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

All states·Texas·McAllen

Hidalgo County · McAllen-Edinburg-Mission · population 148,782

First-time buyers
McAllen, TX
Image: Wikipedia · McAllen, Texas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
66
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where McAllen stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $229,034
1-year +0.6%
5-yr CAGR +5.9%
vs 5-yr peak -0.7%
Population +1.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-05$229k$120k$160k$200k$240k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
35/100
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
$1,304/mo$1,030$1,208$1,385202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent133119100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.6
Buy

At a 14.6 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in McAllen on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.6 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
53 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
69 · w22%
Distance from peak
86 · w18%
Population growth
67 · w16%
Rent YoY
52 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
67 · w10%
Long thesis

McAllen has held up across the cycle: home values at $229,034 with +5.9% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

McAllen'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 McAllen

McAllen is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, with an estimated population of 148,782. It anchors the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area. The population grew 1.1% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in McAllen is $229,034 as of 2026-04, up 0.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.9% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in McAllen average $1,304 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.0%). The composite momentum score is 66 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.9% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Net positive migration: population up 1.1% per year — demand fundamentals are intact.
●Held the highs: currently -0.7% 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 McAllen (Wikipedia)

McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, across from the Mexican city of Reynosa. As of the 2024 census estimate, McAllen's population was 148,782, making it the most populous city in Hidalgo County, the second most populous city in the Rio Grande Valley, and the 23rd-most populous city in Texas. The city anchors the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metropolitan area, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the state of Texas, with 914,820 residents as of 2024. The binational Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan area counts a population of more than 1.5 million.

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

City facts

MayorRoel "Roy" Rodriguez
Area62.73 sq mi
Elevation121 ft
FoundedDecember 5, 1904
Nickname"The City of Palms"
Density2,320/sq mi
Named forJohn McAllen

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 Hidalgo County right now.

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

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

Neighborhoods of McAllen

67 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Bentsen Lakes$445,663+3.7%
2North Ridge Park$431,342+6.2%
3El Pacifico$414,227+3.6%
4Eagle Crossing$371,860+2.7%
5Falcon Crossing$362,356+3.6%
6Royal Oak Estates$356,560+7.7%
7Loma Linda$352,373+9.9%
8Dove Crossing$341,042+3.5%
9Broadlawn Terrace$326,244+0.2%
10Las Villas$320,198+11.8%
11Oak Terrace$318,097+1.9%
12La Floresta$307,542-0.0%
13Country Meadows$305,630-0.6%
14Northway Park$303,051+5.5%
15Quail Run$289,603+2.9%
16Primrose Terrace$273,622+0.6%
17Brisas Del Norte$269,402-0.7%
18Woodhollow$268,507+2.3%
19Sherwood$263,308-1.5%
20Encino Park$261,893+1.6%
21Daffodill Gardens$253,295+1.8%
22Kingwood Estates$252,469+0.1%
23Regency Park$248,453+0.4%
24Santa Yesenia$244,905+0.2%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like McAllen

Mission, TX63 · RisingLongview, TX67 · RisingCollege Station, TX67 · RisingEdinburg, TX71 · Rising

Run the numbers for McAllen

ToolCan I afford McAllen?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a McAllen rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare McAllen to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolMcAllen 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 McAllen 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 McAllen-Edinburg-Mission 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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