Should I Move To
Abilene, Texas comes in at about 126,356 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 14% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,060/mo, and the median household income is about $59,254. Overall, 64/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C+, putting it at #74 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 86 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $1,060/mo and median household income at $59,254, housing takes about 21% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $161,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect hot-summer weather — summers near 94°F, winters around 37°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 35 inches annually. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. On safety, this is a middle-of-the-pack city — neither standout nor concerning. AQI runs about 48 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
On the families profile, Abilene sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 60/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is education (28/100).
On the retirees profile, Abilene sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 66/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is education (28/100).
On the remote workers profile, Abilene sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 70/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is education (28/100).
On the young professionals profile, Abilene sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 63/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (88/100); the soft spot is education (28/100).
Our overall score for Abilene is 64/100 — a C+, sitting at #74 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Abilene sits at 86 — affordable, 14% below the national average. Median renter pays around $1,060 a month.
Abilene runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 94°F, winter's near 37°F; 35 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 57/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 126,356 people live here, with 26% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 32.
Drop Abilene into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Abilene with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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