mound | $161,235 |
Among the 74 Texas cities we track. Safest uses a full year of FBI reports from the city's own police agency; air quality is measured by county, so cities in the same county share a reading.
Regions of Texas
Corporate headquarters, sprawl and the state's richest suburbs; Frisco, Plano and McKinney carry the top composite scores and the highest home prices outside Austin.
Energy, the port and the medical center, with humidity, hurricane exposure and windstorm premiums to match; Corpus Christi shares the coast and the insurance math.
Austin is the expensive tech city, San Antonio the cheaper military and health-care city an hour south; Killeen sits between them around Fort Cavazos.
The lowest costs in the state and the lowest incomes; bilingual, young, hot, and closer to Monterrey or Juarez than to Dallas.
All 74 tracked cities, best to worst
| # | City | Grade | Score | Population | Income | Violent / 100K | Cost index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flower Mound | A+ | 67.4 | 78,389 | $161,235 | 42 | 103.1 |
| 2 | Frisco | A | 66.6 | 219,304 | $150,212 | 98 | 103.1 |
| 3 | Cedar Park | A | 66.3 | 78,301 | $129,545 | 91 | 98.1 |
| 4 | McKinney | A | 65.3 | 210,600 | $124,215 | 115 | 103.1 |
| 5 | Leander | A | 65.2 | 74,067 | $139,048 | — | 98.1 |
| 6 | Round Rock | A | 64.9 | 127,786 | $99,287 | 125 | 98.1 |
| 7 | The Woodlands | A | 63.6 | 121,002 | $140,701 | — | 98.6 |
| 8 | Georgetown | A | 63.4 | 85,999 | $95,062 | 149 | 98.1 |
| 9 | Mansfield | A | 63.4 | 77,510 | $121,126 | 106 | 103.1 |
| 10 | Allen | A | 63.3 | 110,265 | $130,901 | 79 | 103.1 |
| 11 | Sugar Land | A | 63.0 | 110,016 | $136,217 | 73 | 98.6 |
| 12 | Plano | A | 62.9 | 290,594 | $112,253 | 147 | 103.1 |
| 13 | Carrollton | B+ | 62.7 | 133,740 | $101,396 | 98 | 103.1 |
| 14 | Richardson | B+ | 62.7 | 118,731 | $98,111 | 138 | 103.1 |
| 15 | Wylie | B+ | 62.6 | 60,334 | $119,522 | 81 | 103.1 |
| 16 | Pflugerville | B+ | 62.3 | 65,971 | $117,799 | 186 | 98.1 |
| 17 | League City | B+ | 62.2 | 116,215 | $121,099 | 60 | 98.6 |
| 18 | Lewisville | B+ | 61.0 | 131,080 | $89,233 | 218 | 103.1 |
| 19 | Kyle | B+ | 60.7 | 56,823 | $90,323 | 135 | 98.1 |
| 20 | Grapevine | B+ | 60.6 | 51,139 | $111,376 | 165 | 103.1 |
| 21 | New Braunfels | B+ | 60.0 | 104,643 | $86,021 | 223 | 94.7 |
| 22 | Pearland | B+ | 59.5 | 127,514 | $118,842 | 82 | 98.6 |
| 23 | Rowlett | B+ | 59.4 | 65,463 | $112,081 | 157 | 103.1 |
| 24 | Burleson | B | 58.7 | 52,918 | $93,928 | 155 | 103.1 |
| 25 | Austin | B | 58.1 | 979,539 | $93,658 | 422 | 98.1 |
| 26 | North Richland Hills | B | 57.4 | 70,780 | $97,305 | 151 | 103.1 |
| 27 | Irving | B | 57.3 | 256,492 | $81,830 | 268 | 103.1 |
| 28 | Denton | B | 57.3 | 152,866 | $76,019 | 205 | 103.1 |
| 29 | Atascocita | B | 57.0 | 99,354 | $118,226 | — | 98.6 |
| 30 | Midland | B | 56.9 | 136,640 | $89,585 | 352 | 95.8 |
| 31 | Little Elm | B | 56.7 | 54,820 | $119,219 | — | 103.1 |
| 32 | Conroe | B | 56.2 | 102,360 | $76,206 | 263 | 98.6 |
| 33 | Euless | B | 55.8 | 60,421 | $82,167 | 159 | 103.1 |
| 34 | San Angelo | C+ | 54.9 | 99,674 | $65,864 | 287 | 92.5 |
| 35 | Bryan | C+ | 54.7 | 87,939 | $59,289 | 287 | 91 |
| 36 | Garland | C+ | 54.5 | 246,844 | $76,320 | 191 | 103.1 |
