Should I Move To
Roughly 71,497 people live in Harlingen, Texas. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 21% below the national average. Median rent runs about $867/mo; the typical household pulls in $50,367. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 62/100 — a C+, putting it at #88 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
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.
By the composite index, Harlingen sits at 79 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($867/mo against $50,367 median household income), housing eats roughly 21% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $111,600.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 93°F in summer, 50°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 32 inches. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential. AQI runs about 46 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Harlingen is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 63/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (98/100); the soft spot is education (14/100).
For retirees, Harlingen is one of the stronger US options. The profile-weighted score is 77/100 — a B+. Its standout dimension is affordability (98/100); the soft spot is education (14/100).
For remote workers, Harlingen is one of the stronger US options. The profile-weighted score is 77/100 — a B+. Its standout dimension is affordability (98/100); the soft spot is education (14/100).
For young professionals, Harlingen is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 65/100 — a B-. Its standout dimension is affordability (98/100); the soft spot is education (14/100).
Our overall score for Harlingen is 62/100 — a C+, sitting at #88 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Harlingen sits at 79 — very affordable, 21% below the national average. Median renter pays around $867 a month.
Harlingen runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 93°F, winter's near 50°F; 32 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 86/100. Walking covers most daily life if you live in a central neighborhood; a car is helpful for longer trips but not essential.
Roughly 71,497 people live here, with 21% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 33.
Drop Harlingen 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 Harlingen with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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