Abilene, TX — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Texas·Abilene

Taylor County · Abilene · population 130,501

First-time buyers
Abilene, TX
Image: Wikipedia · Abilene, Texas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
75
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Abilene stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 6.1% in the last year. rents up 42.4% in the last year.

Median home $214,916
1-year +6.1%
5-yr CAGR +5.5%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +1.0%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$215k$117k$153k$188k$224k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
25/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
98/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,751/mo$906$1,381$1,856202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent131182100120140160180202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 10.2
Buy

At a 10.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Abilene on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 10.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
79 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
67 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
66 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

Abilene has held up across the cycle: home values at $214,916 with +5.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Abilene's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Abilene

Abilene is a city in Taylor County, Texas, with an estimated population of 130,501. The population grew 1.0% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Abilene is $214,916 as of 2026-04, up 6.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.5% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Abilene average $1,751 per month, up 42.4% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 75 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Trend still working: prices up 6.1% in the last 12 months — buyers are still chasing inventory.
●Affordable AND rising: median home $214,916 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.5% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Net positive migration: population up 1.0% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Rental squeeze: rents up 42.4% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Abilene (Wikipedia)

Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 176,579 as of 2020. Abilene is home to three Christian universities: Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and Hardin–Simmons University. It is the county seat of Taylor County. Dyess Air Force Base is located on the west side of the city.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorWeldon Hurt
Area112.09 sq mi
Elevation1719 ft
Settled1881
Density1223.4/sq mi
Named forAbilene, Kansas

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Taylor County right now.

NWS active alerts (TX)Texas Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Taylor County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Abilene

22 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Potosi$375,745+6.9%
2Lytle$359,552+7.3%
3Far Southside$330,926+5.6%
4Loop 322 East$293,427+4.0%
5Chimney Rock$284,677+7.5%
6Buck Creek$269,173+6.7%
7River Oaks/Brookhollow$257,562+7.5%
8Park Central$237,878+6.4%
9Fort Phantom$230,500+7.3%
10Abilene Heights$227,531+8.1%
11East Highway 80$218,926+10.8%
12Red Bud Park$178,874+5.8%
13Westwood Richland$176,828+6.5%
14Dyess$173,698+6.4%
15Elmwood$161,547+7.5%
16Sayles Boulevard$146,793+2.2%
17Overplace$141,546+1.7%
18South Treadaway$129,710-1.4%
19Sears Park$122,711-4.8%
20Cobb Park$117,134-2.3%
21Original Town$113,837-5.4%
22North College$103,814+0.3%

Cities like Abilene

San Benito, TX67 · RisingOdessa, TX66 · RisingDalhart, TX71 · RisingNacogdoches, TX65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Abilene

ToolCan I afford Abilene?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Abilene rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Abilene to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolAbilene cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 39°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
95° / 73°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
232
~64% of year
Annual precip
29″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Moderate
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Abilene listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Abilene area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
64%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$73,000
Texas state median
Top industries (state-level)
Energy/Oil & GasTech (Austin)Healthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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