| 37 | College Station | C+ | 54.5 | 124,570 | $50,900 | 132 | 91 |
| 38 | Missouri City | C+ | 54.4 | 76,558 | $94,390 | 151 | 98.6 |
| 39 | Fort Worth | C+ | 54.2 | 963,194 | $79,507 | 375 | 103.1 |
| 40 | Grand Prairie | C+ | 54.0 | 201,883 | $81,619 | 202 | 103.1 |
| 41 | Tyler | C+ | 53.8 | 109,215 | $67,486 | 366 | 92.2 |
| 42 | Odessa | C+ | 52.8 | 115,322 | $73,472 | 286 | 93.9 |
| 43 | McAllen | C+ | 52.6 | 145,385 | $61,579 | 126 | 85.9 |
| 44 | Wichita Falls | C+ | 52.6 | 102,581 | $60,177 | 358 | 89.5 |
| 45 | Amarillo | C+ | 52.5 | 201,885 | $65,912 | 551 | 91.8 |
| 46 | Temple | C+ | 52.5 | 89,602 | $68,204 | 316 | 91.1 |
| 47 | El Paso | C | 52.3 | 680,130 | $59,745 | 289 | 89.9 |
| 48 | Texas City | C | 52.3 | 55,364 | $68,776 | 249 | 98.6 |
| 49 | Abilene | C | 52.0 | 128,053 | $62,648 | 457 | 90.4 |
| 50 | DeSoto | C | 52.0 | 56,211 | $82,782 | 283 | 103.1 |
| 51 | San Marcos | C | 51.4 | 70,897 | $51,281 | 422 | 98.1 |
| 52 | Arlington | C | 51.2 | 397,742 | $75,171 | 406 | 103.1 |
| 53 | Longview | C | 51.1 | 82,923 | $63,340 | 346 | 89.5 |
| 54 | Dallas | C | 50.7 | 1,307,930 | $70,518 | 577 | 103.1 |
| 55 | Mission | C | 50.7 | 87,038 | $60,767 | 134 | 85.9 |
| 56 | Victoria | C | 50.5 | 65,625 | $67,226 | 364 | 89.8 |
| 57 | Laredo | C | 50.3 | 257,619 | $63,915 | 316 | 87 |
| 58 | Lubbock | C | 50.2 | 264,814 | $60,895 | 699 | 91.3 |
| 59 | Waco | C | 50.2 | 143,570 | $54,365 | 414 | 92.6 |
| 60 | San Antonio | C | 49.8 | 1,479,835 | $65,056 | 532 | 94.7 |
| 61 | Edinburg | C | 49.8 | 104,550 | $59,466 | 213 | 85.9 |
| 62 | Mesquite | C | 49.2 | 149,299 | $72,537 | 453 | 103.1 |
| 63 | Galveston | D | 48.2 | 53,424 | $55,631 | 506 | 98.6 |
| 64 | Harlingen | D | 47.6 | 72,087 | $53,645 | 231 | 86 |
| 65 | Pasadena | D | 46.9 | 149,433 | $64,927 | 436 | 98.6 |
| 66 | Spring | D | 46.8 | 68,580 | $88,997 | — | 98.6 |
| 67 | Killeen | D | 46.1 | 158,159 | $60,977 | 498 | 91.1 |
| 68 | Corpus Christi | D | 45.6 | 317,419 | $67,394 | 799 | 92.7 |
| 69 | Pharr | D | 45.1 | 80,333 | $52,814 | 214 | 85.9 |
| 70 | Houston | D | 44.3 | 2,328,253 | $64,813 | 884 | 98.6 |
| 71 | Baytown | D | 43.5 | 85,205 | $59,910 | 399 | 98.6 |
| 72 | Brownsville | D | 42.7 | 189,177 | $52,130 | 405 | 86 |
| 73 | Beaumont | F | 38.0 | 113,279 | $56,997 | 948 | 90 |
| 74 | Port Arthur | F | 36.6 | 55,828 | $46,354 | 596 | 90 |
Swipe the table sideways for more columns. Rank is among the 74 Texas cities we track: every city of 50,000 or more, plus the state's other largest places. City scores use city-level Census, FBI, BLS, CDC, EPA and NCES data, and a category with no city data is left out of the score rather than filled with the state's figure.
Best cities in Texas for…
| # | City | Score | Education | Safety | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cedar Park | 66.1 | 43.9 | 92.2 | 54.8 |
| 2 | Flower Mound | 65.9 | 46.5 | 99.5 | 45.3 |
| 3 | Frisco | 63.5 | 39.3 | 94.9 | 44.4 |
| 4 | Carrollton | 63.4 | 51.2 | 93.3 | 58.9 |
| 5 | Allen | 62.9 | 36.2 | 96.7 | 52.9 |
Who is Texas best for?
The same 11 category scores, re-weighted for six kinds of household. Rank is among the 50 states; click through for the best Texas cities for each.
