Should I Move To
McAllen, Texas comes in at about 142,722 residents. Cost of living comes out very affordable — 22% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $955/mo, and the median household income is about $56,326. Overall, 52/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C-, putting it at #430 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.
Cost-of-living index of 78 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very affordable territory. With median rent at $955/mo and median household income at $56,326, housing takes about 20% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $158,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect hot-summer weather — summers near 100°F, winters around 48°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 21 inches annually. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. On the safer side of the national distribution, though not by a huge margin. AQI runs about 48 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
On the families profile, McAllen sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 62/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (97/100); the soft spot is climate (24/100).
On the retirees profile, McAllen sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 60/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is affordability (97/100); the soft spot is climate (24/100).
On the remote workers profile, McAllen sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 63/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (97/100); the soft spot is climate (24/100).
McAllen is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 55/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (97/100); the soft spot is climate (24/100).
Our overall score for McAllen is 52/100 — a C-, sitting at #430 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, McAllen sits at 78 — very affordable, 22% below the national average. Median renter pays around $955 a month.
McAllen runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 100°F, winter's near 48°F; 21 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 66/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 142,722 people live here, with 32% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 33.
Drop McAllen 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 McAllen with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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