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

All states·Texas·Amarillo

Potter County · Amarillo · population 203,729

First-time buyers
Amarillo, TX
Image: Wikipedia · Amarillo, Texas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
69
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Amarillo stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $208,517
1-year +2.8%
5-yr CAGR +5.7%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$209k$115k$149k$183k$217k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
35/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
38/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
95/100
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
$1,287/mo$0$682$1,364202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent13212980100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.5
Buy

At a 13.5 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Amarillo on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.5 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
64 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
68 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
53 · w16%
Rent YoY
74 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
63 · w10%
Long thesis

Amarillo has held up across the cycle: home values at $208,517 with +5.7% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Amarillo'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 Amarillo

Amarillo is a city in Potter County, Texas, with an estimated population of 203,729. The median home value in Amarillo is $208,517 as of 2026-04, up 2.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.7% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Amarillo average $1,287 per month, up 4.3% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 69 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $208,517 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.7% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +2.8% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Amarillo (Wikipedia)

Amarillo is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County. It is the 17th-most populous city in Texas and the most populous city in the Texas panhandle. The estimated population of Amarillo was 203,729 as 2024, comprising nearly half of the panhandle's population. The Amarillo metropolitan area had an estimated population of 308,297 as of 2020.

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

City facts

MayorCole Stanley (Since May 2023)
Area103.86 sq mi
Elevation3662 ft
Density1949/sq mi
Named forAmarillo Lake

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 Potter County right now.

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

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

Cities like Amarillo

Longview, TX67 · RisingSan Angelo, TX64 · RisingNacogdoches, TX65 · RisingBrownsville, TX73 · Rising

Run the numbers for Amarillo

ToolCan I afford Amarillo?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Amarillo rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Amarillo to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolAmarillo 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 Amarillo 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 Amarillo 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.

Cities similar to Amarillo

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Texas cities →    Browse best-of lists →