Weights differ by household: families lean on education, safety and housing; retirees on fiscal health, healthcare and cost. See the weights →
How does Texas compare with its neighbors?
Texas ranks #32. Among its bordering states, Oklahoma ranks highest (#43) and Louisiana lowest (#50). Oklahoma is the most similar on the composite score and Louisiana the most different. Bordering states are listed best to worst; the national line is the mean of the 50 states.
| State | Overall | Score | Median income | Typical home | Cost index | Violent crime | Tax burden | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | #32 | 52.2 | $79,721 | $299,367 | 97.1 | 345 | 7.77% | |
| Oklahoma | #43 | 43.0 | $66,148 | $223,261 | 87.8 | 408 | 7.01% | Compare → |
| Arkansas | #48 | 40.1 | $62,106 | $227,264 | 86.9 | 532 | 8.61% | Compare → |
| New Mexico | #49 | 30.6 | $67,816 | $318,241 | 92.2 | 622 | 9.62% | Compare → |
| Louisiana | #50 | 30.0 | $60,986 | $217,039 | 88.2 | 515 | 8.94% | Compare → |
| United States | — | 57.9 | $80,903 | $368,697 | 100 | 328 | 8.74% |
Overall rank, median income, cost index and tax burden columns are shown on wider screens.
How the score works
Eleven categories, each scored 0–100 and weighted into one composite. Grades follow rank.
The weights
Economy 15% · Safety 12% · Health 12% · Education 12% · Affordability 10% · Fiscal Health 8% · Growth 7% · Transportation 7% · Livability 7% · Outdoor Access 6% · Environment 4%. The composite is the weighted sum, stretched linearly so states spread across most of the 0–100 range.
From raw numbers to scores
Every raw measure is placed on a 0–100 scale between a fixed floor and ceiling, inverted where lower is better (crime, cost, taxes), then combined within its category. The same scale applies to every state.
Letter grades
Grades follow rank, not score: A+ for ranks 1–5, A for 6–10, B+ for 11–18, B for 19–26, C+ for 27–34, C for 35–42, D for 43–48, F for 49–50. A C+ state is not failing; it is in the middle third.
Cities, budgets and neighbors
The 74 Texas city scores, the household budgets and the neighbor table on this page are computed from the same sources as the state score. City ranks are among the cities we track, not all cities in the state.
Editor's notes
Passages marked as editor's notes are written for this state and add context the numbers cannot: regions, tradeoffs, who the state fits. Every figure inside them is pulled from the data at build time, so the words cannot drift from the numbers.
Always the latest release
Each source is the most recent release its agency has published. The page is rebuilt when a source updates, so the score can move without any change in the state itself.
What the score cannot tell you
Weather and climate, culture and pace, politics beyond the Cook index shown for context, the quality of a specific school, hospital or neighborhood, job prospects in your field, and anything without a public, comparable, 50-state source. Statewide averages also hide the metro-versus-rural split, which is why the editor's notes name places.
Category briefs
Economy: Unemployment rate and median household income. Safety: Violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents. Health: Health outcomes, behaviors, and access to care. Education: K-12 school quality, test scores, and graduation rates. Full methodology →
Key takeaways
What the Texas numbers say when read together.
Fiscal Health is Texas's strongest suit
Texas is a #32 state overall but #5 of 50 for fiscal health, 27 places better than its composite rank, with a score of 72.2 against a national average of 58.1. Growth (#9) is next. Fiscal health carries 8% of the composite.
Outdoor Access is where Texas falls furthest behind
Texas ranks #50 of 50 for outdoor access, 18 places below its overall #32, with a score of 4.7 against a national average of 29.4. At 6% of the composite, it is the category holding the overall score down most.
Typical home value is 19% below the national average
Texas's typical home value is $299,367, 19% below the national average of $368,697, #18 of 50 (1 = cheapest). The largest gap in the other direction is unemployment rate: 4.2%, 0.3 points above the national average. Source: Zillow Research ZHVI, latest release.
More households arrive than leave
Texas ranks #12 of 50 on net household flow per 1,000 residents (+1.8). The households arriving report $3,273 more in average income than those leaving ($83,632 against $80,359), so the state is trading up on income even as the headcount grows. California is both the largest source and the largest destination.
A middle income is squeezed less here than in most states
A family of four earning $75,000 ends the year at a $144 shortfall after housing, childcare, utilities, groceries, transport and taxes, against a $11,758 shortfall in the median state (#9 of 50). A single adult on the same income comes out at a $35,541 surplus; a retiree couple at a $39,506 surplus. Infant childcare runs $10,894 a year, 30% below the national average.
Texas outranks every bordering state
None of Texas's 4 bordering states ranks above its #32; the closest match on the composite is Oklahoma. Median income among them runs from $60,986 in Louisiana to $67,816 in New Mexico; Texas is at $79,721.
