Travis County · Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown · population 993,588
Where Austin stands
26% off 5-year peak. home values down 5.7% in the last year.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
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 · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 27.2 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Austin for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Austin has held up across the cycle: home values at $511,264 with -0.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Austin has given back 26% from its 5-year peak — that's not a healthy correction, it's a market still digesting an overshoot. The bear case is that the floor hasn't been found yet.
About Austin
Austin is a city in Travis County, Texas, with an estimated population of 993,588. It anchors the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown metro area. The population grew 0.8% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Austin is $511,264 as of 2026-04, down 5.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged -0.4% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 26% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Austin average $1,567 per month, down 2.5% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 34 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Austin (Wikipedia)
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. With a population of 961,855 at the 2020 census, it is the 12th-most populous city in the U.S., fifth-most populous city in Texas, and second-most populous U.S. state capital, while the Austin metro area with an estimated 2.55 million residents is the 25th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. Austin is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it has been one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States since 2010.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
City facts
Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.
Playbook
You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it. Austin is currently 26% off its 5-year peak — historically, that's been the discount tier of this market.
Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.
Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Travis County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Travis County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Neighborhoods of Austin
66 tracked · ranked by median home valueSee the full neighborhood ranking →
Cities like Austin
Run the numbers for Austin
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
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
Find rentals & listings
Open current Austin listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- 'It's normal': Why the Waterline, Texas' tallest building in Austin, has stainsAustin American-Statesman · 12h ago
- BLOG: Damage, power outages reported after severe storms move across Central TexasKXAN Austin · 1d ago
- Teenagers Arrested After Drive-By Shootings in Austin Injure at Least 4The New York Times · 2d ago
- Costco-anchored tiny Texas town eyes big-city dreams with $1.6M shopping plazaMySA · 18h ago
- Cost to prevent a Texas water crisis has more than doubled to $174B, state saysCommunity Impact | News · 6h ago
- Foreclosures tick up in stubbornly expensive AustinThe Real Deal · 7h ago
Local chatter (Reddit)
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
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 Austin
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.