Should I Move To
College Station, Texas is home to about 120,451 people. On cost of living, it lands in the affordable band — 13% below the national average. The median renter pays around $1,129 a month against a typical household income of $52,397. Our composite UrbRank Score lands at 55 out of 100 (grade C), putting it at #306 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.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
College Station's composite cost-of-living index lands at 87 (100 = US average), which puts it in the affordable band. At $1,129/mo against $52,397 in median household income, the typical renter spends about 26% of income on housing — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Median home value sits around $305,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Climate is hot-summer — summer averages around 94°F, winter averages around 46°F. Precipitation totals about 52 inches a year. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests. On the safer side of the national distribution, though not by a huge margin. AQI runs about 44 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
College Station reads as a moderate fit for families. The profile-weighted score is 72/100 — a B. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is job market (30/100).
College Station reads as a moderate fit for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 63/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is job market (30/100).
College Station reads as a moderate fit for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 65/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is job market (30/100).
College Station doesn't obviously fit young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 52/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is job market (30/100).
Our overall score for College Station is 55/100 — a C, sitting at #306 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, College Station sits at 87 — affordable, 13% below the national average. Median renter pays around $1,129 a month.
College Station runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 94°F, winter's near 46°F; 52 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 38/100. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests.
Roughly 120,451 people live here, with 58% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 23.
Drop College Station 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 College Station with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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