Frequently asked questions about living in Texas
Is Texas a good place to live?
Texas ranks #32 of 50 with a C+ grade, #6 of 14 in the South. It is top 10 in fiscal health and growth and bottom 10 in health, livability, and outdoor access. On the six headline measures it beats the national figure on 3 of 6 (home prices, cost of living, and tax burden) and trails on income, violent crime, and unemployment. Whether that adds up to a good place to live depends on what you weigh; the household rankings below re-weight the same numbers for families, retirees and remote workers.
Where does Texas rank among US states?
Texas ranks #32 of 50 overall with a composite score of 52.2 (grade C+), and #6 of 14 states in the South. Its best category rank is #5 (fiscal health) and its worst #50 (outdoor access). The composite weights eleven categories, with economy, safety, health and education counting most; grades follow rank, so C+ means rank 27–34.
Is it expensive to live in Texas?
At #27 of 50 for cost of living (1 = cheapest), Texas is 3% below the national average: its index is 97.1 against a national baseline of 100. The typical home value is $299,367 (19% below the national average), and buying it takes an income of about $88,061 against a median household income of $79,721. At $75,000, a family of four comes out at a $144 shortfall after all costs, #9 of 50 (1 = most left over).
Does Texas have a state income tax?
No. Texas levies no state income tax on wages. Its total state and local tax burden is 7.77% of income (#11 of 50, 1 = lowest), 1.0 points below the national average. Property tax is 1.63% of home value and combined sales tax 8.2%.
What is the crime rate in Texas?
Texas reports 345 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 5% above the national average and #31 of 50 (1 = safest), and 1,786 property crimes per 100,000, 16% above the national average (#39). Its safety score is 61.8 out of 100, #35 of 50. Figures are FBI estimates from the latest release.
Does Texas have good schools?
Texas is #24 of 50 for education (score 60.7 out of 100). Its public school students average 269 in eighth-grade math on NAEP (#34) and 252 in eighth-grade reading (#44), and the high school graduation rate is 89.7%, 4.1 points above the national average (#8). The federal school files we use do not publish city-level graduation rates for Texas, so cities are compared on students per teacher and spending instead.
Why are people moving to Texas?
Texas gained a net 56,473 households in the latest IRS release: 307,240 moved in and 250,767 moved out, +1.8 per 1,000 residents (#12 of 50). The largest source of arrivals is California (44,417 households) and the most common destination is California (24,970). Arriving households report an average income of $83,632 against $80,359 for those leaving, so movers in earn more than movers out. The IRS files count tax returns and say nothing about motives.
Is Texas a red or blue state?
Texas leans red: its Cook Partisan Voting Index is R+5, meaning it votes about 5 points more Republican than the country as a whole. The political lean is shown for context and is not part of the composite score.
What are the downsides of living in Texas?
Property tax, insurance and heat. The effective rate is 1.63%, 0.6 points above the national average, and on a Gulf Coast house the windstorm policy can cost as much as the tax. Summers run above a hundred degrees for weeks, which lands in the electric bill. Health ranks #41, public land is 1.8% of the state, and commutes average 27.5 minutes. None of it is in the no-income-tax pitch.
Does Texas get hurricanes and tornadoes?
Both, in different places. Hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast from Brownsville to Beaumont, and Houston floods from tropical rain even when the wind stays offshore. Tornadoes belong to North Texas and the Panhandle. FEMA's risk index sits at 24.0, 19% below the national average, because the interior is calm. Near Houston, flood coverage is a separate policy and worth pricing before the offer.
Is Texas tax-friendly for retirees?
Depends on whether you own the house. Retirement income goes untaxed; there is no income tax. Homeowners over sixty-five get an extra homestead exemption and a ceiling on school district taxes, blunting the 1.63% rate. Renters do best; a retiree couple at $75,000 comes out at a $39,506 surplus after costs, #15 of 50. The sales tax at 8.2% is the piece fixed-income households feel most.
Where in Texas should I live?
For a corporate job with kids, the suburbs north of Dallas: Flower Mound has the highest composite score and lowest violent crime of any tracked city. Energy and medicine mean Houston. Software means Austin, at the state's highest prices. On a tight budget, El Paso or the Valley, where McAllen is the cheapest tracked city. The Panhandle suits people who want land over restaurants.
Do I need a car in Texas?
Yes, everywhere except a few square miles of central Austin, Houston and Dallas. Only 1% of Texas commuters use transit, and the mean commute is 27.5 minutes because the metros were built outward, not upward. DART rail in Dallas and Houston's light rail cover office corridors, not suburbs. Gasoline at $2.88 per gallon, #1 cheapest in the country, is the consolation.
All the numbers
Every metric behind Texas's 11 category scores, with the national figure beside each. Pick a category.